Hormone Pellet Implants - A New, Old Option For Hormone Replacement Therapy

Intended use: primarily for controlling symptoms of menopause and age related testosterone deficiency in men (andropause).

Advantages over other forms of HRT: Convenience of every 3 to 4 month repeat insertion in women and every 6 month insertion for men. Higher, more steady levels of hormone due to continuous release from tissue depository results in more consistent, reliable relief of symptoms. Worry of exposing children to hormone absent.

Preliminary evaluation: Any candidate for hormone replacement therapy needs a comprehensive medical evaluation, lab and risk assessment prior to consideration for this form of therapy. A recent well woman examination to include appropriate breast screening is required of women. Men require a similar comprehensive examination plus a normal prostate examination.

Hormones used: Natural bio identical Estrogen and Testosterone in women. Natural bio identical Testosterone only in men. Both hormones are derived from plant, not animal sources. A compounding pharmacy prepares each hormone and packages them in a sterile container.

Typical dosage: Women may have two to 4 separate pellets implanted depending on their lab data, body size and symptom load. Estrogen doses from 6 to up to 25mg and testosterone doses from 25 to 150mg are typical ranges.

Men utilize a much larger pellet (200mg) and may receive anywhere from 6 to 10 pellets again depending on their lab data, body size and age.

To the eye, each pellet may be the size of a small grain of rice up to a larger grain.

Method of administration: The pellets are implanted just under the skin level. A local anesthetic is injected into the skin before a very small (about 1/4 inch) incision is made in the upper/outer region of the buttock/hip. A sterile surgical instrument is passed under the skin and the pellets are advanced through its opening. The pellets ultimately lay about 2 inches away from the skin incision. The skin is then closed with a surgical tape (no stitch needed!) with completion of the procedure.

Wound healing takes about a week with avoidance of tub baths, swimming and lunging type leg exercises. Showering is OK. After a week, return to normal activity is encouraged.

Post insertion lab tests are ordered 1 month later to measure levels and determine adequacy of treatment. Women many times notice symptom relief within 1 week and men notice improvement after 2 to 3 weeks (due to the density of the male pellets).

Hormone replacement therapy is "the icing on the cake" when a foundation of good health including proper diet, individualized supplementation, exercise and other lifestyle modifications are in place. Hormone replacement therapy alone, without addressing these other important variables while helpful, is no match for a more comprehensive approach to health and wellness.