Hormone Doctor in Newport Beach, CA

Hormones shape far more than your cycle. They influence your metabolism, energy, sleep, mood, appetite, skin, hair and body composition. So when your periods turn unpredictable, your weight stops responding, your sleep falls apart or you simply don't feel like yourself, it can be hard to know where to begin.

Many of the people I see have been told their labs are "normal." They still don't feel normal, and they're right to keep asking why.

At Etara Wellness, we look at hormone health as a whole system. We consider your symptoms, history, age, medications and lifestyle alongside the patterns that show up across well-chosen testing. If you're looking for hormone therapy in Newport Beach, our first job is to understand what's driving your symptoms, and only then decide together whether hormones are part of the answer.

Signs of hormone imbalance: where do your symptoms point?

Hormonal shifts are easy to blame on stress, a busy life or "just getting older." You may notice:

  • Irregular, heavy or painful cycles
  • Hot flashes or night sweats
  • Trouble falling or staying asleep
  • Weight gain, especially around the middle, or changes in body composition
  • Fatigue that rest doesn't fix
  • Mood swings, anxiety or irritability
  • Brain fog or trouble concentrating
  • Low libido
  • Hair thinning, or new hair growth on the face or body
  • Acne or skin changes
  • Stronger cravings or changes in appetite
  • Symptoms of perimenopause or menopause

Several conditions can cause these same symptoms, so good hormone imbalance treatment starts with finding out what's actually going on, rather than assuming every symptom calls for hormones.

Hormone testing in Newport Beach: the panels we run

There is no single panel that fits everyone. We choose tests based on your symptoms, age, cycle or menopause status, history and the questions we're trying to answer. That may mean conventional blood work, specialized functional testing, or both.

Depending on your situation, the hormones and markers we commonly evaluate include:

  • Sex hormones: estradiol, estrone and estriol, progesterone, total and free testosterone, DHEA-S and SHBG
  •  Pituitary and ovarian signals: FSH, LH, prolactin and AMH
  • Stress hormones: cortisol and cortisone across the day, and cortisol metabolites
  • Thyroid: the comprehensive panel described below
  • Metabolic hormones: fasting insulin and glucose, HbA1c and lipids
  • Related nutrients and markers: vitamin D, B12, ferritin and iron, and inflammatory markers such as hs-CRP

DUTCH complete hormone test

The DUTCH test (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) is collected at home on filter-paper strips at several points over one day. DUTCH Complete measures estrogens, progesterone and androgens such as testosterone and DHEA-S, along with their metabolites, plus your daily cortisol rhythm, melatonin and selected organic acids.

A DUTCH hormone test adds an extra layer. A blood draw shows how much of a hormone is present at one moment; DUTCH also shows how your body is processing estrogen, which pathways it favors, and how cortisol rises and falls from morning to night. We use it for selected patients, and we always read it alongside your symptoms and history. You can learn more on our functional lab tests page.

Full thyroid panel

Your thyroid helps set your metabolism, energy, temperature and mood. Many workups check TSH alone, so when it fits your history we run a comprehensive panel:

  • TSH
  • Total T4 and total T3
  • Free T4 and free T3
  • Reverse T3
  • Thyroid antibodies: thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin antibodies

Together these show how much thyroid hormone you're making, how well it's converting to its active form, and whether the immune system may be involved.

Metabolic and nutrient markers

Blood sugar, insulin, iron, vitamin D, B vitamins and inflammation all affect how your hormones behave. Fatigue, hair loss and stubborn weight have several possible causes, and checking these markers keeps us from blaming hormones for everything.

Hormone concerns we help with

Your plan is built around your symptoms, history, lab findings and personal goals.

Perimenopause and menopause treatment

Perimenopause is the transition before menopause, when hormone levels can swing from month to month. You might notice cycle changes, hot flashes, night sweats, broken sleep, mood shifts, vaginal dryness or a change in where your body stores weight.

Menopause is reached after 12 months in a row without a period, when there's no other cause. For some women, nutrition, movement, sleep and stress support make a real difference. For others, hormone therapy is worth considering once we've reviewed benefits, risks and history together. Many do best with a combination.

Thyroid and adrenal support

You may have come across the term "adrenal fatigue" while searching for answers to exhaustion, poor sleep or feeling wired but tired. Your symptoms are real. Rather than settling on a label, we look at how your stress response system, the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, is actually functioning. The DUTCH test lets us see your cortisol rhythm across the day, which helps us build a plan around your sleep, energy and resilience. If a true adrenal disorder is suspected, we coordinate with your endocrinologist or primary care team.

