Matt is a great care giver and he also provides excellent conversation while you’re receiving care, no awkward silence like a typical healthcare visit. I got there right before my appointment and there was no wait time at all he came and saw to me immediately. The overall atmosphere was warm and welcoming. I highly recommend his practice!
Rochester, NY
By telehealth
Menopause Hormone Therapy in Rochester, NY
Menopause & Perimenopause HRT by Video · Rochester & All of New York
Menopause hormone therapy for Rochester, NY, by telehealth, starting with a full hour on video with a New York-licensed nurse practitioner.
4.9★ Google
66 ★★★★★ reviews
25+ yrs experience
FNP-BC board-certified
Medically reviewed by Matthew Simone, FNP-BC · Last reviewed: October 30, 2026
Matthew, NP · Founder
Yes, Rochester women can start menopause and perimenopause hormone therapy by telehealth with Homesteady Health. Your first visit is a full hour by video with Matthew Simone, FNP-BC, prescriptions go to a pharmacy near you, and our Trumansburg office is about 1 hour 30 minutes from downtown Rochester for anything that needs to be in person.
Hot flashes, 3 a.m. waking, brain fog, mood swings and a body that suddenly feels unfamiliar are common, and treatable. You do not have to push through. Matthew Simone, FNP-BC, builds the plan with you, then follows up by video as it settles in. It is the same approach as our menopause and perimenopause program for women near Ithaca, serving Rochester, Pittsford, Canandaigua and the rest of New York.
How it works
How telehealth HRT works from Rochester
A video visit works much like an office visit. Book online, join from your phone or computer and talk with Matt for the full hour, from anywhere in New York State. Prescriptions go to a pharmacy near you and are usually covered by insurance, and any labs are drawn close to home.
| Step | By video | Near home | In person in Trumansburg |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-hour consultation | Yes | No | Optional |
| Labs, when needed | No | Yes, at a lab near you | Optional, drawn in our office |
| Breast exam, pelvic exam and screenings | No | With your gynecologist or primary care provider | Optional |
| Starting estradiol or progesterone | Yes | Filled at a pharmacy near you | Optional |
| Testosterone for women | Yes, under current DEA rules | No | Optional |
| Follow-ups and dose changes | Yes | No | Optional |
Sources: DEA and HHS, Fourth Temporary Extension of telemedicine flexibilities, Federal Register, Dec 31, 2025; Homesteady care model.
Prescribing by video
Estradiol and progesterone are not controlled substances, so they can be prescribed by video. Testosterone is Schedule III, and under current DEA telemedicine rules it can be started by video.
Your routine screenings
Keep mammograms, Pap and HPV screening and other routine exams with your own gynecologist or primary care provider. The Trumansburg office is about 1 hour 30 minutes from downtown Rochester, so most women never need the trip.
Symptoms
Perimenopause and menopause symptoms we treat
Menopause means 12 months in a row without a period. Perimenopause, the years before it, often starts in your 40s, and symptoms can begin while your periods are still coming.
Hot flashes and night sweats
The classic symptoms, often worst at night.
Sleep changes
Waking at 3 a.m. and struggling to get back to sleep.
Mood and focus
Anxiety, irritability, low mood and brain fog.
Vaginal and urinary symptoms
Dryness, pain with sex and more urinary urgency.
Body changes
Joint aches and lower libido.
Perimenopause treatment
No need to wait for your periods to stop. Options include hormone therapy and, for some women who still need contraception, low-dose birth control.
A comprehensive panel for everyone. Menopause is usually diagnosed from your age and symptoms, so labs are not needed to make the diagnosis. Even so, Matt runs a comprehensive panel for everyone, because patients want the full picture and other things, such as thyroid or iron, can cause the same symptoms.
Go deeper with our posts on perimenopause symptoms with normal labs and whether it is perimenopause or something else, or see our page on thyroid treatment for thyroid causes.
The treatment
What HRT is, and what "bioidentical" means
Menopause hormone therapy replaces some of the hormones your body now makes less of.
Estrogen
Usually estradiol, the main treatment for hot flashes and night sweats.
Progesterone
Added for women who still have a uterus, to protect the uterine lining.
Vaginal estrogen
A low local dose for dryness and urinary symptoms.
FDA-approved bioidentical, not compounded
What "bioidentical" really means
“Bioidentical” means the hormone has the same structure as the one your body makes. FDA-approved bioidentical estradiol and micronized progesterone are widely available by prescription. Compounded “bioidentical” hormones mixed by a pharmacy are not FDA-approved and are not tested the same way. Matt prescribes FDA-approved bioidentical hormones, not compounded ones. He starts one hormone at a time and builds the dose up slowly, so any side effect is easy to spot and adjust.
