Can’t Find Your Estrogen Patch? Don’t Just Stop.
Sep 24, 2026
Estrogen patches have gotten hard to find, and a lot of women are being told to just wait it out. That may be the riskiest option on the table. Dr. Terri sat down with Dr. Carrie Jones, ND, FABNE, MPH, MSCP, at a national clinician conference the same week the FDA held its public meeting on testosterone in women. Dr. Jones is a naturopathic physician and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner known as the Queen of Hormones. She was the first medical director for the DUTCH test and the first head of medical education at Rupa Health, and she now hosts the Hello Hormones podcast. Together they cover what's really behind the patch problem, why stopping hormones suddenly carries real risk, and how many more options exist than most women (and most prescribers) realize. They take on the reputation of compounding pharmacies: what compounding actually is, where the bad press came from, and why it keeps stepping in when supply runs short. They also get practical about quality, from "research only" peptides to supplements that don't match their labels. And they explain why estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone matter for your heart, brain, and bones long after the hot flashes are handled. What you'll discover Why so few clinicians feel ready to prescribe testosterone for women: 00:03:02 The lipstick rule for finding the hormone option that fits you: 00:04:56 What happened at an HHS roundtable on the estrogen patch problem: 00:06:50 What compounding pharmacies actually do, and what they don't: 00:09:37 How one contaminated batch reshaped the compounding industry: 00:14:25 How compounding filled the gap during the semaglutide shortage: 00:16:20 The price red flag on peptides you find online: 00:19:11 What "research only" on a label really means: 00:20:40 How to vet a supplement company before you buy: 00:24:06 The fish oil smell test: 00:26:08 What to do if you can't fill your estrogen patch: 00:26:25 The four long-term risks your hormones help protect against: 00:30:52 Why testing and replacing all three sex hormones matters: 00:36:25 Why waiting for more studies isn't good enough: 00:38:08