Hormone Replacement Therapy in St. Catharines
If you don't feel like yourself anymore, it might not be "just getting older."
It might be your hormones.
When Everything Shifts and Nobody Can Tell You Why
Your energy disappeared. Your sleep is a mess. You're gaining weight in places that don't respond to what used to work. Your skin changed practically overnight. Your mood swings are running your day instead of the other way around.
And when you mention it to your doctor, you hear some version of "that's normal for your age."
Here's what they're not telling you: it's not something you just have to live with.
If your hormones are dropping, there's a reason you feel this way — and hormone replacement therapy can address the root cause instead of handing you another symptom to manage on your own.
I offer HRT for women going through perimenopause and menopause — think of it as a menopause clinic run by someone who actually listens — and testosterone replacement therapy for men dealing with low T and andropause.
Both are managed through virtual consultations with regular bloodwork, so you get real medical care without rearranging your entire week around appointments.
Who Hormone Therapy is For
Women in perimenopause or menopause. You're somewhere between your early 40s and mid-50s, and the list of symptoms keeps getting longer: hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, mood swings, weight gain, low libido, skin changes, sleep disruption. You've tried supplements, lifestyle changes, and powering through. The symptoms haven't budged because the underlying issue is hormonal, and your body needs those hormones replaced.
Men with low testosterone. You're in your 40s or older and your energy isn't what it was. You're foggy, your motivation dipped, your body composition changed even though your habits didn't. Maybe your doctor tested your testosterone and it came back "in range" but you still feel off. A TRT clinic that actually listens to how you feel, not just what your labs say, can make a real difference.
Anyone who came to Contour Medical for one thing and discovered the bigger picture. Some of my best HRT clients started as Botox clients. They came in for their face and we ended up talking about sleep, energy, and weight. When I looked at their bloodwork, the hormonal piece explained a lot of what they were seeing in the mirror.
One provider, one relationship, the whole picture.
If you’re in your mid to late 40s or older and struggling to maintain your energy, your mood, your weight or constantly battling brain fog, hormone replacement therapy might be for you.
Perimenopause can start as early as your late 30s, when your estrogen and progesterone levels begin shifting. By the time you're in full menopause, those hormones have dropped significantly, and the effects show up everywhere.
Symptoms that HRT for women can address:
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Sleep disruption and insomnia
• Brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and memory issues
• Mood changes, irritability, and anxiety
• Unexplained weight gain, especially around the midsection
• Low libido
• Vaginal dryness and discomfort
• Skin changes, including thinning and dryness
Sound familiar?
If you're experiencing several of these at once and nothing else has helped, the common thread is likely hormonal. HRT for menopause replaces what your body has stopped making enough of, and most women feel a noticeable difference within four to eight weeks of starting treatment. Energy comes back. Sleep normalizes. The brain fog lifts. You start recognizing yourself again.
You Don’t Have to Drown in Your Symptoms
I use bioidentical hormone therapy because the hormones are structurally identical to your own. That matters for how your body recognizes and responds to them.
Women's HRT: Perimenopause and Menopause
How Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Work at Contour Medical?
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15 minutes, virtual, completely free. You tell me what you're experiencing and I tell you whether HRT is worth exploring for your situation. No commitment, you're just getting answers.
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About 45 minutes, virtual. I go through your health history, your symptoms, and what's been going on. I'll order comprehensive bloodwork, you get your blood drawn at a local lab in the Niagara region and I interpret the results with you. No guessing based on symptoms alone.
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Once your labs come back, I build a plan tailored to your numbers and your symptoms. I use bioidentical hormones, which are molecularly identical to what your body produces naturally. Your dosing is based on your bloodwork, not a standardized formula.
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This isn't a one-time prescription. I reassess your symptoms on a routine basis and recheck your bloodwork periodically and as needed — typically at six to eight weeks after starting, then every three to six months depending on how you're responding. Dosages will be adjusted according to your symptoms. All follow-ups are virtual. Hormone therapy is managed care, and I stay involved as long as you're on it.
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Most clients notice improvements within four to eight weeks. Energy and sleep tend to improve first. Mood stabilization, libido, and body composition changes follow over the next three to six months as we optimize your dosing and hormone levels stabilize.
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That depends on your specific situation and your goals. Some clients are on hormone therapy for a defined period, others benefit from long-term management. I'll discuss what makes sense for you based on your health history, your risk factors, symptoms, and how you respond to treatment.
Most hormone therapy providers hand you a prescription and send you on your way. That's not how this works.