Estrogen comes as a patch, gel, pill or vaginal cream or tablet, and Matt helps you choose. If estrogen is not right for you, non-hormonal treatments can also help hot flashes and sleep.
Safety
Is HRT safe? What changed in 2026
For most healthy women under 60, or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits of hormone therapy for hot flashes and preventing bone loss outweigh the risks. That is the position of The Menopause Society (formerly The North American Menopause Society) in its 2022 statement, which also says treatment should be individualized. Beyond easing symptoms, hormone therapy has longer-term benefits. Estrogen slows the bone loss that speeds up after menopause, which lowers the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Started within about 10 years of menopause, it may also support heart and metabolic health, with more favorable cholesterol and body-fat patterns. These are reasons to weigh timing and your own history with Matt, not a reason to use hormones only for prevention.
The 2026 label change
On February 12, 2026, the FDA approved the first labeling changes for menopausal hormone therapy products, starting with six. The boxed warning statements about cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and probable dementia were removed from the first updated labels. Those risks remain in Warnings and Precautions, and the boxed warning about endometrial cancer remains for systemic estrogen-alone products.
Timing and your history
Hormone therapy is not used to prevent heart disease or dementia. When you start matters, and Matt reviews your personal and family history first. Systemic HRT generally is not used with a history of certain breast cancers, blood clots, stroke or active liver disease.
The large Women's Health Initiative trials, first reported in 2002, studied conjugated equine estrogens, with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate, in women whose average age was 63. Today's advice focuses on timing and individual risk.
Testosterone
Testosterone for women: where it fits
A narrow, evidence-based use, prescribed carefully.
What the evidence supports
For postmenopausal women with low sexual desire that causes distress, called hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), evidence supports a trial of testosterone (Global Consensus Position Statement, Davis, et al., 2019). It does not support use for energy, mood, bone or heart health.
How it is prescribed
No testosterone product is FDA-approved for women in the US, so any use is off-label, at doses aimed at the normal premenopausal female range. It is also a controlled substance, which affects telehealth prescribing (see the table above).
Our post on testosterone and low libido in women explains the evidence.
Step by step
Your plan, step by step
From a first conversation to steady follow-up, all by video.
1
Free video conversation
A short call to ask questions and see whether we are a fit.
2
One-hour consultation by video
Your history, symptoms and goals, a clear explanation of your options and a draft plan ($249).
3
Labs near you, if needed
Drawn at a lab near you, at discounted member rates.
4
Your plan
If you are a good candidate, you start at a low dose and build up gradually.
5
Prescriptions at your pharmacy
Insurance or Medicare may cover hormone prescriptions.
6
Membership follow-ups
Frequent check-ins, dose adjustments, lab monitoring when appropriate and direct access to Matt by call or text ($179 a month).
Matthew Simone, FNP-BC
Founder & Family Nurse Practitioner
- FNP-BC, board-certified family nurse practitioner
- 25+ years in healthcare; 19 as a nurse practitioner
- Family practice in the Alaskan bush; trauma, ER and urgent care
- 2025 NP of the Year, NP Association of New York
- Has served as president of NPA-NY Region 2
- Certified in menopause hormone therapy
Who's caring for you
Your provider: Matthew Simone, FNP-BC
Matthew Simone, FNP-BC, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, licensed in New York, and the founder of Homesteady Health. He is certified in menopause hormone therapy through the Academy for Advanced Women’s Health Medicine (Heather Hirsch Academy). His 25+ years in healthcare, the last 19 as a nurse practitioner, run from family practice in the Alaskan bush to trauma, emergency and urgent care.
“I may not be a woman, but I’ve seen firsthand, through friends and family, how hard the perimenopausal and menopausal years can be.”
The Nurse Practitioner Association of New York named him its 2025 Nurse Practitioner of the Year, and he has served as president of its Region 2. The practice holds a 4.9-star rating across 63 Google reviews.
25+
Years in healthcare
19
Years as a Nurse Practitioner
FNP-BC
Board-certified · family practice
NPA·NY
Served as president · Region 2
Patient reviews
What patients say about Matt
4.9
Ratings and reviews from Google Maps
Currently sitting in their parking lot writing this, but I’m a student and had to get tested for TB in order to work a clinical position. I got extremely lost, I called telling them I was lost, and then my phone died leaving me lost for almost an hour. I came in and they were very accommodating, they even still took me in for my appointment. They were very good, gave me a moment to catch my breath, and got me right in there, gave me my test, and set me up for my follow up right away. They were very efficient with great bedside manner; I cannot apologize or thank them enough! Plus they were an absolute life saver for that appointment in the first place because my new job needed a work physical and the test so their same day appointments truly saved me. Thank you again!!!! 100% recommend!!!! Thank you Matt!!!!
Matt is great! He’s thorough and has the time and availability to listen. Just knowing he’s there and you don’t have to go to urgent care because your doctor can’t see you for days gives you peace of mind. Highly recommend.
