Hormone pellet therapy is considered a kind of hormone replacement therapy. Both men and women can benefit from hormone pellet therapy. However, the biggest candidates for this type of therapy are women experiencing menopause. Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States. During this tenure women genital tends to have hormonal change, thus some making it extremely dry, some women use menopause lubricant to aide this situation.
Hormone pellets are implanted underneath the skin and continuously let out hormones that are bioidentical. This guide will provide you with everything you need to know, in addition to pellet hormone therapy pros and cons.
Hormone Pellet Therapy Defined
Hormone pellets are implants that are implanted by a healthcare professional. As bioidentical hormones are released, your body will receive a mixture of hormones, including dehydroepiandrosterone, estradiol, testosterone, and estrone. Hormone pellets are equivalent to the size of a grain of rice. These pellets can be made by a pharmacy. However, you will need a prescription order from your physician.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may be an ideal candidate for hormone pellet therapy:
- Extreme PMS symptoms
- Have a hormonal imbalance that is affecting your sex life
- Low bone density
- Experience other hormone symptoms such as mood changes, insomnia, chronic headaches or migraines, anxiety or depression, joint pain, or chronic fatigue
Pros and Cons of Hormone Pellet Therapy
If you’re still considering hormone pellet therapy and wondering whether it’s right for you, it’s critical that you consider all the pros and cons of the procedure.
Pros
- Consistent Dosage: Hormone pellets were created to continuously deliver a constant dosage of hormones over the span of several months. This method helps you abstain from obvious peaks resulting from other methods of administration. Additionally, you can experience an improvement in symptoms more regularly.
- Simple Procedure: Hormone pellet therapy, unlike other hormone therapy methods, does not require you to constantly take medication every day of the week. There is no need to keep up with reminders. Instead, you will undergo a short outpatient surgery anywhere between two and four times per year.
- Great Results: Other hormone therapy methods such as injections, gels, patches, or creams may deliver good results. However, this statement only holds true if you keep up with taking them as directed. The smallest mistake could negatively impact your results. However, hormone pellets remove this risk altogether. This means that you can now experience greater benefits.
Cons
- Small Surgery: The process for hormone pellets is very minimal. Even though the procedure is quick and you will experience little to no pain, there are some risks of complications. For example, you risk developing an extrusion or infection of the pellets. This can result in some pain during and following the surgery.
- Challenging Recovery Period: Another downside to receiving pellet hormone therapy is that you may find the recovery period challenging. You will be told by your physician to avoid any strenuous exercise, and physical activity. You should also avoid water exposure for the first three days following surgery. You may also notice monitor redness, bruising, or swelling, which is normal.
- Adjustments are Limited: Even though you can have more pellets implanted after your first procedure, the current ones cannot be taken out. This is one of the main reasons why you should only work with an experienced physician to avoid being overtreated.
Side Effects
Many people tolerate hormone pellet therapy extremely well. However, patients can still experience some side effects after the procedure. While the majority of these side effects are temporary and go away on its own, it’s important that you are aware of them.
Here is a list of some of the most common side effects you may experience following hormone pellet therapy:
- Headaches- Hormone pellet therapy can be used for the treatment in a variety of symptoms related to perimenopause and menopause. However, it can increase the frequency of migraines and tension headaches. Having lower estrogen levels is a contributing factor to headaches. But if your headaches worsen following surgery, you should discuss the dosage with your physician.
- Changes in skin: Skin sensitivity is normal following hormonal changes. It’s possible to experience acne breakouts as a result of an increase in sebum production. These breakouts can last for several weeks following the procedure.
A few other side effects include:
- Changes in hair growth
- Increased risk of breast cancer
For additional insights on managing hormonal changes and maintaining a healthy lifestyle during menopause, you might find valuable tips in the informative article on weight loss during menopause at Better Body.