PCOS, PMS, PMDD and endometriosis

These are four different conditions, and each deserves its own evaluation. PCOS can involve irregular cycles, acne or excess hair growth, and insulin resistance. PMS and PMDD bring symptoms that return around the same point in each cycle. Endometriosis involves tissue similar to the uterine lining growing outside the uterus and often causes pelvic pain.

If your symptoms follow your cycle, tracking them for a month or two before your visit gives us very useful information.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)

When patients ask about hormone replacement therapy in Newport Beach, we start by reviewing your symptoms, history, risk factors and goals. Bioidentical hormones have the same molecular structure as the hormones your body makes.

I think of BHRT as the cherry on top, not the first step. Before adding hormones, we build a strong foundation. That means calming inflammation, supporting methylation and detoxification, improving how your body metabolizes hormones, restoring gut health, opening drainage pathways, correcting nutrient deficiencies and supporting mitochondrial function. When those systems are working well, hormones can be introduced thoughtfully and safely, as one part of a plan that's truly yours.

How our hormone program works

Hormone care at Etara Wellness moves through four phases.

Phase 1: Understand (your first visit)

We go through your symptoms, cycle or menopause history, medical history, medications, supplements, sleep, nutrition, stress and any previous lab work.

Phase 2: Evaluate (testing, usually the following few weeks)

If testing will help, we choose the panels that answer your specific questions. That may include blood work, a DUTCH test, a full thyroid panel or metabolic markers.

Phase 3: Personalize (your results visit)

We sit down together, walk through what your results mean, and build your plan. Depending on what we find, it may include nutrition and lifestyle changes, therapeutic supplements, botanical medicine, targeted nutrient therapy, sleep and stress support, and mind-body practices. When it's clinically appropriate and within my scope as a licensed naturopathic doctor, bioidentical hormone therapy may become part of that plan too.

Phase 4: Follow-up (ongoing)

Hormones change over time, and so should your care. Regular follow-ups let us see how you're responding, recheck labs when useful, and adjust your plan as you go.

Meet Dr. Rasha El Naggar, MD, MBiotech, ND

Dr. Rasha is a licensed naturopathic doctor in California with more than 18 years of experience. She earned her medical degree at Ain Shams University in Cairo, an MS in Biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University, and her naturopathic doctorate at Bastyr University.

Naturopathic medicine is a four-year accredited doctoral training built on the same biomedical foundation as conventional medicine, including biochemistry, physiology, pathology and pharmacology. It adds clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, genetics and epigenetics, functional lab interpretation, and lifestyle and mind-body medicine, followed by a two-part national board exam. That combination lets Dr. Rasha read your conventional results and look further, working alongside your other doctors whenever that serves you best.

Her approach is personal. She spent about three years with an illness no one could explain before rebuilding her own health, so she knows what it feels like to be told everything looks fine. She sees patients in English and Arabic.

Our Newport Beach clinic — and telehealth across California

We see patients in person in Newport Beach and by telehealth anywhere in California. Some exams and lab collections need an in-person visit.

Patients come to us from Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Santa Ana, and by telehealth from Los Angeles, San Diego and across the state. If you're looking for a hormone specialist in Orange County or exploring hormone replacement therapy in Orange County, a first conversation will help you see what evaluation makes sense and whether hormone therapy is worth considering.

Etara Wellness · 20301 SW Birch St, Suite 100, Newport Beach, CA 92660 ·

Phone : +1 949 828 3020

Hormone treatment: frequently asked questions

Symptoms alone can't confirm it. We look at your symptoms and history together with the right lab testing to see what's really happening.

Not always. A DUTCH test is very helpful in some situations, such as understanding estrogen metabolism or cortisol rhythm, but it isn't needed for everyone.

No. It uses dried urine samples collected over a day and shows hormone metabolites and daily patterns that a single blood draw can't.

Yes. When it's appropriate for you, bioidentical hormone therapy is part of our care, both at our Newport Beach clinic and by telehealth across California. Whether it's right for you depends on your history, age, symptoms, risk factors and the type and route of hormone used, and we review all of these with you first.

Bioidentical hormones match the structure of the hormones your body makes, and for the right patient, at the right time, they can make a real difference to sleep, hot flashes, mood, energy, libido and overall quality of life. What makes any hormone therapy safe is less about the label and more about getting the details right for you: the right hormone, form, route, dose and timing, with careful monitoring along the way. That's why we see BHRT as the cherry on top, introduced once we've built a strong foundation for your health.

Book a free 10-minute call

Book a free 10-minute call or call +1 949 828 3020 to talk through your concerns and see whether a personalized hormone evaluation is right for you.

This page is for edCucational purposes and is not medical advice. Statements about supplements, nutrient therapies and hormone protocols have not been evaluated by the FDA, and this information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Hormone therapy is not appropriate for everyone; care is individualized after consultation and evaluation.