Quick Comparison of Winona and Midi

About 9 months ago, I finally decided enough was enough with the hormone issues I was having. I was experiencing unexplainable weight gain (despite changing nothing with my diet and exercise), little to no sex drive, anxiety, mood swings, poor sleep, and more -and quite frankly I was sick of it.

As someone who has dealt with hormonal issues for most of my adult life, I was pretty sure a hormonal issue caused this latest onset of symptoms. I had just turned 36  years old, I didn’t really even consider perimenopause at the time (wasn’t I too young??), I figured it was more or less a flare-up of my PCOS. Regardless, I knew I needed to take some action. 

To make a very long story short, I went through a complete battery of tests from a naturopathic doctor which revealed that my hormones were indeed in need of some help. It was recommended that I give HRT (hormone replacement therapy) a try so I immediately started doing some research. 

I quickly landed on two companies that appeared to be leaders in the industry, Winona and Midi Health. In this article, I want to walk you through the process of finding out more about both of these companies and which one I ultimately used to begin HRT treatment, and why.

Why I Considered HRT

First, let me tell you, I was very hesitant to go down the HRT path. As someone who has been in the health and wellness space for years, I had heard a lot about HRT and how it can do more harm than good. However, in recent years it has come to light that those claims were false and unfounded and that HRT is actually a very solid option for women seeking hormone relief.

I was working with a doctor whom I trusted and she was telling me that trying HRT would be a safe and reliable option. I was also at the point where I felt like I had already tried everything and was at the point of be willing to try any route. 

I obviously did a bunch of research into HRT and its effects, and honestly, I started to feel really comfortable with the idea of incorporating it into my life. I had all of my lab testing results from my doctor at the ready and decided to begin exploring both Winona and Midi to see which provider was the best match for me.

I was looking for an online HRT provider that I felt was legitimate, who offered fair prices for self-pay clients like myself, and who would send me my prescriptions hassle-free every month.

Overview of Winona and Midi

I quickly discovered that Winona and Midi were fairly similar with their product offerings. Both offered HRT along with other treatments for common problems women face like sexual health, hair, skin, weight, etc.

It was obvious at first sight that Winona was more focused on just HRT, whereas Midi offered a wider range of products and treatments. Midi’s big selling point is that it’s covered under most insurances, which is fantastic, however, I don’t have health insurance so it wasn’t a big draw for me. 

Winona doesn’t work directly with insurance carriers, which might be a con for those with insurance who are hoping to get their treatment covered. However, Winona offers lower prices and a more straightforward, hassle-free experience because they aren’t dealing with/waiting for insurance claims.

Midi’s process for getting started included setting up a consultation call, which, again, is great, but I’m the type of person who would rather do everything via email or text than be on the phone or in person. Winona, on the other hand, has you get started with a quiz, which was much more approachable for someone who was just starting to explore my options.

That being said, I definitely felt as though Midi was a more in-depth operation because of the fact that they actually get you on the phone and you get to speak to someone face to face. For many women, I would imagine this is a great comfort. I had already had the experience of working 1:1 with a doctor and already pretty much knew that I would move forward with HRT, it was simply a matter of deciding which provider to choose.

Taking the First Steps

I’m going to be really honest here, I did the “Book a Visit” with Midi and went through all the steps, but ended up canceling the consult call because it was $250 (self-pay) for the initial visit and then would be $150 for each continued care visit (plus the cost of the medication!). I was worried that my $250 investment would feel like a waste if I didn’t end up moving forward with Midi and I just didn’t want to risk it.

So I went ahead and took the Winona quiz and was given a result that reflected that I would be a good candidate for HRT. My next step was to create an account and get in contact with the Dr.

The quiz had given me some recommendations for treatment, but they didn’t push me into just ordering right away, I was given the option to connect with the Dr. via their secure online portal before consenting to any treatments.

Since I had a bunch of recent lab work available, I wanted to send it over to be reviewed to make sure that I was headed in the right direction. I also had a couple of questions that I wanted to ask before agreeing to anything. 

To my surprise, I was connected to Dr. Green very quickly and he was more than happy to look over my lab results for me. He advised that he thought HRT would definitely help with my symptoms, and ultimately made me feel comfortable enough to move forward with the purchase. 

Here is what Dr. Green recommended for me “Your symptoms suggest that you would benefit from a small amount of estrogen and progesterone replacement as well as DHEA supplementation. I think the cream and the DHEA will work well for you.”

My Experience With Winona 

As soon as my order was confirmed and sent to the pharmacy, I received an email with my order information and tracking number. Dr. Green had messaged me instructions for using the cream as well as when to take the DHEA pills.

Key Note: Check out my detailed Winona HRT review to learn more on about my experience.

My order arrived pretty quickly and was in a fairly discreet box. I believe the box was purple and may have said “Winona” on it, but it didn’t explicitly say “HRT” or anything like that (just in case anyone is feeling nervous about nosy neighbors or whatever). 

I already had instructions from Dr. Green, but they were also included with the prescriptions. It was pretty simple and straightforward to get started. I began a regime of applying the cream to my wrist/forearm before bed every night and taking my DHEA with my breakfast. 

I didn’t really notice any changes until I was about 30 days into my treatment when I started to feel like my body was beginning to respond normally for me again. I was sleeping better, my ravenous appetite was under control, my moods were evening out, and my energy was back. 

Dr. Green had filled my prescription for 3 months at a time, so when my first month was almost up, I received my next month’s supply on my doorstep, which was really nice. There were no gaps in my treatment and no need to check in with the Dr. (although it was nice knowing that it was an option if I needed it). 

At the 3-month mark, I got a message inside the Winona dashboard from Dr. Green asking how things were going, any side effects, etc. I chatted with him a bit about how I was doing and he easily refilled my prescription for me. I really appreciated the convenience and ease of it!

Ultimately, I ended up canceling my subscription about 3 months ago because I wanted to see how my body would respond off of the medications now. To be honest, I don’t want to have to pay monthly for medications right now if I don’t need to. So far, I have felt really good after coming off HRT. I’m not going to say that’s recommended, but that’s what I did and I want to be honest with you. 

One thing that I want to mention is that if you go with Winona, make sure you join their Facebook community! They have thousands of women in there who are using HRT and it's one of the most supportive communities I’ve ever been a part of.

Wrapping Up

Ultimately, my decision to choose Winona over Midi Health came down to cost and convenience. As a self-pay client, I was getting better prices by going through Winona and I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of getting on the phone with a provider for follow-up visits. 

If you have health insurance, I still recommend that you do a price comparison because if you have a high deductible and out-of-pocket, you might end up paying more even though you’re using your insurance. Do your due diligence and move forward with the company that you feel most comfortable with!

Although I didn’t end up going through with Midi Health, I have no doubt that it’s a great company to get HRT from. There was nothing that raised a red flag for me, I just simply went with Winona and ended up having a great experience. 

Choose your HRT provider:

Choose the one that fits your situation best! For me, it was Winona.