Pellets, creams, pills—oh my….
Bioidentical hormones are simply fantastic! They come in many styles and applications…how do you know which would work for you? I actually think it is personal…some people like topicals, some like capsules, some like sublingual drops…or even pellets shot in their asses. For me as the physician, it comes down to what form WORKS best for you and what form will you DO!
When someone comes in to my office (man or woman), we do a complete history and interview. Then we do labs that are necessary. Every stage of life is different as far as hormones go, so we have to see where each person is at. Labs help guide therapy but the “symptoms” and persons story matter equally if not more!
Then after the labs and info gathering is complete it is time to pick what (if any) hormones might work for the person. I am going to list a few different possibilities with pros/cons.
CREAM—perhaps the easiest and least expensive option. Doc Jen gets to make a recipe up just for YOU and then the compounding pharmacist whips it up and the patient applies once or twice per day to thin skin areas.
PROS—$, can increase or decrease by increments
CONS—daily application, all hormones in a ratio so only adjusting more or less not individually
Sublingual drops—hormones are put into a tasty liquid for you to absorb through your mouth membranes.
PROS—easy to adjust minute doses
CONS—daily dose, $$, have to do some hormones in cream or capsule WITH this method
CAPSULES—again, I make the recipe for the pharmacist and one pill per day does the trick
PROS—$, good for estrogen and progesterone
CONS—CANNOT do testosterone orally so would require a different method if T needed
TROCHES—same as the sublingual drops…just a lozenge or melt one sucks on in the mouth.
INJECTABLES—mostly synthetic but I do use injectable TESTOSTERONES if necessary.
PELLETS—these are injected into your butt fat every 3-4 months ( I do NOT do these)
PROS—don’t have to do anything daily, nothing to forget. Some people love them.
CONS—$$$, injection every 3 months, only a couple companies make the pellets
BIGGEST CON—if you get it WRONG, your hormones are jacked for 3-4 months. I see too many of these people and quite a miserable experience.
A lot of folks end up on combination of things…all depends on your absorption rate, liver clearance, sensitivity, and what works for you. Hormone therapy can be amazing and anti-aging if done correctly…with very LITTLE if any problems.
Doctor Jen
