Hormone pellet therapy places a rice-sized bioidentical pellet under the skin so your body absorbs hormones steadily for three to four months. This in-office method avoids daily pills, creams, and patches, helping men and women ease low energy, low libido, mood swings, and menopause symptoms by keeping hormone levels consistent rather than spiking and crashing.
Just because you are getting older doesn't mean that you have to feel older.
As you age, you may begin to notice a loss of energy and a decrease in sex drive, that could be due to low levels of hormones.
Luckily there is a solution; hormone pellet therapy.
What are hormone pellets?
Hormone pellets are regulators injected just under the skin. These regulators use something called "bio-identical hormones." That means they use the same chemical structure as those naturally produced in the body.
These pellets are about the size of a grain of rice, derived from natural resources like yams and roots. Because they share the same chemical structure as the hormones your body already makes, bioidentical hormones are designed to act on the same receptors. The Cleveland Clinic explains how bioidentical hormones work to address imbalances, and pellets are simply one way to deliver them.
What is hormone pellet therapy and how does it work?
Hormone pellet therapy is a method of hormone replacement that places a tiny bioidentical pellet under the skin so your body absorbs a steady stream of hormones for months at a time. It is a quick in-office procedure that avoids daily pills, creams, or patches.
With hormone pellet therapy, the pellet is inserted during a simple in-office procedure where the hormones are inserted under the skin into the hip or buttock region. Although it is a relatively painless procedure, a local anesthetic is available, and most compare it to receiving a shot or injection.
The body absorbs pellets at a controlled rate which allows them to remain active in the body for three to four months. Since they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and are always readily available for the body to use, the hormone levels remain consistent for the entirety of the insertion. This steady, sustained release is one reason a clinical review of compounded hormonal pellets notes that providers favor pellets for delivering hormones continuously rather than in daily peaks and valleys. It is also worth knowing that compounded pellets are prepared by specialty pharmacies, and the FDA explains how compounded medications differ from mass-produced, individually approved drugs, which is why working with an experienced clinic that monitors your levels matters.
What are the benefits of pellet therapy?
Pellet therapy re-establishes hormones that have been lost and reduces the symptoms of hormone imbalance, so people often report steadier energy, better mood, stronger libido, and sharper focus. Both men and women can benefit because both lose hormones with age.
Benefits of pellet therapy include improvements in:
Sex Drive
Muscle mass
Bone density
Cognitive performance
Heart health
Mood
Energy levels
Weight loss
While both genders experience these benefits, we understand that they have different types and levels of hormones and therefore have various symptoms to address. If you are weighing your options, our overview of the full range of steady-release hormone replacement therapy approaches explains how pellets compare with other delivery methods.
Pellet therapy for men
Testosterone levels in men peak about the age of twenty. When you enter the third decade of life, you may begin to notice the inevitable changes in your body during the aging process.
20-40% of older men have a medical condition called "hypogonadism"and need testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Men over the age of 30 may start to notice some of the symptoms of low testosterone, but hormone replacement is often not needed until they are over the age of 40.
Low testosterone can cause a host of symptoms such as:
Reduced muscle mass
Weight management issues
Sleep deprivation
Loss of focus
Erectile dysfunction
Loss of motivation
Increased body fat
Irritability
Low libido
Decreased bone density
In some cases, you may feel less active, less attractive, and less interested in intimacy with your partner. Left unaddressed, symptoms can increase throughout your forties and fifties, stealing your self-confidence and sense of achievement in your personal and professional life.
Visit our website to learn more about male pellet therapy.
Pellet therapy for women
Most women think that hormone replacement therapy is only needed once they have reached menopause. In reality, symptoms can begin much sooner. Women enter a stage called pre-menopause or perimenopause which can start 5-10 years before periods cease.
Symptoms persist and can worsen throughout perimenopause and menopause.