Men’s TRT - Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Testosterone levels in men start declining gradually after age 30, and by your 40s or 50s the effects can be hard to ignore. Andropause doesn't get as much attention as menopause, but the symptoms are just as real — and just as frustrating when nobody takes them seriously.
Symptoms that testosterone replacement therapy can address:
• Persistent fatigue, even with adequate sleep
• Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
• Loss of muscle mass and increased body fat
• Low motivation and drive
• Decreased libido
• Mood changes, including irritability and low mood
You know something's off. You're not performing the way you used to — at work, at the gym, at home. And when you bring it up, you get the same dismissal women get: "that's just part of getting older."
It doesn't have to be.
If your doctor told you your testosterone is "within range" but you still feel off, the range itself might be the problem. Lab reference ranges are based on population averages, not on what's optimal for you. I look at your numbers alongside your symptoms, because how you feel matters as much as what your bloodwork says.
A testosterone clinic should treat the whole person, not just the lab result. That's how I approach it.
Your discovery call is free — no cost to find out whether HRT is the right path for you.
Your initial consultation fee covers the full health history review, bloodwork orders, and your personalized treatment plan. After that, ongoing costs depend on the type of hormones prescribed, your dosing, and how often we meet for follow-ups. I'll walk you through the full breakdown during your consultation so there are no surprises.
Some bioidentical hormone prescriptions may be covered or partially covered by your insurance plan. I can provide the documentation you need to submit a claim.
How Much Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Cost?
Why Clients Choose Contour Medical Aesthetics & Wellness for HRT in St. Catharines
I'm a Nurse Practitioner, which means I can prescribe medications, order and interpret bloodwork, diagnose conditions, and manage your treatment from start to finish.
HRT isn't a side offering at Contour Medical. It's a core part of my practice and one of the reasons I became an NP in the first place.
The virtual format means you don't have to take a half-day off work for a 30-minute hormone check-in. You get the same quality of care from your couch that you'd get sitting across from me in the clinic.
And here's what makes Contour Medical Aesthetics & Wellness genuinely different from a typical menopause clinic or hormone therapy provider in the Niagara region: I'm also the same person who can handle your Botox®, your skincare treatments and your overall wellness plan. I can see the connections between how your hormones are affecting your skin, your weight, and your energy, because I'm looking at all of it.
Sometimes the best thing I can do for your face is address what's happening underneath it.
Serving St. Catharines, Thorold, Niagara Falls, Welland, Fonthill, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, Grimsby and the Niagara region.
Book a Free Discovery Call
You've read this far because something on this page described exactly how you've been feeling.
That's worth 15 minutes of your time. A discovery call is virtual, completely free, and there's no commitment. You tell me what's going on, and I tell you whether HRT makes sense for your situation.
You don't have to keep feeling this way. Let's figure out what's going on.
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HRT has been extensively studied and is considered safe and effective when prescribed and monitored by a qualified practitioner. I review your full health history before we get started to ensure you are an appropriate candidate, monitor your bloodwork throughout treatment, and adjust dosing based on how your body responds. If HRT isn't appropriate for your situation, I'll tell you.
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Bioidentical hormones are molecularly identical to what your body produces naturally — as opposed to synthetic alternatives that have a different molecular structure. I use bioidentical hormones because your body recognizes and processes them the same way it would its own. That matters for how you respond to treatment.
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All HRT consultations and follow-ups for women are virtual. The only in-person component is bloodwork, which you do at a local lab. This makes hormone therapy manageable even with a busy schedule.
For men receiving injectable TRT, regular in-person follow ups are required to ensure safety and regulatory standards are being met for the prescribing of controlled substances.
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It depends on your health, your symptoms, and your goals. Some clients use HRT for a specific phase of life, like the transition through menopause. Others benefit from ongoing management. I discuss the expected timeline with you based on your individual situation and we revisit it at each follow-up.
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Hormonal changes are one of the most common reasons that weight stops responding to diet and exercise. When estrogen drops in women or testosterone drops in men, the body stores fat differently and metabolic function shifts. HRT addresses the hormonal component, which can make a meaningful difference. I also offer a medically supervised weight loss program for clients who want to work on both at the same time.
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A dedicated menopause clinic typically focuses on one thing: managing menopause symptoms. I do that, but I also manage testosterone therapy for men, aesthetic treatments, and overall wellness. If your hormonal changes are showing up in your skin, your weight, and your energy, I can address all of it in one place instead of sending you to three different providers.