Alloy Review

Alloy Review

Roughly 47 million women enter menopause each year, yet only 6% of those seeking treatment for its symptoms actually receive that treatment. If you think that’s a problem, you aren’t wrong, and you aren’t alone. So did Alloy co-founders Monica Molenaar and Anne Fulenwider.

The two friends were both inspired to start Alloy through their own personal experiences as women entering their 40s, as well as through following the struggles of other women experiencing menopausal transition without the adequate treatment and standard of care they deserved.

Together, in partnership with Dr. Sharon Malone (the company’s chief medical officer) and an experienced medical advisory team, they formed Alloy. Alloy is an all-in-one telehealth service that offers middle-aged and older women safe, simple, prescribed relief from menopausal symptoms. From remote counsel with board-certified online doctors, to FDA-approved, plant-based supplemental solutions delivered directly to your door, Alloy can serve as your ally when you need one the most.

But are you unsure if they’re right for you? Let’s take a more comprehensive look at Alloy’s services, their pricing, as well as the conditions they treat.

Alloy Services

Alloy offers its patients two avenues before beginning treatment: a medical intake form, to better guide people toward the personalized treatment solutions that work for them, and an online doctor consultation, for those who are still on the fence. 

Both processes are quick and easy (Alloy ballparks that their initial intake assessment takes between 3-5 minutes to complete), and after you complete their initial steps, Alloy will follow up with three simple, subsequent steps of their own:

1. A doctor specialized in treating menopause will review the provided health information and write the appropriate prescription(s) for your wellness needs.
2. Roughly 3-5 business days from the time of your initial prescription order, the treatment will be delivered directly to your doorstep, with free shipping!
3. You’ll be able to receive free, unlimited follow-ups from your online doctor, as needed, no cost or insurer required.

The cost of the virtual initial consultation visit currently stands at an affordable $30 price point, and you’ll be happy to know that you can also receive their prescription treatments at affordable, inexpensive monthly rates, including specially formulated products like:

• Estradiol Pills: Good for holistic multi-symptom menopause relief, and available for only $39.99 a month.

• Paroxetine: A non-hormonal SSRI that can relieve night sweats and hot flashes in low doses. Available for $34.99 a month. 

• Estradiol Patches: A transdermal patch that offers a convenient alternative for women who don’t want to take a daily pill. Available for $74.99 a month. 

• Low-Dose Birth Control:Good for relieving the symptoms of perimenopause and preventing unwanted pregnancy. Available for $39.99 a month.

• Estradiol Cream: Topical vaginal cream that can relieve burning, itching, and drying, as well as the symptoms of UTIs (urinary tract infections). Three-month supply tube available for $39.99 a month.

• The Alloy Synbiotic: Holistic probiotic supplement that promotes a healthy, hormonally-balanced immune system. Available for an affordable $24.99 a month!

According to Alloy, these hormonal menopausal treatments are informed by a robust body of scientific research, supported by at least 13 medical associations in the US and around the world. Furthermore, they’re backed by board-certified doctors adhering to the protocols of NAMS (the North American Menopause Society) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Alloy ships its supplemental products to all 50 states, as well as Washington DC. The company touts that its estradiol treatments have eased menopausal symptoms for at least 80% of women who have tried them. Menopause is a complex, multi-faceted condition that inevitably affects cisgender women later in life.

It’s important to understand the symptoms and complexities behind this condition, and that “unavoidable” doesn’t need to be a synonymous word with “unmanageable.” If you’re a woman of post-reproductive age, we hope one or more of these Alloy treatments could potentially help ease your transition into menopausal years.

What Menopause Feels Like

The first signs of menopause usually begin to emerge and show themselves through irregular periods and cycles of menstruation. This transitionary period is known as perimenopause, and once a woman has gone at least twelve consecutive months without getting their period, they’ve officially entered menopause.

