What Makes Bio-Identical Hormone Pellet Therapy Different?

Medically reviewed by Next Health Clinical Director, Jessica Brewer

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Hormone therapy is becoming more and more common, particularly among older Americans that want to minimize or eliminate some of the side effects of aging. We all get a little slower and start to see physiological changes as we collect more years under our belts, but that doesn’t mean we have to simply accept the symptoms as permanent.

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In many cases, hormone therapy can alleviate these symptoms by bolstering the body’s diminishing supply of testosterone and/or estrogen. Hormone therapy is usually provided via injection, which can sometimes can lead to hormonal "peaks and troughs."

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However, we decided to create a more effective and less intense version of hormone therapy using bio-identical hormone pellets. These pellets are inserted during a minor procedure and slowly absorbed over 3-4 months.

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Not sure whether bio-identical hormone pellets are right for you? Let’s take a closer look at this treatment so you can see exactly how it benefits those who take it.

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What Is Hormone Therapy?

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Hormone therapy or hormone replacement therapy (HT or HRT, respectively) is a revolutionary kind of therapy used to treat a variety of conditions. Many individuals entering middle or late age experience sudden or gradual dips in their primary sex or other hormones.

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For example, many men find that their bodies produce less testosterone as they get older. This is usually accompanied by a variety of uncomfortable side effects, like decreased sex drive, lower energy, hair loss, increased fatigue, and more. The development can be very uncomfortable, as testosterone rises into the 20s and only gradually decreases until the 40s.

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Similarly, many women experience lower estrogen levels as they enter menopause and after menopause. Lower estrogen can lead to other uncomfortable side effects like a lower sex drive, dry or painful sex, weight gain, and more. As with men, many women find these changes to be too sudden or life-changing to be adapted to easily.

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Suffice to say that many people don't like that their bodies produce fewer hormones as they get older. It's a natural part of the aging process, but hormone therapy can help to reverse some of these symptoms.

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Hormone replacement therapy may also be prescribed by your doctor to treat various chronic conditions or disorders. But you can also get hormone therapy at wellness clinics like Next Health.

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Hormone therapy can be administered in one of two ways: using normal hormones or bio-identical hormones, both of which are created in a laboratory environment. Normal hormones are designed for fast results at all costs, which can sometimes lead them to be absorbed poorly by a patient’s body.

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What Are Bio-Identical Hormones?

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Bio-Identical hormones are exactly what they sound like; they are hormones designed to mimic the natural hormones produced by a patient’s body.

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In most cases, bio-identical hormones are created from plant-derived sources such as yams. They are considered "molecularly identical" to the hormones your body makes naturally.

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As a result, bio-identical hormones can potentially offer greater advantages and lower risks for side effects compared to regular hormones used in certain hormone therapy treatments.

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Benefits Of BHT/BHRT

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People who haven’t tried bio-identical hormone therapy before might not understand the big differences between this type of therapy and other hormone treatments.

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But bio-identical hormone therapy can provide several big advantages compared to its counterpart treatment.

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Easier Absorption By The Body

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For starters, bio-identical hormones are faster and more easily absorbed by your body. As a result, this maximizes the impact of hormone pellets or injections. Because the hormones are detected by your body as natural rather than totally synthesized, they are more compatible and can induce more natural hormone or physiological responses.

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It's a matter of minimizing the blunt impact that some hormone therapies have on your body. Hormones play a key role in a variety of bodily systems and are major compounds in tons of processes.

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For example, testosterone is necessary for muscle growth and sex drive in men, can affect their mood, and can even affect how much hair they have. Estrogen is similarly important for women, affecting their sex drive, their moods, their weight gain, and much more.

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When undergoing hormone replacement therapy, it’s important to make the process as gentle and agreeable for your body as possible. Hormones designed to be biologically or chemically identical to the ones produced by your own body will be better at this than other types.

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Lower Risk For Side Effects

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Because bio-identical hormones are more easily absorbed by the body, there’s less of a risk for side effects.

