Most people have heard of bioidentical hormones, which have the exact same chemical structure as naturally produced hormones. The raw material is extracted from soybeans and then purified and slightly modified to make hormones like testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, which the body knows how to use.   

There are many ways to administer bioidentical hormones. These include pills, injections, creams and patches, and pellets. Today our focus will be on bioidentical testosterone pellet therapy.

How Testosterone Pellet Therapy Works

Pellets are organic plant material pressed into small, solid units about the size of a cooked grain of rice. They are compounded in a pharmacy, and a doctor inserts them under the skin in a minor, painless procedure that takes about 15 minutes. 

The pellets remain under the skin and slowly release testosterone directly into the bloodstream in small amounts, similar to what the ovaries and testes produce in younger adults. (Testosterone, like estrogen, is found naturally in both men and women.) The dose is low enough not to cause voice changes and/or facial hair in women. 

Benefits of Testosterone Pellet Therapy

Testosterone pellet therapy reduces osteoporosis and cardiac risk; increases sexual desire, function and performance in men and women; and improves erectile dysfunction in men. It lowers body fat, increases muscle mass and strength, and protects against abdominal obesity. It’s also a mood stabilizer, lessening depression and promoting emotional well-being. 

As the pellets release testosterone into the body, it better regulates blood sugar, resulting in a decreased risk of diabetes. It also produces more nitric oxide, so more oxygen is delivered to the cells. Mental sharpness and clarity improve as well. Optimal testosterone levels have been shown to protect against Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and cognitive decline. 

Bioidentical hormone replacement pellet therapy balances the testosterone and estrogen levels necessary to produce serotonin, a chemical that regulates how we feel. Without adequate serotonin, we tend to be more tired and irritable and less able to focus, remember facts or work efficiently.  

Why Pellets Are Preferable

Pellet implantation has consistently proven to be more effective than oral, intramuscular and topical hormone therapies. The medical literature has shown that pellets deliver a consistent level of hormone into the bloodstream, avoiding the fluctuations that occur with the use of creams, pills or patches. And by delivering testosterone directly into the bloodstream, pellet therapy avoids the liver changes and increased production of clotting factors seen with oral hormone therapy. The pellets last three to five months in women and four to six months in men.

Hormone pellet therapy has been used since the late 1930s and is often considered one of the most natural ways to deliver hormones to the body. The hormones are identical to the body’s own, both structurally and biologically, and they are absorbed automatically once the sterile pellet is inserted. This increases compliance, as patients don’t have to remember to take a pill, give an injection or apply a cream each day. Data support pellets as the safest and most effective method of hormone replacement therapy. 

Remember that “normal” hormone levels are not the same as optimal hormone levels. Hormone pellet therapy, whose aim is to achieve those optimal levels, has significantly changed the way men and women will age. Ongoing advancements in anti-aging medicine, including hormone therapies, will continue to improve our longevity and quality of life. 

Sheila Mohammed, M.D., Ph.D., is the owner of Spine & Joint, LLC, located at 4507 Furling Ln., Ste. 213, Destin, FL. For more info, call 850-281-8186 or visit DrSheilaMohammed.com.