Your hormones are not the problem.
The imbalance is.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy at Meliora is built around your biology — not a protocol off a shelf. Dr. Chua uses pellets, micronized progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and topical compounds based on your labs, your symptoms, and your life stage.
The Framework
Twelve years of practice, distilled into The Meliora Method.™
Why hormones affect everything.
Hormones are the body's primary communication system. They regulate your sleep, your energy, your metabolism, your mood, your cognitive clarity, and your bone density. When they decline — from age, from chronic stress, from poor nutrient status — everything downstream suffers. Most people don't connect the dots because the decline is gradual and the symptoms are diffuse: fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, poor sleep, anxiety, low libido.
The conventional medical response is often to treat each symptom separately — a sleep aid, an antidepressant, a blood pressure medication. At Meliora, we treat the hormonal root cause. When hormones are restored to optimal levels, many of these symptoms resolve without additional intervention.
Bioidentical hormones are structurally identical to the hormones your body produces. Unlike synthetic hormones, they interact with your receptors in the same way your own hormones do. At Meliora, we use the form and dose that matches your individual lab findings — not a standard protocol.
Our Therapies
Bioidentical hormones. Individualized protocols.
Estradiol Pellets
Subcutaneous pellets that deliver consistent estradiol levels over 3–6 months. No daily pills, no patches. A stable hormone environment — which is how your body was designed to work.
Testosterone Pellets
For women with low testosterone: low libido, poor energy, muscle loss, and cognitive changes. For men: energy, muscle composition, mood, and sexual health. Pellet delivery provides steady-state levels without the fluctuations of injections or creams.
Micronized Progesterone
The bioidentical form of progesterone. Prescribed when indicated — often to balance estrogen, support sleep, and protect endometrial health.
DHEA
A precursor hormone that declines with age and chronic stress. Supports energy, libido, immune function, and adrenal resilience. Dosed based on your DHEA-S lab value.
Thyroid Optimization
Many patients with normal TSH still have suboptimal free T3 — the active form of thyroid hormone (free T4 is the inactive form). We evaluate the full thyroid panel and address functional thyroid patterns that conventional testing misses.
Topical Compounds
We offer patients the choice between pellets and creams. Formulation and delivery are individualized to your response and preference.
Who Benefits
Hormone optimization is for anyone whose hormonal system is no longer working the way it should.
Women in perimenopause or menopause
The transition from perimenopause to menopause involves significant hormonal shifts that affect nearly every system. BHRT is the most effective intervention we have for the symptom complex of this transition — when used appropriately and monitored.
Women with estrogen dominance
Low progesterone relative to estrogen creates a distinct symptom pattern: heavy periods, PMS, anxiety, poor sleep, and weight gain around the hips. Restoring progesterone balance addresses the root cause.
Women and men with testosterone deficiency
Often overlooked in women. Low testosterone drives fatigue, low libido, cognitive changes, and muscle loss. It's one of the most impactful interventions we offer.
Men with andropause symptoms
The gradual decline of testosterone in aging men creates a syndrome — fatigue, weight gain, mood changes, poor recovery — that is addressable with appropriate hormone support.
Anyone with suboptimal thyroid function
Thyroid dysfunction is among the most commonly missed diagnoses in conventional medicine. If your TSH is "normal" but you still feel hypothyroid, there may be more to the story.
What to Expect
How BHRT at Meliora works.
01
Comprehensive Assessment
We begin with a full hormone panel and clinical intake. Dr. Chua reviews your results against optimal ranges before your consultation.
02
Your consultation
Dr. Chua reviews your labs with you, connects findings to your symptoms, and builds your protocol. If BHRT is indicated, she explains what you'll take, how, and what to expect.
03
Pellet insertion or prescription
Pellets are inserted in-office in a brief procedure. Prescriptions for other hormones are sent to compounding pharmacies or standard pharmacies as appropriate.
04
Monitoring and refinement
Follow-up labs at five weeks and six months. Hormone optimization is iterative — levels are adjusted based on your response and how you feel.
Explore More
Explore specific therapies:
Meliora Academy
Understand the science behind your hormones.
Module 02 of the Meliora Academy covers your hormones in depth — what they do, how they interact, and why balance matters more than individual levels. Module 03 covers Dr. Chua's Neurology background and the brain-hormone connection.
Visit the Academy →Common questions.
Is BHRT safe?
Bioidentical hormones have a different risk profile than synthetic hormones used in older studies. Evidence supports their safety when used appropriately, with monitoring. Dr. Chua will review your personal risk profile at your consultation.
How long before I feel a difference?
Most patients notice changes within 4–6 weeks of starting hormone therapy. Full optimization typically takes 3–6 months as levels stabilize and are adjusted.
Do I need to be in menopause to start BHRT?
No. Hormone optimization is valuable across perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause — and for women in their 30s and 40s whose labs show suboptimal levels regardless of menopause status.
What does pellet insertion involve?
A minor in-office procedure. The pellet (about the size of a grain of rice) is inserted under the skin in the upper buttock under local anesthesia. It takes about 10 minutes. Most patients return to normal activity right away, but should avoid heavy lower-body exercise afterward — about 3 days for women and 7 days for men — while the insertion site heals.
Do you treat men with hormone therapy?
Yes. Testosterone optimization, thyroid support, and DHEA are as relevant for men. Many of our male patients were referred by female partners who experienced results.
Questions? Send us a message.
We respond within one business day.
Start with a Comprehensive Assessment.
Hormone optimization begins with understanding where your levels actually are. Book your assessment and we'll build your plan from there.