The world of health and wellness can be confusing at times. Spend a few minutes reading online articles and you’ll soon find yourself wading through a sea of doctors, therapists and wellness coaches. This doesn’t get any simpler when it comes to one of the hottest health topics around right now – hormones.

With hormones at the root of many (often complex) health conditions, you need someone with the right level of expertise to get straight to the heart of the problem. But how do you know if you need to seek out a GP, a wellness coach or some kind of -ologist?

Here’s our guide to experts in hormone health: their qualifications, areas of expertise and how to find them when you need treatment and advice. 

Expert: endocrinologist

What they do

Endocrinology is the specialism that covers the effects of hormones on the whole body, so endocrinologists will treat a wide range of conditions including PCOS, endometriosis and early menopause, as well as diabetes, thyroid disease and lipid disorders. Not to be confused with gynaecologists (although there is a crossover when it comes to a woman’s reproductive system), it’s endocrinologists who specialise in hormones and how they can impact fertility and cause disease.

Qualifications/training

Pathways vary but, in most cases, it takes 14 years to become a fully qualified endocrinologist. This includes five years studying for a medical degree, plus two years training as a junior doctor, followed by three years of internal medicine training (covering all areas). Finally, it’s four years of specialist training in endocrinology. 

How to access them

For an appointment with an endocrinologist, you usually need a referral from your GP. If you find this route frustrating for any reason, you can go straight to an endocrinologist at a private clinic who, depending on your diagnosis, may refer you back to the NHS for treatment. Remember, although you can seek private treatment without an NHS referral, the British Medical Association believes it’s best practice to be referred for specialist treatment by your GP who knows your medical history. Private clinics and healthcare insurers may also request this. 

Expert: GP (general practitioner) specialising in hormone health

What they do

The wide-ranging nature of a typical GP’s medical training doesn’t necessarily include a deep understanding of all hormone-related conditions. It took until 2022 for the government to publish its first Women’s Health Strategy for England, announcing that all medical graduates would now receive mandatory teaching in women’s health (yep, completely absent beforehand, folks!). However, some GPs already have additional expertise in hormone health and have specialised for years in treating conditions such as PMS and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), perimenopause and menopause, post-natal depression, PCOS and endometriosis.

GPs specialising in hormone health can have varied backgrounds encompassing a wide range of disciplines. Dr Ghazala Aziz-Scott, practitioner at The Door 4 and clinical director of the Marion Gluck Clinic, took 10 years to qualify as a GP. She has a master’s degree in neuroscience and multiple diplomas in women’s health, but was always drawn to holistic approaches in medicine. She trained at the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), a field that integrates conventional medicine with other approaches such as nutritional therapy, acupuncture and ayurvedic medicine.  

Qualifications/training

It typically takes 10 years or more to qualify as a GP. GPs then choose to expand their expertise in various ways, eg a postgraduate diploma in a particular specialism. Dr Aziz-Scott tells Strong Women: “The IFM certification is a good qualification to have but it can be done by many different practitioners – medical doctors, prescribing nurses, pharmacists and nutritional therapists – so you need to make sure your practitioner matches your specific needs.”

How to access them

Ask if your local GP surgery includes a hormone health specialist, or contact a private clinic such as The Women’s Hormone Clinic or London Hormone Clinic where you can find doctors with a wealth of credentials in hormone therapy and women’s hormones. 

Expert: acupuncturist

What they do

Acupuncturists often treat hormone-related issues such as fertility, stress and anxiety, insomnia, gut and bowel disorders, and physical pain, using needles to help the body rebalance and repair. Five-element acupuncturist Asha Chong explains: “As no specific symptoms are isolated from other symptoms, acupuncturists will treat hormonal health holistically, focusing on the body and its systems, as well as the patient’s mental and emotional wellbeing as a whole.”

Qualifications/training

The minimum requirement to practise in the UK and be registered with the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) is to have completed a course approved by the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board, such as a BSc (Hons) in acupuncture – a three-and-a-half-year study programme that includes six months of supervised clinical practice. Chong, for example, has a Licentiate in Acupuncture (Lic Ac) and qualified with a BSc (Hons) in acupuncture and Chinese medicine from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. 

How to access them

You’ll need to find one privately and it’s worth ensuring they are a member of the BAcC. All members are registered to practise and are regulated and approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health & Social Care.

Expert: health/wellness coach specialising in hormones

What they do

This area is varied as it encompasses a range of expertise often labelled under ‘coach’ (in hormone health, the word ‘therapist’ often means a healthcare professional who has been trained in hormone therapy, such as administering HRT). A coach may look at how lifestyle changes, such as transforming your diet or practising good sleep hygiene, can improve any hormone-related issues.

Additional qualifications can add an extra level of insight. Lauren Johnson Reynolds, AKA the London Wellness Coach, helps women manage their hormone health, particularly those with PCOS – primarily through their diet as she’s a fully qualified nutritional therapist and is registered with the Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners. Johnson Reynolds explains that she uses the term ‘coach’ simply because it’s easily understood but adds: “As a nutritional therapist, I can access gut health and hormone testing and know how to interpret the results, whereas coaches generally aren’t able to access and interpret tests.” 

Qualifications/training

This may include anything from short courses on nutrition and physiology to science degrees in subjects outside of medicine. Any credible health coach will shout about the training and qualifications they have. Some coaches may work in this field due to their own experience with say, infertility or endometriosis, and this personal insight may give you an extra level of trust.

How to access them

Social media is awash with wellness coaches. Alternatively, go with personal recommendations. If you’re going down the social media route, proceed with caution. 

When researching an expert’s credentials, look for evidence of certification from notable bodies such as:

• Marion Gluck Training Academy (offering accredited courses in hormone health and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for healthcare professionals)
• British Menopause Society (healthcare professionals can train to be BMS-approved menopause specialists)
• Federation of Holistic Therapists (gives accreditation to holistic courses including diplomas in functional wellness covering hormones)  

Images: Getty