Hormone therapy: what it is and how clinics abroad price it
Hormone therapy programmes are treatments in which a clinic prescribes hormones, such as testosterone or menopausal hormones, and monitors their levels. This page describes how clinics publish the price and terms of these programmes.
What does it involve?
Clinics usually start with blood tests and a consultation, then prescribe a hormone product and repeat the tests over time. Common programmes:
- Menopausal hormone therapy (HRT) — estrogen alone or combined with a progestin; the NHS lists tablets, patches, gel, spray and vaginal forms.
- Testosterone therapy for men — the NHS says testosterone replacement may be given as an injection or a gel after a specialist confirms a deficiency.
- Compounded or "bioidentical" hormones — preparations mixed by a pharmacy to a clinic's prescription, sometimes given as pellets or creams.
- Monitoring programme — a package of repeat blood tests and consultations, sold with or without the hormone product.
How do clinics price it?
The catalogue has no price scopes for hormone therapy yet. Clinics usually publish prices in these units:
- Per consultation — a first assessment, often with a separate price for tests.
- Per test panel — a set of hormone and other blood tests.
- Per programme or per month — consultations, tests and sometimes the medication for a stated period.
A published price may cover only the consultation. Often charged extra: blood tests, scans, the hormone product itself, pellet insertion, repeat tests, and remote follow-up after you return home. Prices are only comparable within the same unit and for the same period and the same items.
What should I ask the clinic before paying?
- What is included: which tests, how many consultations, and is the medication in the price?
- Which named doctor prescribes, and what is their specialty, for example endocrinology or gynecology? See how to check a doctor.
- Is the product a licensed medicine, or a compounded preparation, and who makes it?
- Can the prescription be continued legally in your home country, and will the clinic send a report to your own doctor?
- How often are repeat tests done, and are they included?
- What happens, and what is charged, if the dose has to be changed or the treatment stopped?
- How long is the written price valid?
What this page does not tell you
This page reports published prices and terms. It does not say whether a hormone treatment suits you or works; that decision belongs with your own doctor. The US FDA states that testosterone products are approved only for men who lack or have low testosterone together with an associated medical condition, with a limitation of use for age-related low testosterone. For menopausal hormone therapy, the FDA lists possible risks and says it does not have evidence that compounded "bioidentical hormones" are safe and effective; NICE guidance on menopause covers diagnosis and management in the UK.