Frequently Asked Questions

All women over the age of 18 years and men over 40 years with hormonal issues. See link to what we treat here.

New patients can book here. If you are an existing patient please go to the patient portal and log in. If you haven’t yet been given access to the portal or would rather book over the phone please contact us.

Some patients may require hormone blood tests in advance of their first appointment. We will provide you with all the information you need to get this done. We ask that you do the blood tests through our lab, rather than your GP as they may not be able to carry out all the necessary tests.

In your first meeting with your doctor, we will spend time discussing your medical history, symptoms, and the impact they are having on your life. And we will address relevant lifestyle issues. We may take your bloods in the clinic as part of the consultation, or if the timing isn’t right, we’ll ask you to book in for a blood test at a later date. Some patients will be asked to have a blood test before their initial appointment.

We will review your bloods and, as part of your initial consultation, contact you to go through them with you and explain the best course of treatment. This is usually done via video or over the phone. Hormones will then be prescribed along with other medication or supplements, if required. And if further investigations, such as a mammogram or pelvic ultrasound are needed, these will be arranged.

After the consultation, we will send a letter detailing our conversation and the next steps to both you, and your GP. As a patient you will also be given access to the members area of the website where you will find detailed information about your condition. You can find out more about what to expect here.

Your first appointment is £350, and follow up appointments are £230.

No, usually insurance companies do not cover hormonal or menopausal conditions.

All appointments are face-to-face. We do offer video appointments to patients outside of London and in some exceptional circumstances but patients will be seen in the clinic at least once a year.

It depends. Some treatments can be prescribed by your GP, particularly for menopause and PCOS conditions. We will help facilitate this by writing to them.

Other treatments will be prescribed by one of the LHC doctors through one of the accredited pharmacies we use. In this instance, our doctors will prescribe a private prescription for you and yes you will have to pay for them. The cost of BHRT can vary from £15-£55 per month.

Yes. The clinic has step free access. Please let us know in advance if you have any disability that requires assistance so suitable arrangements can be made.The disabled toilet is 120 metres from the clinic at Pret a Manger on the corner of Marylebone High Street.

Parking is not available in Jacob’s Well Mews, but there are pay and display bays in the adjoining streets. Please note the congestion charge applies in the W1 area and we are in London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone. You’ll find more information here.

Yes. Please contact us here. We aim to answer all patient emails within 48 hours.

We do not have an out of hours service, so for any urgent medical concerns when the clinic is closed please contact your GP or call 111.

The clinic is a short walk from Bond Street underground station. Oxford Circus, Baker Street and Marble Arch stations are also nearby.

Pay and display parking bays are located in the streets next to Jacob’s Well Mews. Please note the clinic is in London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone and drivers will also need to pay the congestion charge. You’ll find more information here.

Yes. Please let us know at your appointment if you require one.

We can arrange an interpreter for you. We use LanguageLine for this service and there is an additional charge in line with their current rates which can be found here.

Osteoporosis is common in menopausal women not taking HRT and is caused mainly by low oestrogen but also by reduced levels of progesterone and testosterone, which are also really important for bones. HRT is the first line treatment and should reverse any bone thinning.

Yes. Progesterone is a very important hormone for the whole body, not just for the womb lining. Healthy amounts of anti-inflammatory progesterone are good for the neurological system, help to control anxiety levels, protect breast tissue, and promote quality sleep.

The vagina and bladder are very sensitive to drops in oestrogen levels but also respond very well to treatment. If you are suffering these symptoms, you may be prescribed vaginal oestrogen to use in conjunction with your other HRT.

Yes. Even if you have a history or family history of blood clots or strokes, it is safe to use transdermal oestrogen, along with micronised progesterone.

Yes. We help with lifestyle, medication and hormones as needed.

We treat women with hormonal conditions at various stages of their lives. These include: PCOS, premenstrual syndrome, PMDD, endometriosis, perimenopause, menopause, osteoporosis, and thyroid disorders. We also treat men over forty. Read more about what we treat here.

Whilst we treat the hormonal issues that may be contributing to infertility, for example low progesterone and polycystic ovarian syndrome, we are not a fertility clinic.

