I've blogged about bioidentical hormone pellets in the past, and I post on social media about them frequently, but with them becoming more popular in our community, I thought it was time for a review. First of all, know the qualifications of the provider doing your pellets! What is their training and who trained them? How long have they been doing them? Where do they purchase their pellets? How do they determine your dose? Is that done with saliva or lab work? Do they consider other things like symptoms, height, weight, any risk factors, menstrual cycles or lack there of, and your full medical history? Cost I know is a concern, but it is definitely not the most important thing when it comes to your health and balancing your hormones.
Dr. Trussell practiced internal medicine for 20 years before she retired. She opened Sei Bella Med Spa in 2010 and has been providing and receiving bioidentical hormone pellet therapy herself for 13 years now. After retiring from internal medicine she became board certified in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine and went on to complete a fellowship in Aesthetics.
So what are the symptoms of hormone imbalance? Any and all of the above! Symptoms are very similar in women and men actually. For women, the three main hormones are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. They don't all fall at once throwing you into "menopause." I see women frequently who are still having regular or irregular periods who can't sleep, have low libido and are tired all the time. Usually their progesterone and testosterone are low and should be replaced. It may be a few months or a few years before I need to give them estrogen pellets. I replace what you need when you need it. I'm not trying to make you super human, just optimize your levels. Optimal is where you were when you were younger and full of vitality and these levels are often higher than the "lab normals" that print out on standard lab work. So don't wait until you're miserable to seek help.
What do pellets look like and what are they made from? How do you decide on the dosage? Testosterone pellets are about the size of a grain of rice or smaller. There are approximately10 different doses of those. All estrogen doses, which there are about 10 of as well, are all the size of the end of an ink pen. Progesterone does not come in the pellets because women take it at night. However, the prescription I give you is cheap and it's real progesterone. The pellets are made from sweet potatoes actually. I know. Hard to believe. Through a process in the lab they extract the hormone identical to what we used to make and compress it into pellets. I have always used Well's Pharmacy for my pellet supply. I've never had any quality control issues and they are certified by a third party lab before Well's ships anything to me. Each dose is individualized to each patient based on a full panel of blood work that not only includes your hormones but also pituitary regulatory hormones, a full thyroid panel, B12, Vitamin D, metabolic panel, lipid profile, PSA (men) and CBC. Any irregularities there are treated as well. In determining your particular dosages I also consider height, weight, menstrual cycle status, a list of symptoms (very important) that you fill out with your initial paperwork, as well as a full medical history. For men I also have to consider if they want to remain fertile. Dosages can change over time based on your symptoms and occasional blood work as indicated.
How do you insert the pellets? What are the risks and benefits? How do I know when I need more? The pellets are inserted into the fat of your upper bottom after I numb it with lidocaine. It's a very tiny incision and there are no stitches afterwards, just a steri-strip. It doesn't hurt, and is a very quick procedure with minimal or no downtime. You can bathe, shower, drive, eat, drink, exercise (except I ask men not to work out their lower bodies for a few days because they get more pellets and I need them seated in there well first). I do ask you stay out of the lake in the summer until that little steri-strip I put over the incision comes off which is in about 3 days. Otherwise resume normal activity. Pellets start to kick in the first week and peak at 6 weeks which is when we bring you back for your post pellet lab to make sure your dosage is correct and monitor a couple other things on the men's lab work like PSA, estrogen level, CBC. Risks are extremely small with bioidentical hormone pellets. Although they do not CAUSE breast cancer or prostate cancer, I'm going to want you to have a normal mammogram and PSA before we get started so that a hormone sensitive cancer we might not know about is not stimulated to grow any with the pellets. If you have a history of a clotting disorder or a hormone sensitive cancer, you will need a clearance letter from your oncologist before you can receive pellets or any kind of hormone replacement. Side effects IF they even occur, can be temporary breast tenderness or hand puffiness if you've been without any estrogen for a long time. If you had black hairs start to grow on your chin at menopause they could grow quicker. But no beards! As far as when you need more.....you will know! Men are easy; they are almost always about every 5 months. Women vary.....3- 6 months. When the symptoms that brought you in to see me in the first place start coming back....hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, low libido, mood swings, fatigue... it's time to call and get on my schedule!! Besides treating all the symptoms I've already mentioned, an article came out in "Internal Medicine News" Feb 2023 with research showing appropriate hormone replacement may protect against Alzheimer's dementia in women carrying the APOE4 gene, a known risk factor for Alzheimer's.
I'd encourage you to go to our website at www.seibellamedspa.net. It reviews cost. I will give you receipts, but we do not file insurance. You are welcome to do so yourself to seek reimbursement. Payment is collected at the time of service. Dr. Trussell opted out of Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare over a decade ago, so you will not be able to submit any claims to them.
Please call the office with any questions you may have. Hear some personal testimonies since almost all of us are receiving pellets. I have all age ranges....from a 30 yr old women with a complete hysterectomy to an 83 year old newlywed couple. Dr. Trussell is quite comfortable talking to and treating both women and men after nearly thirty years in medicine so no need to be uncomfortable in any way. You can say and ask her anything.
Give us a call to set up your consult and lab work appointment.....501-228-6237
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