How Do Hormone Replacement Pellets Work?

Most women dread menopause and all the uncomfortable symptoms that accompany it. Between the irregular cycles, weight gain, and the dreaded hot flashes, the menopause years are incredibly bothersome to most women.

Some women can bear the symptoms until they reach the post-menopausal years, but not everyone is so lucky. If menopause is single-handedly ruining your life, hormone replacement therapy can help.

At The Women's Center at Life Point Medical, Monique Petteys, FNP-BC, and her team offer hormone replacement pellets as an option for menopausal women. Monique specializes in women's health and carefully evaluates patients' symptoms to determine what treatment is best for their needs.

Understanding hormone replacement therapy

As we get older, our bodies begin changing in various ways. The skin becomes less elastic, and wrinkles and age spots show. But more changes are going on beneath the skin, including hormone fluctuations.

Women experience especially bothersome hormone fluctuations as they near menopause, the point in their lives where childbearing is no longer possible. During this time, the body produces less estrogen and other hormones, causing various bothersome symptoms.

A change in your menstrual cycle is one of the tell-tale signs that menopause is approaching. Your body is preparing for the next stage in life after you're done having children.

Some women get through menopause unscathed and can tolerate the symptoms of menopause without treatment. But if your symptoms are disrupting your life and lifestyle changes don't help, hormone replacement therapy is available.

HRT is a way to regulate your hormones to reduce symptoms such as night sweats, mood swings, and vaginal dryness. The therapy comes in many forms, including creams, pills, and pellets.

Each type of HRT works by introducing hormones into the body to help regulate your symptoms. The hormones in HRT are similar to your body's natural hormones, making it easy to tolerate.

What are hormone replacement pellets?

Hormone replacement pellets are one of the many ways to deliver hormones into your body. They're an excellent option if you don't want to worry about applying creams or taking pills every day.

The pellet is about the size of a grain of rice and sits just underneath the skin. Over the course of several months, it releases bioidentical hormones into the body to relieve menopausal symptoms.

The procedure takes place in the office and is relatively quick and painless. She inserts the pellet underneath the skin in the upper portion of the buttocks. You won't be able to tell the pellet is even there.

Hormone replacement pellets are a carefree way to give your body bioidentical hormones like natural ones. You don't have to worry about taking a pill daily or applying messy creams or lotions.

How the pellets work to reduce symptoms

Bioidentical hormones come from plants chemically similar to the body's natural hormones. The BioTE® pellets Monique uses for HRT contain compounded hormones that your body can't differentiate from the ones it produces.

The increase in estrogen and progesterone helps the body regulate itself during menopause. Many of your symptoms happen when estrogen levels dip down below average, which is how the pellets help.

The slow release of bioidentical hormones alleviates uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes, weight gain, and night sweats by carefully regulating your hormones. It may take a few months for Monique to get the dosage just right to keep you comfortable during menopause.

As the pellet begins to work, Monique monitors your symptoms carefully to determine if you need to adjust your dosage. The lab carefully compounds and tests every pellet to meet your specific needs.

To discover if hormone replacement therapy pellets are for you, call the Women's Center at Life Point Medical today, or request a consultation using our online scheduling tool.