As a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) patient there are many changes that are taking place and it can be very daunting to navigate all of the data that exists online. How do you know if you are on the correct treatment for your particular hormone needs? Who is the right HRT provider for you? What labs do you need to have checked? All of these questions start to mount inside of your foggy brain and it becomes very difficult to decipher what information matters the most in your particular case.
Trust Builds Strong Provider-Patient Relationships
Trust is the most important factor when choosing a provider. If you do not trust the person who is treating your hormone deficiencies, then you will always wonder if they are doing all they can for you. Mistrust will leave space for doubt to grow and that does not create a safe healing environment for you. When I have new patients consult with me for an Initial HRT Consult, I can frequently tell when they have been reading online forums. Sometimes patients take what other HRT patients are saying as gospel without fact checking for themselves. This is a recipe for disaster when it comes to finding speedy symptom relief. These patients typically have many questions and a brain full of information that is partially true and partially not.
Trends in HRT vs. Evidence-Based Data
Very recently I have seen a trend in forum members looking for providers that use the DUTCH testing method. Upon further reading into evidence-based scholarly data, I learned that this form of test uses 5 samples of dried urine for analysis and can be useful especially in cortisol samples. I do want to emphasize that this lab is not covered by insurance companies and is considered to be “investigational.” Some select HRT providers solicit this form of testing to their patients and for the average cash price of $399, and it does seem to have quite a bit of information, but I would definitely be weary of anything that is not covered by health insurance as the most reliable form of lab data. I would also question the validity of such a wide array of content on a lab test that is sold on Amazon. In medicine, urine tests are not as thorough when we compare them to serum labs. We absolutely can detect the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level in a urine pregnancy test to tell if someone is pregnant or not, but we cannot confirm how far along a pregnancy is unless we get a serum Quantitative hCG test, for example. A urine test may be able to detect whether or not if there is protein or glucose in the urine, but that just indicates that serum labs are needed in order to rule out more serious pathologies in order to make a definitive diagnosis.
I urge each and every single HRT patient to look into data for yourself before blindly believing what others are saying about you, your HRT regimen, and ultimately your health. It is wonderful to have a meeting place to toss ideas around with our peers but remember that this is your path. Not every form of treatment is going to be as great for you as it seems to be for other people who you are chatting with in these online spaces. It really takes trusting your provider and being as open and honest as you possibly can be with him or her. Evaluate your current complaints (negative symptoms), and work with your HRT provider to correct these unwanted side effects of aging. It is important to stay positive and trust that you can and will accomplish your personalized treatment goals.
Article written by: Christee Bond, MSN, APRN, NP-C
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