The mainstay of menopause treatment is to top up the hormones that are no longer being produced by the body.

All women have a different menopause and gynaecological history, so the hormone and the amount needed can vary hugely.

The main hormones we prescribe are oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone and Dhea-S, along with melatonin and thyroid hormones which are commonly low at this time. Many menopausal women start to enter the early stages of prediabetes so we check for this and treat it. Often, initially with lifestyle advice but with medication too if needed.

At London Hormone Clinic we prescribe the best in hormonal treatments - medication that has the exact same hormones that the body is no longer producing. The term for this is bio (biologically) identical or body identical hormones. We routinely start treatment with licensed body-identical hormones, which can then be prescribed privately, or by your GP on the NHS. Because some women cannot take or tolerate these standard treatments for a number of reasons, we also offer bespoke bioidentical hormones, prescribed by our experienced doctors and made in an MHRA-approved pharmacy. Read more about the difference between bioidentical and synthetic hormone replacement therapy here.

Yes – these may be called body identical hormones and are now the first line for treatment for menopause from many GPs according to the British Menopause Society.

Yes. It is never too late to start.

In all the reported cases and studies featured in news stories, it is the synthetic progestogen in old fashioned HRT that is the culprit and never bio-identical oestrogen or progesterone, which is what we use at London Hormone Clinic. For more information, read Dr Jan Toledano’s response to this here.

We are happy to see patients with a family history of breast cancer. In fact, research suggests that Body/Bio identical HRT is very likely safe and appropriate in women with a family history of breast cancer. Unfortunately, LHC is unable to see women who have had or currently have breast cancer.

Body identical and bio-identical hormones both contain the same hormones derived from natural sources, which have identical chemical and molecular structures to those found in the human body.

However, there are differences between the two in terms of their manufacturing process. Large pharmaceutical companies produce body identical hormones in regulated, fixed doses and application methods. While this approach suits some patients, it cannot be customised for those with specific needs, for example patients with gluten or lactose intolerances. Hormones may need to be tailor made in special pharmacies and these have become known as bio identical hormones. They allow for tailored doses and application methods that address the unique requirements of each patient.

The pharmacy that LHC uses for bespoke medications is MHRA approved

Every patient is different, so there’s no hard and fast rule. For some women the benefits can be immediate, while others may wait up to three months to feel the full effect of their medication.

When starting hormone treatment you may notice certain symptoms – here is what to look out for:

If you experience breast tenderness, bloating, fluid retention or a bleed, stop taking oestrogen. If you are on combined therapy then stop taking everything. If you are on separate therapy, stop oestrogen and continue on progesterone only. Wait until your symptoms have settled then re-start slowly.

For facial spots and greasy skin and/or hair, stop taking testosterone and/or DHEA until it settles, then slowly re-start.

It’s very rare to experience hair thinning, but if you do stop testosterone and/or DHEA and contact your doctor.

You can find more information about possible side effects in our patient resource section. You will be given access following your first appointment.

There is no charge for prescriptions given at the time of consultation. However, if you require further repeat prescriptions, in between appointments, there is a charge of £30.00.

Your doctor will prescribe medications from one of the following pharmacies. The pharmacy we use will be determined by your medication requirements and you will be contacted when they receive your prescription from us.

• Cloud Rx

• Zen Pharmacy

• PCCA

• Specialist Pharmacy

We will make sure that you have enough medication to last you between appointments. The repeats can be ordered directly through whichever pharmacy your initial prescription was ordered from. Please check with them that you don't have any remaining prescriptions on file before reordering. If you need to reorder medication as you have run out then this can be done on the patient portal area of the website. The cost is £30.

Please note medications containing testosterone and DHEA must be ordered within 28 days of the prescription being issued.

Compounded bio-identical HRT cannot be regulated simply because each individual prescription is tailor made to a specific patient’s needs. The individual hormones contained in any LHC HRT prescription are fully licensed and regulated. Any compounded versions prescribed by our experienced doctors are made in a fully MHRA regulated pharmacy.

It is important to note that the practice of compounding medications is not uncommon across several therapeutic areas, including dermatology and chemotherapy.

