The symptoms are real.
So is the treatment.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for perimenopause, menopause, and hormone deficits at any age. Dosed on your lab work and your symptoms together, by a provider who sees you at every visit.
Most women don't come in because of one symptom
They come in because six of these showed up over two years and everyone kept calling it normal.
Hot flashes and night sweats
Waking up soaked. Peeling off a layer in a meeting and hoping nobody noticed.
Sleep that stopped working
Asleep by ten, wide awake at two, useless by three in the afternoon.
Weight that moved without warning
Same diet, same activity, different body. Mostly through the middle.
Mood you don't recognize
Irritable over nothing, tearful over less, anxious in a way that isn't like you.
Brain fog and lost words
Walking into rooms. Losing the noun mid-sentence. Feeling slower than you are.
Libido and comfort gone
Desire faded, intimacy became uncomfortable, and nobody asked you about it.
Joint aches, thinning hair, dry skin, and heart palpitations belong on this list too. These are hormonal symptoms with hormonal causes, and they are measurable.
This is not rare, and it is not brief
is the average age of menopause in the United States.
National Institute on Aging, NIH. Sourceis when most women begin the menopausal transition.
National Institute on Aging, NIH. Sourceis how long menopause-related symptoms can last.
National Institute on Aging, NIH. SourceAmerican women reach menopause every year.
National Institute on Aging, NIH. SourceYears, not weeks. That is the part that gets lost when a symptom list gets waved off as a phase, and it is the reason waiting it out is a decision with a real cost.
What bioidentical hormone therapy actually is
Bioidentical hormones are structurally identical to the hormones your own body produces. They are compounded from plant-derived starting material, and at the molecular level your receptors cannot tell the difference.
That is a statement about chemical structure, not a claim of superiority. What actually determines whether therapy helps you is the same thing it always was: the right hormone, at the right dose, for the right person, monitored properly. The goal is to bring your levels back toward where they were in your early reproductive years and then adjust based on how you feel and what your follow-up labs show.
We treat the woman, not the lab sheet
Two women with identical estradiol levels can feel completely different. Your dose gets set and adjusted on symptoms and lab data together, which is why every follow-up asks how you are actually doing rather than just repeating a blood draw.
Three hormones, and they move together
Treating one in isolation is how people end up feeling worse. Your evaluation looks at all three, plus thyroid and metabolic markers that mimic the same symptoms.
Estrogen
The one most closely tied to hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, vaginal dryness, and skin changes.
- Drives most vasomotor symptoms
- Balanced against progesterone, never dosed alone if you have a uterus
Progesterone
Often the first to fall in perimenopause, and frequently the reason sleep and mood go sideways years before periods stop.
- Supports sleep quality and calm
- Protects the uterine lining alongside estrogen
Testosterone
Yes, women make it, and yes, it matters. Low levels track with flat libido, low drive, and difficulty holding muscle.
- Tied to libido, energy, and body composition
- Dosed at a fraction of a male protocol
Thyroid disease, iron deficiency, sleep apnea, and depression produce overlapping symptoms. Part of a proper evaluation is ruling those in or out rather than assuming everything is hormonal.
Creams, capsules, and troches
Summit Health prescribes bioidentical hormones in the forms most women tolerate well and can actually keep up with day to day.
Topical cream
Applied daily to the skin. Easy to titrate in small increments, which makes it a common starting point.
Oral capsules
Simple and familiar. Progesterone is frequently prescribed this way and taken at night.
Troches
A small lozenge dissolved between cheek and gum, absorbed through the lining of the mouth.
Which form you start on depends on which hormone you need, how you absorb it, your medical history, and frankly what you will remember to use. If something isn't working for your routine, we change it. A protocol you abandon in month two helps nobody.
The menopause app, your OB-GYN, and us
All three exist for a reason. They are built for different jobs, and it is worth knowing which one you are actually signing up for.
| Online menopause platform | Primary care or OB-GYN | Summit Health | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Questionnaire, often minutes | Weeks to months for an opening | 45 to 60 minute evaluation, usually within the week |
| Lab work | Sometimes optional or skipped entirely | Ordered, read against population ranges | Included, and read against your symptoms too |
| Hormones offered | Whatever the platform stocks | Often estrogen and progesterone only | Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone as indicated |
| Body composition | Not offered | Rarely offered | InBody 270 scan at every visit, included |
| Who you see | Rotating clinicians you never meet twice | Whoever is available that day | Scott Adler, PA-C and team |
| Between visits | Support ticket queue | Portal message, answered eventually | Unlimited call, text, and email |
| Dose changes | Fixed tiers | Requires another appointment | Adjusted on your labs and how you feel |
| Cost | Low upfront, medication marked up | Copay plus whatever the deductible does | $200 to start, $150 a month, no surprises |
If you have a complex gynecologic history we want you to keep your OB-GYN, and we will coordinate. What we are built for is the hormone optimization work a fifteen-minute visit cannot cover.
How it works
Evaluation
Forty-five minutes to an hour. Full history, physical, symptom review, lab work, and an InBody 270 body composition scan. You leave understanding what your numbers actually say.
Your protocol gets built
Once labs are back we go through them together and design the therapy around what they show and what you are experiencing. Hormones, delivery method, and dose are chosen for you, not pulled off a tier list.
Adjustment period
Most women notice change somewhere between three weeks and three months. We stay in contact through it, and the first dose is a starting point rather than a final answer.
Ongoing monitoring
Repeat labs and repeat scans on a schedule, with dose changes as your body and your life change. Unlimited messaging in between so you are never sitting on a question for three weeks.
