Perimenopause · Menopause · Bioidentical HRT

Hormones change. You deserve a specialist who reads them.

Hot flashes, sleepless nights, brain fog, a mood you don't recognize, weight that won't move — the menopause transition touches everything. Treating it well means understanding the hormones behind it. That is the entire field of endocrinology.

Book an Appointment → Call (412) 485-0311
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy in Pittsburgh, PA — Chia Endocrinology & Wellness, Dr. Farhad Hasan
Board-Certified Endocrinologist Harvard MPH · Fulbright Scholar 17+ Years in Hormone Medicine In-Person in Wexford · Telehealth Across PA + OH

Why an endocrinologist — not an app, not a med spa

Menopause care has become a crowded marketplace. National websites and local med spas can mail you hormones within days. What they rarely do is ask the harder question first: are hormones actually the cause of how you feel — and is treating them safe for you?

The symptoms of perimenopause overlap almost perfectly with thyroid disease, insulin resistance, anemia, depression, and other conditions an endocrinologist evaluates every day. A prescription that skips that step can leave a real problem untreated — or place a woman on therapy she shouldn't have. Dr. Hasan establishes the cause, confirms that hormone therapy is appropriate and safe for your history, and then follows it over time.

Chia Endocrinology & Wellness

A board-certified endocrinologist — a physician whose specialty is hormones — evaluates you directly, orders the right testing after your visit, and builds a plan around your full health picture. Long visits, direct access, ongoing adjustment.

Online platforms & med spas

A brief intake, a protocol chosen largely from a questionnaire, and rarely the same clinician twice — often not a physician at all. Convenient, but seldom a diagnosis.

Perimenopause and menopause are not the same

Understanding where you are in the transition shapes the entire approach.

Perimenopause

The years leading up to menopause — often beginning in the 40s, sometimes the late 30s — when estrogen and progesterone swing unpredictably. Periods become irregular, and symptoms can arrive long before they stop. Because hormone levels fluctuate day to day, a single blood test rarely tells the story; the diagnosis is clinical, made by a specialist who knows the pattern.

Menopause

Confirmed after twelve consecutive months without a period, on average around age 51. Estrogen settles at a low level, which is what drives hot flashes, sleep disruption, vaginal and urinary changes, and the longer-term effects on bone and cardiovascular health that deserve attention well beyond symptom relief.

Symptoms we evaluate and treat

If several of these sound familiar, they are worth a specialist's assessment — together, not one prescription at a time.

  • Hot flashes and night sweats
  • Sleep disturbance and fatigue
  • Brain fog, memory lapses, difficulty concentrating
  • Mood changes, irritability, anxiety
  • Irregular or changing menstrual cycles
  • Weight gain and difficulty losing weight
  • Vaginal dryness, discomfort, and low libido
  • Hair thinning and skin changes
  • Bone-density loss and long-term cardiovascular risk
Brain fog and menopause — hormone evaluation by an endocrinologist near Pittsburgh, PA
Brain fog is one of the most common — and most dismissed — symptoms of the transition.

Why the weight won't move — menopause and metabolism

One of the most frustrating experiences of this stage is doing everything you used to do and watching the scale refuse to respond. This is real, and it is physiological. As estrogen declines, fat redistributes toward the abdomen, muscle mass falls, and the body becomes more insulin resistant — so the same meals and the same workouts produce different results.

This is exactly where an endocrinologist's training matters. Weight at midlife sits at the intersection of reproductive hormones, thyroid function, insulin and metabolism, and sleep — and Dr. Hasan treats all of them. Rather than hand you a generic plan, he looks for the metabolic drivers behind the resistance and addresses them directly — alongside hormone therapy where it's appropriate, and medical weight loss where it's needed.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, done responsibly

Bioidentical hormones — estradiol, progesterone, and where indicated testosterone — are molecularly identical to the hormones your body makes. Used appropriately, hormone therapy remains the most effective treatment available for the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, and it supports bone health when started within the right window.

