Hormone pellets are placed under the skin through a small office procedure and release medication over time. Some patients value not having to remember a daily tablet, cream, or frequent injection. Others prefer a treatment that can be adjusted or stopped more quickly.
The decision should begin with the same careful evaluation used for other hormone therapies. A pellet is a delivery method, not a diagnosis and not a guarantee of symptom improvement.
What the placement visit involves
After the treatment plan and consent are reviewed, the placement area is cleaned and numbed. A small incision is made, the pellet is placed beneath the skin, and the site is closed and dressed. Patients receive activity and wound-care instructions designed to protect the placement site while it heals.
Longer acting also means less immediately adjustable
Once a pellet is placed, the dose cannot be changed as simply as a cream, patch, tablet, or injection schedule. That makes dose selection and pre-treatment screening especially important. If symptoms or side effects occur, management depends on the clinical situation and the time since placement.
Compounded pellets are not FDA-approved products
Compounded hormone products are not reviewed by FDA for safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality before they are marketed in the same way as FDA-approved drugs. Patients should understand this distinction and discuss approved alternatives, expected benefits, uncertainties, potential side effects, and the reason a compounded option is being considered.
Questions to answer before treatment
- Which symptoms and laboratory findings support treatment?
- What alternatives are available and how quickly can each be adjusted?
- What side effects and placement-site complications should I watch for?
- Which labs and follow-up visits will be needed?
- What is the plan if the dose feels too high, too low, or does not help?
BayouSide's approach
Lara Cortes is an EvexiPEL Certified Provider. BayouSide offers pellet therapy to eligible patients after an individual evaluation, informed-consent discussion, appropriate lab work, and review of alternative treatment routes. Certification describes provider training and does not mean the compounded pellet product is FDA-approved.
Sources used for this guide