Hormone Replacement Therapy in Beverly Hills | Modern Aesthetica

Hormone Replacement Therapy in Beverly Hills

Fatigue, weight that will not shift, poor sleep, low libido. Sometimes it is hormones — and sometimes it is not. We test before we treat.

Book Consultation (213) 895-4730

First Step

Lab testing

Results Appear

4–12 weeks

Monitoring

Ongoing

Managed By

Physician

What Hormone Replacement Therapy Is

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by your endocrine glands, and they regulate an extraordinary range of functions — metabolism, sleep architecture, mood, muscle mass, bone density, cognition, and sexual function among them. Hormone replacement therapy restores hormones that have declined to levels causing symptoms.

Levels fall naturally with age. In women the change is relatively abrupt around menopause; in men testosterone declines more gradually, typically around one percent per year after the age of thirty. Not everyone whose levels drop needs treatment. What matters is whether the decline is producing symptoms that affect how you live.

Symptoms that commonly prompt testing

Persistent fatigue that rest does not resolve
Weight gain — particularly abdominal — despite unchanged diet and activity
Sleep disruption, including waking through the night
Low libido or sexual dysfunction
Mood changes — irritability, low mood, anxiety
Loss of muscle mass and strength despite training
Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
Hot flashes and night sweats (women)

An important caveat: every symptom on that list has causes other than hormones. Thyroid disease, anemia, sleep apnea, depression, vitamin D deficiency, and medication side effects all present similarly. This is precisely why we test rather than assume.

Bioidentical Hormones — What the Term Means

"Bioidentical" is used loosely in marketing, so it is worth defining precisely.

Bioidentical hormones are molecularly identical to the hormones your body produces. Estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone preparations that match human hormone structure are bioidentical. Many are FDA-approved, manufactured pharmaceuticals — they are not inherently compounded or "natural."

The distinction that matters clinically is between FDA-approved preparations and compounded preparations made individually by a compounding pharmacy. Compounded hormones are not subject to the same testing for potency and consistency, and major medical bodies generally favor FDA-approved options where one exists for your situation.

Where marketing tends to overreach is in implying bioidentical hormones carry no risk. They carry the same category of risks as any hormone therapy, and those need discussing honestly rather than dismissing.

Delivery methods

Topical gels and creams — daily application, steady levels, transfer risk to others
Injections — typically weekly or biweekly for testosterone
Pellets — implanted subcutaneously, lasting months; convenient but not adjustable once placed
Oral — used for certain hormones, notably progesterone
Patches — steady delivery, commonly used for estradiol

Which suits you depends on the hormone, your lifestyle, and how finely dosing needs adjusting.

How We Practice

Testing before treatment, always

No hormone is prescribed here on the basis of symptoms alone. Treatment begins with comprehensive laboratory work, a clinical history, and a physical examination. Symptoms like fatigue, weight change, and low libido have many possible causes — thyroid disease, anemia, sleep apnea, depression, and medication side effects among them — and treating a hormone that is not actually deficient helps nobody.

A physician manages your care

Dr. Daniel Moghadam oversees hormone therapy personally, from interpreting your initial panel through dose adjustments. Hormone therapy is real medicine with real risks, and it needs a physician's judgment rather than a protocol.

Ongoing monitoring, not a one-time prescription

Levels are re-checked after starting treatment and periodically thereafter. Doses are adjusted based on how you feel and what your bloodwork shows — the two do not always agree, and both matter.

An honest conversation about risk

Hormone therapy has genuine benefits and genuine risks, and those differ by age, sex, personal history, and family history. You will hear both. If you are not a good candidate, we will tell you that.

What the Process Looks Like

Consultation and history

A detailed conversation about symptoms, medical history, family history, medications, and what you are hoping to change.

Comprehensive laboratory panel

Bloodwork covering the relevant hormones plus thyroid function, metabolic markers, and other values that could explain your symptoms.

Review of results

Dr. Moghadam interprets the panel in the context of your symptoms. Sometimes the answer is that hormones are not the issue — and you will be told so.

