Alloy and WINONA for menopause symptoms
I've noticed since Covid that there are many new options for Telehealth for certain types of medical care. Some care is more conducive to being offered as telehealth than others. Hormone Replacement Therapy is definitely one that can be easily managed without the patient and doctor being in the same exact geographic location.
The two companies that I will compare and contrast in this blog are WINONA and Alloy. Each company conducts their business via telehealth, and both offer bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. They are very similar in the way their companies offer communication and feedback from their HRT Docs and specialists and thus, are a good pair to compare apples to apples.
All of the Bioidentical Hormone Replacement providers that I've studied have partner relationships with compounding pharmacies for bioidentical hormone prescriptions. The process goes something like this:
Complete an in-take form, include your medical and family history.
Begin Communication with an HRT doctor.
Discuss symptoms and desired results.
Medical specialist will recommend a therapy of possibly one, two or three prescriptions.
You choose if you want to start and purchase one, two or all three meds.
Pay for your purchase.
Wait for your products to arrive directly to your home.
What do you need to know about HRT telehealth providers?
As you begin your research for an online Hormone Replacement Therapy provider here are some things to consider and think about:
Do you have insurance you want to use and does the company you are considering take your insurance?
If you are hell-bent on using your insurance, be prepared to be flexible on your meds as most insurance will only cover certain types of HRT.
Are you looking to be put on Bioidentical Hormone Replacement meds and does the provider offer to prescribe those?
Do you have any formula preferences, like estrogen cream vs. estrogen patch?
Does the company require any pre-bloodwork and what's the cost associated with that?
Have they disclosed their costs of products if you choose to not use insurance or if the meds you want are not covered by insurance?
What's their method of communication?
How is follow up and on-going care managed?
Formulations Offered and Insurance
Neither WINONA or Alloy take insurance and for this reason, they are a good comparison. Both offer Bioidentical Hormone Replacement products with no pre- blood work required.
Alloy and WINONA both accept HSA credit cards and traditional credit cards for payment prior to ordering your prescribed Hormone Replacement Therapy Products.
Both companies offer, pills, patches, gel and creams. You'll be given some recommendations on what your specialist thinks is best for you, but if you have an opinion on certain formulations, they are open to hearing your preference.
Communication with HRT Doctor
In both cases, your communication is via a patent portal or through text/email correspondence. You'll not actually 'meet' with a doctor, but you'll have communication enough after they receive your in-take form and medical history to learn what Hormone Replacement Products they recommend for you and the costs of each.
Winona doesn't charge for the initial consultation. What I learned after signing up with Alloy, is that they do charge an initial fee of $49.00 to start the process and to begin communication with your HRT doctor.
You'll be given an opportunity to make a decision on which product(s) you want to purchase. You can then provide your HSA or other credit card so they can fulfill your order. The HRT products will be shipped directly to your home from their partner compounding pharmacy with directions on how to apply or take each product.
Which is more cost effective? WINONA vs. Alloy Hormone Replacement
There are four pretty common HRT products that both companies offer in three-month supply quantities:
My Alloy: (Use Discount Code HormoneHub10 for $10 off first order)
Estrogen Pill/3 Mos $119
Estrogen Gel/Cream/3 Mos $209
Estrogen Patch/3 Mos $224
Progesterone $Free with Estrogen Rx
Fee to create account $49 (one-time fee)
By Winona (start here to get 15% first order)
Estrogen Pills/3 Mos $137.70 (15% off - create new account using link above)
Estrogen Gel/Cream/3 Mos $226.95 (15% off - create new account using link above)
Estrogen Patch/3 Mos $379.95 (15% off - create new account using link above)
Progesterone The Estrogen/Progesterone cream combo is the same price, as estrogen alone, so no add'l cost for progesterone.
Fee to create account $0
Both companies offer a few select other products, but they are specialty products that are not typical with traditional Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Alloy and WINONA, what they don't offer
There are some things that you need to know that you shouldn't expect with either of these two HRT providers.
First, they don't offer testosterone. If you have done your research and that's something you want to incorporate into your therapy, then neither of these two companies are for you. Joi Women's Wellness does offer Testosterone as part of their therapy, check them out here.
Both companies practice evidence-based medicine, meaning they don't require pre-blood work, which could be a plus in that it saves time and money. If you really want to see your blood hormone-levels, then you'll want to find a company who offers upfront blood work along with follow-up testing. Testing allows you to "see" how the HRT is working whereas with WINONA or Alloy, it's how you feel and your symptoms or lack thereof that decides if the meds are working.
My Alloy is the more cost effective!
These two companies are very similar in almost every facet that you can compare them. The only real differentiator is the cost of the Estradiol patch one compared to the other and the fact that you need to pay $49 to start an account with Alloy. Once you apply the 15% off with Winona the cream formulations are a just a bit more than the cost of Alloy even with the $10 off coupon code.
If you are looking for a company who is EASY to do business with, either of these two fit the bill. You'll not need to schedule any time off work as all communication is done via electronic means.
Once you begin your meds, how you feel or your change in symptoms will be used to determine if your therapy might need to be tweaked. In either case, they'll follow up to check in on you and continue to be available if you have questions or concerns.
See my YouTube Video of my comparison of Alloy Vs. Winona!
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