Timeline, and the honest part about side effects
Women typically notice improvement within three weeks to three months. Sleep and hot flashes often shift first. Mood, libido, and body composition usually take longer.
Starting hormone therapy can produce side effects, particularly early on while the dose is being adjusted. The ones we see and manage include weight gain, fatigue, headaches, acne, breast tenderness, spotting or cramping, bloating, mood swings, and blurred vision. Most are dose-related and settle as the protocol is tuned. Telling us early is what lets us fix it quickly.
Hormone therapy is not appropriate for everyone. A personal history of breast cancer, certain clotting disorders, unexplained vaginal bleeding, active liver disease, and some cardiovascular conditions change the risk calculation, and part of your evaluation is working out whether treatment is a reasonable option for you at all. If it isn't, we will tell you.
Individual results vary and are not guaranteed. Bioidentical hormone therapy is prescribed only after evaluation by a licensed provider and only when clinically appropriate.
What it costs, before you call
Direct-pay. No insurance, no membership fee stacked on top, no surprise line items.
- 45-minute visit with your provider
- Laboratory work included
- InBody 270 body composition analysis
- First month of medication included
- Nutrition and lifestyle guidance
- Bioidentical hormone therapy
- Follow-up lab evaluation
- Unlimited call, text, and email support
- Telehealth access anywhere in Missouri
- Dose adjustments as needed
HSA and FSA friendly. Ask for an itemized receipt and submit it. Outside laboratory work may be billable to your insurance separately.
Scott Adler, PA-C
Scott builds, prescribes, and monitors every protocol at Summit Health himself. There is no intake nurse handing you to a prescriber you never meet. Patients in 54 five-star Google reviews describe him as thorough, quick to answer, and genuinely invested in how they do.
★ 5.0 out of 5
Across 54 Google reviews, with owner responses on nearly all of them.
Locally owned
One clinic, at 2833 E Battlefield Rd in Springfield, serving southwest Missouri.
Telehealth statewide
Follow-ups by video anywhere in Missouri. Only the body scan needs you in the building.
Common questions about bioidentical hormone therapy
What is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy?
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT, uses hormones that are structurally identical to the ones your own body produces. They are compounded from plant-derived starting material. At Summit Health Clinic in Springfield, Missouri, BHRT is used to treat estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone imbalances in women during perimenopause and menopause, and in younger women running low. The goal is to restore hormone levels toward where they were during your early reproductive years, guided by both lab data and how you actually feel.
How much does BHRT cost in Springfield, MO?
The initial evaluation is $200 and includes a 45-minute visit, laboratory work, an InBody 270 body composition analysis, your first month of medication, and nutrition and lifestyle guidance. Ongoing care is $150 per month and includes your therapy, follow-up lab evaluation, unlimited call, text, and email support, and telehealth access. There is no separate membership fee.
How long before I feel a difference?
Most women notice improvement somewhere between three weeks and three months. Sleep quality and hot flashes tend to respond earliest. Mood, libido, and body composition generally take longer, because those depend on the dose being tuned over a few follow-ups rather than on the first prescription being perfect.
Do I have to be in menopause to be treated?
No. Perimenopause frequently produces the same symptom list years before periods stop, and progesterone is often the first hormone to fall. Younger women with hormone deficits from other causes are treated as well. What determines whether therapy is appropriate is your evaluation, not your age.
Is bioidentical hormone therapy safe?
Hormone therapy carries real risks and is not appropriate for everyone. A personal history of breast cancer, certain clotting disorders, unexplained vaginal bleeding, active liver disease, and some cardiovascular conditions all change the risk calculation. Side effects during dose adjustment can include weight gain, fatigue, headaches, acne, breast tenderness, spotting, bloating, mood swings, and blurred vision. Your provider reviews your history and your risks with you before anything is prescribed, and monitors you with repeat labs after you start.
What forms do you prescribe?
Creams, oral capsules, and troches. Which one you start on depends on which hormone you need, how you absorb it, your medical history, and what realistically fits your routine. If a form is not working for you, we change it.
Do you prescribe testosterone for women?
Yes, when it is indicated. Women produce testosterone, and low levels track with reduced libido, low drive, and difficulty maintaining muscle. It is dosed at a small fraction of a male protocol and monitored on follow-up labs.
Do you take insurance?
No. Summit Health is direct-pay, which is what keeps a visit long enough to actually cover a hormone history and keeps the treatment decision between you and your provider. We can give you an itemized receipt for an HSA or FSA, and lab work ordered through outside labs may be billable to your insurance separately.
Can I do this by telehealth?
Follow-ups, yes, from anywhere in Missouri. The initial evaluation is usually done in person because of the body composition scan and physical exam. Patients drive in from Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Branson and further out, and we are glad to work with anyone in the state.
Where our patients come from
In-office care in Springfield, telemedicine across Missouri. Most of our patients drive in from these communities:
2833 E Battlefield Rd, Bldg B, Ste 100, Springfield, MO 65804. Call or text (417) 232-3000.
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Related: medical weight loss, InBody 270 body composition, sexual health and hair restoration.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy at Summit Health Clinic is dispensed only after evaluation by a licensed provider and only when clinically appropriate, through licensed U.S. pharmacies overseen by their state pharmacy boards. Individual results vary and are not guaranteed. Hormone therapy carries risks and is not suitable for everyone; your provider will review these with you before you start. Consult your healthcare provider about whether this treatment is right for you.