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.
Hormonal changes during perimenopause and post-menopause can affect how you feel and function — from sleep and temperature regulation to mood, concentration, energy and sexual health.
I offer individualized hormone health care for women navigating perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, with a focus on your unique symptoms, health history, goals and treatment options.
100% of your care is delivered virtually, making personalized, ongoing hormone health care accessible from the comfort and privacy of your own home. Through virtual consultations and regular follow-up, I take a thoughtful, evidence-informed approach to determining whether hormone therapy may be appropriate for you — without rearranging your entire week around appointments.
Who Hormone Therapy is For
Women navigating perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause.
You’re somewhere in your 40s, 50s or beyond, and suddenly your body doesn’t feel quite like it used to. Hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, mood changes, sleep disruption, changes in weight, low libido and skin changes can all become part of the picture.
Maybe you’ve tried supplements, lifestyle changes and simply powering through. If these changes are affecting your quality of life, it may be time to take a closer look at your hormone health.
At Contour Medical, I take the time to look at the bigger picture — your symptoms, health history, goals and, when appropriate, laboratory testing — to help determine whether hormonal changes may be contributing and whether hormone therapy may be an appropriate option for you.
Aesthetic care may be where you first find me, but women’s health is part of the bigger picture.
Some of my clients initially come to Contour Medical for aesthetic treatments, and our conversations naturally expand to include sleep, energy, weight, sexual health and other changes they’ve noticed during midlife.
One provider. One relationship. A more complete approach to women’s health.
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.
Women's HRT: Perimenopause and Menopause
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.
How Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Work at Contour Medical?
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15 minutes, completely virtual and completely free.
Tell me what you’ve been experiencing, what’s been bothering you, and what you’re hoping to understand about hormone therapy. I’ll answer your questions, discuss whether HRT may be an appropriate option to explore based on your individual situation, and explain what the next steps in the assessment process would involve.
No pressure and no commitment — just an opportunity to get your questions answered and better understand your options for managing symptoms associated with perimenopause and post-menopause.
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Approximately 45 minutes, completely virtual.
I’ll take the time to review your health history, symptoms, concerns and overall health picture. I’ll order comprehensive laboratory testing to provide additional clinical information and help identify or rule out other metabolic or nutritional deficiencies that may be contributing to your symptoms.
You’ll have your bloodwork completed at a local laboratory in the Niagara region. Your bloodwork results are reviewed and interpreted as part of your follow-up appointment, where I’ll discuss the findings with you and consider them alongside your symptoms, health history and overall clinical picture.
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Once your lab results are available, I review them alongside your symptoms, health history and overall health picture. While hormone levels alone are not diagnostic, laboratory testing can provide valuable information and help identify or rule out other metabolic or nutritional deficiencies that may be contributing to how you’re feeling.
From there, I develop an individualized treatment plan based on your unique symptoms, health history, goals and clinical assessment — rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
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This isn’t a one-time prescription. I provide ongoing follow-up to assess how you’re feeling, review your response to treatment and make adjustments when clinically appropriate.
Follow-up appointments are scheduled every 3 months and are delivered entirely virtually. Repeat bloodwork is ordered only when clinically indicated — such as when initial results are abnormal or if you’re not responding to hormone therapy as expected. Any treatment adjustments are based on your symptoms, clinical assessment, health history and relevant laboratory results.
I remain involved in your care throughout your hormone therapy journey, with regular quarterly follow-up to ensure your treatment continues to be appropriate for you.
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Everyone responds differently to hormone therapy, and the timeline for symptom improvement varies from person to person.
Some women may notice improvements in hot flashes and night sweats within the first few weeks, while other symptoms such as sleep, energy, mood and libido may take longer to improve. For some, meaningful symptom improvement may take several weeks to a few months as treatment is assessed and adjusted as needed.
Hot flashes and night sweats may begin to improve within 2–4 weeks, although it can take up to 3 months to achieve the best symptom response.
Changes in body composition are not guaranteed and can be influenced by many factors beyond hormone therapy.
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The duration of hormone therapy is different for every woman and depends on your health history, symptoms, treatment goals, risk factors and response to therapy.
For some women, hormone therapy may be used for a defined period during the menopause transition. Others may benefit from longer-term treatment when the benefits continue to outweigh the potential risks and therapy remains appropriate.
There is no one-size-fits-all timeline. During your regular follow-up appointments, I’ll assess your response to treatment, review any changes in your health or risk factors, and discuss whether continuing, adjusting or discontinuing therapy is appropriate.
My goal is to use the lowest effective dose for the appropriate duration, with ongoing reassessment to ensure treatment remains right for you.
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.
***** SPECIAL NOTICE ***** Due to capacity, I’m temporarily pausing intake of new clients for Testosterone Replacement Therapy. If you’re an existing TRT client, you can still book your appointment here.
How Much Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Cost?
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, medication reconciliation, symptom review, and comprehensive blood work testing. After your initial consultation, a follow up appointment will be booked approximately 2 weeks later to review blood work and formulate an individualized treatment plan, with ongoing quarterly follow ups to ensure safe and effective treatment. 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. Please reach out to your insurance company directly if you have questions about coverage.
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.