If you are considering pellet therapy, you are likely already experiencing the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance. Abnormally high (or low) levels of estrogen or testosterone can be detrimental. For both men and women, irregular levels of either hormone can lead to a low sex drive, infertility, loss of energy, and weight gain. Naturally, you might wonder how long it takes for bioidentical hormone pellets to work. While this therapy is not a miracle cure, it is a relatively quick way to relieve some hormonal imbalance symptoms.
What Does the Process Look Like?
Many patients have questions about what the process looks like and how hormone pellets work in their bodies. We lay out the step-by-step process below.
Step 1: Cleanse
As with vaccines or blood withdrawal, your practitioner will clean the injection site. You can choose between your hip or glute area. If you opt for a local anesthetic, they numb the area right after cleaning. Once the site is numb, they begin pellet insertion.
Step 2: Inject the Pellet
Your provider will make a small incision that is about 2 mm long. They use a sterile needle to insert the treatment below your skin. For reference, the pellets are about the size of a rice grain.
Step 3: Aftercare Instructions
If needed, your practitioner will apply a bandage and give you aftercare instructions. Make sure to keep the area clean and avoid any physically demanding activities for about a week. You will be able to ice the area if you experience any tenderness.
Once you receive bioidentical hormone pellets below your skin, they steadily release hormones — you do not absorb them all at once. The pellets dissolve within a couple of months. That’s when you will come in for a new session and replenish your hormone supply.
When Do Bioidentical Hormone Pellets Start to Work?
While the specific time frame will depend on your body, many people feel improvements within one to three days. If you have not, you should start feeling improvements at the one- to two-week mark.
You will improve more quickly with lifestyle improvements. Decreasing your stress, improving your diet, and getting more exercise are all important supplementary changes. Depending on how quickly you begin to improve, your practitioner might change your dosage amount or frequency. To help you avoid complications, their goal is always to give you the lowest dose possible for the shortest amount of time.
Find a Hormone Therapy Practitioner Today
Hormone pellet injections are a medical treatment, which means you have to find a registered and certified practitioner. Those who get licensed are often physicians, physician assistants, nurses, or nurse practitioners — qualified medical professionals.
Once you find a provider, they will do an initial consultation to answer any questions and determine your symptoms. Based on the intensity and duration of your symptoms, they will use our calculator to determine an accurate hormone dosage.
Start by taking our assessment to see if you are a right candidate for bioidentical hormone pellet therapy.