Women usually experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. While going through menopause, many women's hormone levels drop. This leaves them with many adverse side effects such as:
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Memory loss
Insomnia
Vaginal dryness
Low libido
Aches and pain
Moodiness and depression
Fatigue
Pellet therapy helps to alleviate these symptoms and leave you feeling revitalized. For a closer look at why these changes happen and how long they last, see our guide to the symptoms and stages of the menopause transition. Mayo Clinic likewise notes that hormone therapy can effectively relieve menopause symptoms such as hot flashes while also helping protect against the bone loss that follows declining estrogen.
Postmenopausal women receive (what is TRT) TRT to treat inhibited sexual desire, or otherwise known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder. This treatment can help improve their sexual desire, orgasm frequency, and satisfaction. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agrees that some forms of androgen therapy can improve sexual interest in postmenopausal women when used under medical supervision.
Visit our website to learn more about female pellet therapy.
How does pellet therapy compare to other hormone treatments?
Pellets release hormones slowly and steadily as they dissolve, while pills, creams, and patches tend to create a sharp spike and then drop off. That steadier curve is the main advantage, because it reduces the swings that often come with other methods.
Pellets have the benefit of slowly and regularly releasing hormones until they dissipate. Unlike pills, creams, or patches, this naturally creates a larger spike in the hormone.
By spreading out the application of the hormone, pellet therapy helps regulate the amount you need when you need it. Other treatments often produce high levels of hormones at once and then can drop off suddenly. This hormonal inconsistency can leave the user with extreme fluctuations causing mood swings and other unpleasant side effects. Choosing the right delivery method is best done alongside a clinician, and our physician-guided approach to balancing hormones starts with lab testing so the plan fits your body.
Some side effects of too much testosterone include:
Sleep apnea
Acne
Low sperm count
Enlarged breasts
Testicle shrinkage
Increased RBC
You do not have to worry about experiencing too much testosterone with pellet therapy because they slowly release the hormones over time.
Balancing your hormones with ageRejuvenation
Pellet therapy does wonders for thyroid disorders, menopause, and andropause. If you want to help mitigate your menopausal symptoms or think you might be experiencing low testosterone, seek help at an ageRejuvenation clinic near you. Our team of women's hormone and wellness specialists tailors every plan to your symptoms and your labs.
We use a comprehensive blood work panel to assess your hormone levels and the symptoms you are experiencing to determine the deficiency. These tests allow us to discover the exact combination of hormones and dosing needed to rectify your body's imbalances and alleviate your symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the downside of hormone pellets?
The main downside is that once a pellet is placed, the dose cannot be easily adjusted or removed; you wait for it to dissolve. Because many pellets are compounded, dosing can vary between pharmacies, so careful provider monitoring and follow-up lab work are important to keep your levels in a healthy range.
How painful is hormone pellet insertion?
Most patients describe it as mildly uncomfortable rather than painful. The provider numbs the area with a local anesthetic, makes a tiny opening in the hip or buttock, and places the pellet in a few minutes. Many people compare the sensation to a routine shot or injection, with only minor soreness afterward.
How long does hormone pellet therapy last?
A single pellet insertion typically stays active for about three to four months as the pellet slowly dissolves and releases hormones into the bloodstream. The exact timing varies by person, dose, and metabolism, so your provider will recommend a re-insertion schedule based on your symptoms and follow-up blood work.
What is the best age for hormone pellets?
There is no single right age. Men over 40 often consider pellets as testosterone declines, and women may benefit during perimenopause or menopause, usually between 45 and 55. The better question is whether your symptoms and lab results show a hormone imbalance, which a clinician can confirm through testing before recommending treatment.
Are hormone pellets FDA approved?
Many hormone pellets are custom-compounded by specialty pharmacies and are not individually FDA approved in the way mass-produced medications are. That does not make them unsafe, but it does mean you should choose an experienced clinic that uses quality-controlled compounding and monitors your hormone levels with regular bloodwork.
Ready to take the next step?
Talk with the AgeRejuvenation team about a Hormone Replacement Therapy plan built around your labs and goals.
