OUR SERVICES
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Bioidentical hormone therapy can help women and men who are dealing with hormonal imbalances or low hormone levels. Therapy can improve skin quality, reduce wrinkles, and decrease the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. Bioidentical hormones are available in patches, pills, creams, gels, and shots. Elevate HRT specializes in treating patients using pellet therapy.
Pellet Therapy
Bioidentical hormones have the same chemical structure of hormones that are naturally produced in the body. This allows hormones to function at the most optimal level. Research has shown that delivering bioidentical hormones through a pellet placed under the skin is the safest and most effective method of hormone replacement therapy.
BHRT pellets are composed of estradiol or testosterone, and have the exact molecular structure of the body’s natural hormones. The hormones are pressed into a solid compound that’s about the size of a grain of rice. The pellet is inserted under the skin in the hip area, where it will release small amounts of hormone steadily into the bloodstream. This works similar to how the ovaries and testes release hormones during our younger years.
This method also prevents fluctuations that can occur with creams, pills, or patches. Delivering the bioidentical hormones directly into the bloodstream protects the liver, which can be affected by oral hormone therapy. Pellet therapy does not increase the risk of blood clotting that can occur with synthetic hormones.
Our pellet therapy balances the testosterone and estrogen that are necessary for producing serotonin. This chemical regulates how people feel, and without it, it can cause tiredness, irritability, and difficulty focusing. Serotonin imbalance can cause depression, anxiety and sleep disruption.
In women, the pellets last anywhere from 3-5 months. In men, they can last up to 6 months. There are minimal side effects and very little downtime associated with this outpatient treatment.
As with any medical procedure, bioidentical hormone therapy is not suitable for everyone. For example, women who have had recent breast, ovarian, or endometrial cancers should avoid any type of hormone replacement therapy. Anyone with a recent blood clot, cardiovascular event or seizure history, should also avoid therapy. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should wait to start hormone replacement therapy as well. When you schedule a consultation with our expert team, we’ll be able to assess your compatibility with bioidentical hormone therapy.
Benefits + Side Effects
In addition to helping with symptoms, hormone replacement therapy may also reduce your risk for diabetes, tooth loss, and cataracts. There’s some evidence that it can help improve skin thickness, hydration, and elasticity, and even reduce wrinkles.
Benefits for Women
Reduction of menopause and perimenopause symptoms
Reduce hot flashes
Reduce night sweats
Lessens mood changes
Lessens memory loss
Helps with weight gain
Reduces sleep issues
Reduces loss of interest in sex or pain during sex
Increase in bone density
Decrease in fat mass
Increase in lean tissue mass
Improves chronic joint pain
Decreases muscluar pain
Lowers inflammatory markers (improves pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis)
Can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline
Benefits for Men
Improvement of mood and energy
Improved focus and memory
Increase lean muscle mass and strength
Improved sexual performance
Increase in bone density
Decrease in fat mass
Improves chronic joint pain
Decreases muscular pain
Lowers inflammatory markers (improves pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis)
Side Effects
Side effects of pellet therapy are rare, affecting less than 2% of patients. Side effects could include mild acne, fluid retention, hair growth. All side effects can be easily managed by our providers and most of them are transient, resolving within the first few weeks of treatment.
FAQs
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For women, it is most commonly used to treat symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. It can improve symptoms of hot flashes, mood swings, low libido, weight gain, depression, vaginal dryness, brain fog, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis and more.
For men, symptoms include fatigue, decreased libido, decreased muscle mass, erectile dysfunction, depression, insomnia, irritability and others.
People with chronic pain or fibromyalgia benefit from BHRT by decreasing overall inflammation as well as boosting energy to help stay active.
At our initial consultation, we will discuss your health history, symptoms and we will draw labs to test hormone levels.
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Pellet insertion is a relatively simple in-office procedure done under local anesthesia. It takes an average of 10-15 minutes in total. The pellets are inserted subcutaneously (under the fatty lining of skin) in the upper buttocks through a very small incision. The incision is then closed with sterile tape strips and covered with a bandage.
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This varies from person to person but on average women will last 3-5 months and men will last 5-6 months. The hormones are released from the pellets based on your cardiac output. A person who is more active may need pellet placement sooner than someone who is not.
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The BioTe pellets are made from the soy or yam plant. There is no cross allergy between pellets and soy allergic patients because it is a completely different molecule once the hormone is made. Steric acid is used as a binding agent, steric acid is commonly found in aspirin.
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Less than 2% of patients experience side effects. Side effects could include mild acne, fluid retention, hair growth. All side effects can be easily managed by our providers.
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The ingredients used in the pellets are FDA approved, however the actual pellet is not. The manufacturing of the pellets are under strict regulations by the FDA and pharmacy boards.
Price List
Elevate does not bill insurance for hormone pellet therapy. We accept cash, credit card, debit card, check, HSA cards, Venmo and After Pay (if you qualify).
Initial Consultation $225 (with labs) $75 (without labs)
At your initial consultation our nurse practitioner will review your medical history, current medications and discuss your current symptoms or concerns that brought you to hormone replacement therapy. We can discuss if hormone replacement therapy is right for you and answer any questions you have about hormone treatment options.
Pellet Therapy
Female - $375
Female pellets are placed every 3-4 months.
Men - $550-700
Male pellets are placed every 4-6 months.
Labs
We will need to process blood work to best optimize your hormones. Additionally we check to make sure your thyroid and other important vitamin levels are within normal range.
Pre-Pellet Labs - $150
In addition to checking testosterone, estradiol, FSH, we also check vitamin D, B12, thyroid (TSH, T3, T4, TPO), CBC and CMP.
Post-Pellet Labs - $50
Approximately 4-6 weeks after your initial pellet placement, we recheck estradiol, testosterone and FSH to see how your levels are progressing. Occasionally clients will need a ‘booster’ pellet to help get them to goal.
Nutraceuticals
Patients on HRT are strongly encouraged to take DIM SGS supplement. This will prevent a process known as aromatization, which is when your body tries to change the testosterone to estrogen.
DIM SGS supplement is available for $50/bottle from Biote and the bottle will last between 6-12 weeks depending on your recommended dose. Create an account and purchase DIM SGS here.
Start your health journey today.
Book a consult to see if hormone replacement therapy is right for you.