Although testosterone is licensed in Australia, it’s not licensed for women here in the UK, even though it has been shown to be safe, effective, and well-tolerated.

Testosterone is a very important hormone for women; improving energy, muscle tone and strength, bone health, libido, and confidence. Our experienced doctors prescribe it for these reasons.

Several medications regularly prescribed in the UK are not officially licensed, so this practice is not uncommon.

We ask that you arrange blood tests through us, which saves a lot of issues when blood tests arrive to us incomplete or incorrectly carried out. Once you have booked your first appointment, we will give you all the information on how to do this. If this is not possible, please let our team know straight away by sending an email.

The cost of your initial blood test is usually around £410 and includes a full hormone panel, thyroid and insulin resistance.

The estimated costs of further blood tests are:

Hc4 FT3/ FT4/ TSH/ FSH/ Oestradiol/ Progesterone/ Testosterone/DHEAs/ Vitamin D/ Glucose/ HbA1c/ Insulin/ Vitamin B12 Active/ SHBG £410.00

Hc13 FBC/ ESR/ Biochemistry Profile/ FT3/ FT4/ TSH/ Lipids/ Ferritin/ Vitamin B12/Folate (Serum)/ Oestradiol/ Progesterone/ Testosterone/ DHEAs/ SHBG/ Vitamin D/HbA1c/ Insulin/FSH/ £475.00

Hc3 FSH/ Oestradiol/ Progesterone/ Testosterone/ DHEAs/ Vitamin D/SHBG without blood taking £275.00

Hc1 FT3/ FT4/ TSH £109.00 without blood

The cost of taking blood is £35.00.

The cost of an ultrasound scan with a consultant gynaecologist is £260.

The above prices are subject to change.

Please do your blood test on day 21 of a 28-day cycle, where the first day of your period counts as day 1. If your cycles are irregular, please have bloods taken between day 21 and the start of your next period. Your blood tests will help us form a picture of your current hormone levels and general health.

Your doctor will write to you with an analysis of your results following your appointment. You can also request a copy of your results after your initial consultation.

We recommend mammograms for women every three years, between the ages of 50 and 70, as part of the national breast screening programme. Based on your personal or family history, your doctor may ask for a mammogram before this age or at more regular intervals. In some cases, we may recommend you have a mammogram every 18 months.

For women still under our care after the age of 70, we still recommend continuing with breast screening.

Yes, unless you have had a hysterectomy. All LHC patients will require a pelvic scan annually while on treatment. This will ensure a healthy womb lining and allows us to exclude endometrial cancer. This test also allows our doctors to follow up on other conditions, such as fibroids, cysts or polyps.

Scans are usually carried out by gynaecologists at Claire Mellon - a gynaecological and obstetric practice based at The Portland Hospital in central London.

The cost of an ultrasound scan with a consultant gynaecologist is £240. This is subject to change.

We recommend that smear tests are done in line with the NHS national cervical screening programme.

If you are between 25 and 50 years old, cervical smears are done every three years. And between 50 and 65 years old, they are done every five years.

Based on your personal history we may recommend some patients have additional screening in between the routine tests. This can be arranged via Claire Mellon - a gynaecological and obstetric practice based at The Portland Hospital in central London.

No. A more accurate and useful test to check for osteoporosis is a blood test called SDPD. This measures how well your body builds up new bone, compared to how quickly you are breaking it down. This can be performed alongside your other routine blood tests.

TDL The Doctors Laboratory
76 Wimpole Street
W1G1RT

There's no need to book an appointment at TDL. They are open from 7am-7pm Monday to Friday and from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

The cost of your initial consultation, which will last around 45 minutes is £350. Follow up appointments are charged at £230.

You will need to pay for any blood tests and investigations that are carried out and you can find more information here.

There is no charge for prescriptions given at the time of your appointment. Additional prescriptions are charged at £30.

We do not treat patients under the age of 18.

You may cancel your appointment without incurring a fee if you do so within two working days of the appointment. If cancellations are made with less than two working days’ notice, the full consultation fee will be charged. Working days are Monday to Friday.

Patients are responsible for settlement of their own accounts. Credit cards are accepted, but we do not accept cheques. Details of fees are available on request by contacting the practice.