Personalized protocol

If treatment is appropriate, a specific hormone, dose, and delivery method are chosen and the expected timeline explained.

Follow-up testing

Levels are rechecked after starting and periodically thereafter, with doses adjusted based on both symptoms and laboratory values.

Risks and Honest Limitations

Hormone therapy is genuinely effective for the right patient. It is also real medicine, and the risks deserve straightforward discussion.

For women, estrogen therapy has been associated with changes in risk for blood clots, stroke, and certain cancers, with risk profiles varying substantially by age, time since menopause, delivery route, and whether progesterone is included. Starting closer to menopause generally carries a more favorable profile than starting many years after.

For men, testosterone therapy can affect red blood cell count, fertility, and prostate markers, and requires monitoring of each. It typically suppresses natural testosterone production and sperm production, which matters considerably if you intend to father children.

Hormone therapy is not appropriate for people with certain hormone-sensitive cancers, active liver disease, a history of unprovoked blood clots, or some cardiovascular conditions. Your full history determines suitability.

These are not reasons to avoid treatment. They are reasons to be managed by a physician who tests, monitors, and adjusts — and who will tell you when treatment is not the right answer for you.

Common Questions

Hormone Replacement Therapy Questions

The only way to know is testing. Symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, poor sleep, and low libido are consistent with hormonal decline, but they are equally consistent with thyroid disease, anemia, sleep apnea, depression, and vitamin D deficiency. We run a comprehensive panel that covers hormones alongside the other common explanations, then interpret it in the context of your symptoms.

It varies by hormone and by symptom. Energy and mood often improve within four to six weeks. Changes in body composition, muscle mass, and libido typically take eight to twelve weeks or longer. Doses are commonly adjusted during the first few months as we see how you respond.

Hormones molecularly identical to the ones your body produces — estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone in structurally matching form. Many are FDA-approved manufactured pharmaceuticals; the term does not mean compounded or natural. The clinically meaningful distinction is between FDA-approved preparations and individually compounded ones, which are not held to the same consistency testing.

It is effective and appropriate for many patients, but it carries real risks that depend on your age, sex, and history. For women, estrogen therapy affects risk of clots, stroke, and certain cancers, with the profile varying by timing and delivery route. For men, testosterone affects red blood cell count, fertility, and prostate markers. This is why treatment requires physician management and ongoing monitoring rather than a standing prescription.

Yes, and this is important to understand before starting. Testosterone therapy suppresses your body's own testosterone production and typically reduces or stops sperm production, which can significantly impair fertility. Some suppression may persist after stopping. If you intend to father children, tell us at consultation — there are alternative approaches worth discussing.

You need ongoing monitoring, though not frequent visits. Levels are rechecked after starting treatment and periodically thereafter, and bloodwork can often be done at a facility convenient to you. Adjustments are based on both how you feel and what the numbers show.

It can help if a genuine hormonal deficiency is contributing to weight gain, particularly abdominal weight. It is not a weight loss treatment on its own, and correcting hormones will not overcome a substantial calorie surplus. If weight is your primary concern, our medically supervised weight loss program is the more appropriate route, and the two are sometimes combined.

Cost depends on the laboratory panel required, which hormones are treated, and the delivery method chosen — pellets, injections, gels, and patches differ considerably. We outline the full expected cost including monitoring at your complimentary consultation. Call (213) 895-4730.

Areas We Serve

Hormone Replacement Therapy for Greater Los Angeles

Patients travel to our Beverly Hills office for hormone care from across Los Angeles and the Westside:

Our Beverly Hills office sits on Wilshire Blvd near the Beverly Hills–Los Angeles border, with on-site, valet, and street parking.

Address

8907 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 270
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Phone

(213) 895-4730

Hours

Mon–Thu 10am–5pm
Fri 9am–5pm
Sat & Sun Closed

Find out what is actually going on

A consultation and comprehensive panel will tell you whether hormones are the problem — or whether something else is. Consultations are complimentary.

Book Your Consultation (213) 895-4730

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