How long does menopause last for women? According to the National Institute on Aging, menopause typically begins between the ages of 45 and 55, and on average, this menopausal phase can last between 7-14 years. It’s difficult to define or encompass the symptoms of menopause into a singular “feeling”, as people can experience at least 34 of these symptoms, but they’re often not very pleasant.

These menopausal symptoms can vary in severity or unpleasantness depending on a myriad of unique individual factors, and if you’d like to better understand how to manage and mitigate these symptoms, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the most common.

Menopause Symptoms

Alloy’s supplement treatments are formulated to relieve a wide range of symptoms that occur through the perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal phases in the lives of many women. Some of the most common include:

• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Dry and painfully itchy skin
• Vaginal and bladder issues
• Depression and anxiety
• Fatigue and insomnia
• Joint pain and bone fragility
• Hair loss and facial acne
• Low libido and sex drive
• Irregular periods and menstruation
• Mood swings and irritability
• Weight gain and heart palpitations

Allo’s website explains many of these symptoms at more comprehensive length, and their free intake assessment can help you better assess whether or not you’re currently in perimenopause or menopause. But often, the most common and noticeable changes caused by menopause are physiological and psychological.

To start, hot flashes are caused by hormonal fluctuations during menopause, which impact the body’s ability to regulate temperature. If you’re wondering how hot flashes feel, they are generally indicated by reddened skin, profuse sweating, and intense warmth around one’s upper body.

These hot flashes can greatly vary in frequency and intensity from person to person, but approximately 80% of women in menopause will experience them, making them one of the most ubiquitous signs and symptoms of this condition. Menopause can also lead to a great number of mental and emotional changes, which are also worth highlighting further at length.

How Menopause Affects The Brain

Menopause (or more specifically, the decline in estrogen production caused by it) can lead to a wide range of significant changes in one’s brain chemistry, brain structure, and the way brain networks connect with each other. These brain changes have been visually observed through neural imaging by researchers, like those at Weill Cornell Medicine, and exacerbate the risk of temporary shifts into anxiety, depression, and adverse emotional states.

Fortunately, these adverse mood swings and mental health shifts are (more often than not) temporary for most women, and are (more often than not) manageable and treatable through hormonal treatments like those offered by Alloy. To paraphrase a quote from Dr. Lisa Mosconi, the lead researcher behind that aforementioned Cornell study:

“Even though many women experience troublesome symptoms, from hot flashes to forgetfulness, menopause is a normal physiological event… …the brain has the ability to find a new “normal” after menopause, at least in most women.”

Will Hot Flashes Ever Go Away?

Absolutely. While they’re briefly unpleasant in the moment, that’s what they encompass; a moment. The frequency and severity of these moments can greatly vary, and these instances of hot flashes can (on average):

• Last anywhere between 30 seconds to ten minutes
• Happen anywhere between three to 35 times daily
• Recur in the short term, or for up to 12 years of menopause

Fortunately, the severity and frequency of these hot flashes can be managed through simple practices like dietary changes, meditative breathing, having a fan on hand, and through the right combination of hormonal treatments to up your body’s natural supply of estrogen. That same standard applies to most menopause symptoms, if not all.

Though the symptoms of menopause are unavoidable, providers like Alloy can ensure that “unavoidable” is not a synonymous word with “unmanageable.”

Are Menopause Supplements Safe? Is Alloy Safe? 

The safety of Alloy’s products are approved and backed by the FDA, and if you’re in need of additional resources to manage your menopausal symptoms, we hope you’ll consider the company as a trusted, reliable, and respected telemedicine provider.

We hope our review offered a satisfactory overview of the platform, and the specific symptoms treated by this provider. You don’t just have to take our word for it though, as their website is filled with pages of detailed, satisfied customer testimonials.

Again, if you’re currently struggling to receive further care and support to manage your menopausal symptoms, we hope you’ll consider Alloy’s simple, safe service platform as an affordable, accessible ally in your wellness journey.