Each year in the United States, about two million women begin their menopause journeys, and about 75% of these women develop unwanted and often life-changing side effects that become serious quality-of-life issues.
One of the most effective ways to manage menopause and its aftermath is through hormone replacement therapy, which we’re advocates of at Women’s Wellness MD. As menopause specialists, Dr. Chetanna Okasi and the team have seen firsthand how hormone replacement therapy can improve a woman's health and wellness.
In fact, we offer several different types of hormone replacement therapies, including the increasingly popular bioidentical hormone pellets. Here’s a look at everything you need to know about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy using pellets.
Let’s start with one of the more frequent questions we get — what does bioidentical mean? As the name suggests, these hormones are the molecular equivalent of your natural hormones, which means they share the same structure and chemicals as your natural hormones. The main difference is that these hormones are plant-based.
The hormones replicated in bioidentical hormone therapy typically include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Our bioidentical hormone therapy comes in pellet form, which we insert just beneath the surface of your skin. These pellets, which are about the size of a grain of rice, slowly release hormones over 4-6 months.
We typically insert the pellets in your buttocks during a quick in-office procedure that most women tolerate quite well. You have a small bandage afterward, and we want you to avoid baths and swimming for a couple of days after insertion, but there’s nothing more you need to do.
There are several reasons why women prefer the pellet route for hormone replacement therapy. For starters, the pellet system is very user-friendly — once we place the pellets, there’s nothing more you need to do.
With other hormone therapies, you might have daily pills, weekly patches, or daily creams and ointments to keep track of, which isn't the case with our pellet delivery system.
Another benefit of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy using pellets is that the pellets are good at reducing menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, bone loss, and more.
For example, one study found that women who use pellet therapy were more likely to report a positive effect on their menopause symptoms than women using patches — 89% versus 78%. This information also explains why the same study found that more women continue using pellet therapy than women who use patches — 76% versus 59%.
If you’d like to explore for yourself whether bioidentical hormone therapy using pellets is a beneficial option for your menopause symptoms, contact us by calling one of our offices in Columbia or Greenbelt, Maryland, or by using our online booking feature today.