Pricing
What HRT costs without insurance
No insurance needed to start. Flat, published pricing.
Get started
$249 one time
Initial consultation
- A full hour by video
- Your history and symptoms
- Education on your options
- Your plan
Ongoing care
$179 / month
Hormone membership
- Follow-ups by video
- Dose adjustments
- Lab monitoring when appropriate
- Direct provider access by call or text
| Item | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Initial consultation | $249, one time | One hour: history, education and your plan |
| Hormone membership | $179 a month | Follow-ups, dose adjustments, lab monitoring when appropriate and direct provider access by call or text |
| Labs | Member rates | Discounted; insurance can often be used for outside labs |
| Medications | Your pharmacy’s price | Insurance or Medicare may cover them |
Why is women's care priced differently from men's? The FAQs on our menopause and perimenopause program page explain it.
Rochester · Finger Lakes
Menopause care in Rochester, with a Finger Lakes office
Most menopause care is conversation, a plan and careful adjustments, and all of it works well by video. Your first hour with Matt can happen from your kitchen table in Brighton or your office in the city.
When you do come in
Plan on about 1 hour 30 minutes each way from downtown Rochester, down the Thruway (I-90) and NY 96 into the Finger Lakes. From Canandaigua, closer to an hour and a quarter.
Winter and screenings
Lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario can make the drive hard, so many patients switch to video in winter. Routine screenings stay with your own gynecologist or primary care provider in Rochester.
Primary care by video too
Want a primary care provider as well? See telehealth primary care in Rochester. For a partner, see testosterone therapy for Rochester.
Homesteady Health Direct Primary Care
1859 Trumansburg Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886
- Downtown Rochester about 1 hr 30 min
- Pittsford about 1 hr 25 min
- Canandaigua about 1 hr 15 min
Office hours Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Visits by video across New York. Drive times are off-peak estimates.
Questions · Straight answers
HRT for Rochester FAQs
Can I start HRT by telehealth in New York?
Yes. Matthew Simone, FNP-BC, is licensed in New York and sees women anywhere in the state by video. Your one-hour consultation happens from home, prescriptions go to your pharmacy and labs are drawn near you. You need to be in New York during each visit.
Do I have to come to Trumansburg?
Usually not. Consultations, follow-ups and estradiol or progesterone prescriptions all work by video. Some exams need an office visit. Testosterone can be started by video under current DEA telemedicine rules. The office is about 1 hour 30 minutes from downtown Rochester.
Where do I get labs drawn in Rochester?
Menopause is usually diagnosed from age and symptoms, so labs are not needed to make the diagnosis, but Matt runs a comprehensive panel for everyone, since patients want it and other things can cause the same symptoms. Labs are drawn at a lab near you at discounted member rates, or in our Trumansburg office if you prefer.
Is HRT safe now that the FDA changed the warning?
In February 2026, the FDA removed boxed warning statements on heart disease, breast cancer and dementia from the first updated hormone therapy labels, though those risks are still listed. For most healthy women under 60 or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits generally outweigh the risks. Matt reviews your history first.
What are bioidentical hormones?
Hormones that match the ones your body makes. FDA-approved bioidentical estradiol and micronized progesterone are available by prescription at regular pharmacies. Compounded bioidentical products are mixed by a pharmacy and are not FDA-approved. Matt uses FDA-approved products when appropriate.
How much does HRT cost without insurance? Will insurance pay for it?
A $249 one-hour consultation, then $179 a month for the hormone membership. Insurance is not needed to start. In many cases, insurance, Medicare or Medicaid can still be used for outside lab work and for prescriptions filled at your pharmacy.
Can perimenopause be treated before my periods stop?
Yes. Symptoms often start years before your last period, and there is no need to wait. Depending on your health and whether you need contraception, options may include hormone therapy or low-dose birth control. Matt talks through what fits.
Is testosterone an option for women?
For postmenopausal women with distressing low sexual desire, evidence supports a trial of testosterone. No testosterone product is FDA-approved for women in the US, so it is prescribed off-label at low doses, with monitoring.
Looking for a menopause provider in Rochester? Who will I see?
Matthew Simone, FNP-BC, a board-certified family nurse practitioner trained in menopause hormone therapy, not a physician. He is the same provider at every visit, by video from home, with our Trumansburg office for anything that needs to be in person.
How do I start hormone replacement therapy, and how long does it take to work?
Book a consultation, meet Matt by video for an hour, do any labs near home and start a plan if you are a good candidate. Many women notice hot flashes easing within a few weeks; full effects can take a few months.
You don't have to push through it
One hour by video · published pricing
Menopause care for Rochester by video, with one New York nurse practitioner, published pricing and no two-hour drive to be heard. Start with an hour that is all about you.