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In certain cases, for example, injecting yourself with synthetic testosterone can eventually cause your body to produce less natural testosterone on its own. That’s because synthetic testosterone overwhelms the body’s physiological systems.

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As a result, some patients have to continually take greater and greater concentrations of testosterone for their therapy as their body can no longer produce enough to complement the treatment regimen.

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This is just one example of how hormone therapy can produce some side effects if it is not administered correctly or if it is done in a way that overwhelms the body’s natural responses and cycles.

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All Normal Hormone Therapy Benefits

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Additionally, bio-identical hormone therapy provides all of the same benefits as other types of hormone therapy treatments.

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For men, this can include:

• A higher sex drive.
• Faster muscle accumulation and decreased muscle degradation.
• More energy throughout the day.
• Better hair growth or decreased hair loss.
• More stable moods.

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For women, this can include:

• Steadier weight gain/loss.
• Increased sex drive/vaginal lubrication.
• More stable moods.
• More energy throughout the day.

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In other words, bio-identical hormones are excellent choices if you want to pursue hormone therapy for any of the symptoms described earlier. Aging men and women can use hormone therapy to somewhat stave off the effects of old age, regaining much of their youthful vitality and vigor.

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How Are Next Health’s Bio-Identical Hormones Administered?

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Next Health’s bio-identical hormone pellet therapy is particularly advantageous because it is released based on cardiac output.

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Earlier, we discussed how injecting hormones into the body can be less effective as it may lead to hormonal peaks and troughs. When you inject a lot of hormones into the body, your body has no choice but to absorb a sudden batch of hormones, which may lead to physiological responses.

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In the case of testosterone, for example, your body might stop producing natural testosterone in order to prevent its systems from becoming overwhelmed with this potent hormone.

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Pellets are different. With our pellet hormone therapy, hormones are absorbed gradually rather than suddenly. Your body, therefore, absorbs the bio-identical testosterone at a more measured and careful pace, preventing some of the side effects mentioned earlier.

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In other words, your body has more of an opportunity to gradually acclimate to the presence of new testosterone without becoming overwhelmed.

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What does this mean over the long term? Nothing less than a more stable and consistent hormone therapy experience.

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You’ll be able to continue to take bio-identical testosterone pellets and enjoy their benefits without having to progressively increase your dosage. Your body will keep producing the same level of testosterone as it did before, minimizing the likelihood of side effects.

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Next Health’s bio-identical hormone pellet treatment is simply superior to most other hormone replacement therapies you can find at other clinics or medical centers.

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Who Is Next Health’s Hormone Therapy Good For?

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Men or women who simply want their hormones to become more balanced or back to their earlier levels!

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Our hormone therapy provides bio-identical testosterone and estrogen. Our therapy is easily administered through pellets and our wellness specialists can discuss the therapy with you in-depth before you sign up to answer any questions.

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Not sure whether our HT is right for you? Start your journey with our Advanced Hormone Panel. Once we know your hormone levels, our physicians can prescribe personalized hormone therapy (pellets, creams, or injections) to restore your hormones through our Hormone Optimization Program. Our Hormone Optimization Program goes beyond hormone therapy to include hormone monitoring bloodwork as well as Wellness Technology (Cryotherapy, Infrared Therapy, InBody Scanning, and more).

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Summary

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Ultimately, bio-identical hormone therapy could be a great choice for your aging symptoms or other needs. As usual, it’s best to discuss hormone therapy with your physician or primary doctor before signing up for a long-term regimen.

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You should also discuss your options with us by contacting us by phone or by checking out our online site. Our wellness specialists can work with you to determine whether bio-identical hormone therapy is a good pick for your needs.

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Should you decide to go with this therapy, you’ll benefit from a more advanced and safer type of hormone therapy than the alternative. Contact us today to get started!

Sources:

Bioidentical Hormone Therapy | NCBI

Hormone therapy for the ageing | NCBI

Introduction - Testosterone and Aging - NCBI Bookshelf | NCBI

Bioidentical hormone therapy in menopause: relevance in dermatology | NCBI

Why women choose compounded bioidentical hormone therapy: lessons from a qualitative study of menopausal decision-making | NCBI