There is a distinction many clinics gloss over. FDA-approved bioidentical hormones are tested for purity, dose, and consistency. Compounded preparations and pellet protocols are not held to that standard. Dr. Hasan favors FDA-approved bioidentical therapy — patches, gels, and oral formulations — so what you take is predictable and safe, with the dose adjusted to you over time rather than fixed by a pellet you can't reverse.

And when hormones aren't the answer — because of your history, your preference, or your risk profile — that isn't the end of the conversation. Effective non-hormonal treatments exist for hot flashes, sleep, and mood, and an endocrinologist can deploy them with the same precision. The plan serves you, not a product.

Ready to feel like yourself again?

Start with a thorough evaluation by a board-certified endocrinologist who treats the cause, not just the symptoms.

Book an Appointment → Call (412) 485-0311

The Chia Endocrinology & Wellness Difference

Care built around you, not around insurance volume

01

Time, taken seriously

A full hour to take your history, review your labs together, and explain the why behind every recommendation — not a fifteen-minute slot.

02

One physician who knows you

You see Dr. Hasan — the same board-certified endocrinologist — at every visit, with direct access between them. No rotating clinicians, no handoffs.

03

Transparent direct-pay pricing

A direct-care practice with no insurance middlemen and no surprises. Pricing is clear and shared up front. See pricing.

The physician

Farhad Hasan, MD, MPH — board certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism and in Internal Medicine, with a Harvard MPH earned as a Fulbright Scholar and fellowship training at the University of Virginia. He treats the menopause transition the way it should be treated: as a whole-body, hormonal event in a real person's life, evaluated carefully and managed for the long term. Care is in person in Wexford or by telehealth across Pennsylvania and Ohio. Verify board certification.

Feeling like yourself again after perimenopause and menopause treatment in Pittsburgh, PA
The goal isn't only relief — it's feeling like yourself again.

Common questions

Should I see an endocrinologist or my gynecologist for menopause?
Both can help, and they complement each other. An endocrinologist is the specialist in hormones and metabolism — particularly valuable when symptoms overlap with thyroid disease, insulin resistance, weight changes, or bone health, or when prior hormone therapy hasn't worked as expected.
Do I need blood tests to diagnose perimenopause?
Often the diagnosis is clinical, based on your age, history, and symptoms — hormone levels fluctuate too much in perimenopause for a single test to be definitive. Targeted testing remains valuable for ruling out thyroid and metabolic causes and for guiding therapy safely, ordered after your evaluation based on what your story actually raises.
Is bioidentical hormone therapy safe?
For many women, the benefits outweigh the risks when therapy is started appropriately and monitored over time. Safety depends on your individual history — which is exactly what a thorough evaluation establishes before treatment begins. Dr. Hasan favors FDA-approved bioidentical options for their consistency and established safety data.
Do you prescribe testosterone for women?
When it's indicated — most established for low libido that persists after other causes are addressed — yes, carefully dosed and monitored. Testosterone in women is a legitimate tool used precisely, not a cure-all delivered by pellet. Dr. Hasan explains the evidence honestly and prescribes it when it genuinely fits your picture.
Can you help with menopause-related weight gain?
Yes. Midlife weight change is driven by hormones, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity together — all within an endocrinologist's expertise. Treatment addresses the underlying drivers, not just the number on the scale. See medical weight loss.
Can perimenopause and menopause be treated by telehealth?
Yes — hormone evaluation, prescriptions, lab review, and ongoing adjustment work well by secure video. Dr. Hasan sees patients anywhere in Pennsylvania and Ohio, with labs drawn near your home — and in person in Wexford.
How is this different from online menopause services?
You're evaluated and followed by a single board-certified endocrinologist who diagnoses the cause before treating — rather than receiving a protocol from a questionnaire and a rotating clinician. Visits are long enough to think, and care continues over time.
Do you take insurance?
Chia Endocrinology & Wellness is a direct-care practice and does not bill insurance for visits. Labs and most medications are typically billed to your insurance as usual, and an itemized superbill is provided on request. See pricing.
Book an Appointment → Call (412) 485-0311

Not sure where to start? A complimentary 15-minute phone call with Dr. Hasan is available — schedule it here.