Hormone pellets

I've been reading a book abt hormones and looking into the pellet delivery method. So far, I can't find an MD tht does it here near my hometown in Texas. I do hv an appt wi an endrocrinologist feb 5th. But still no luck? Anyone hve exp wi this? I need a dr who is on my INS. Otherwise it's out of the question for this chic!!

I'm glad you asked this. My doctor mentioned maybe going to pellets once we get a little further out from my hysterectomy. I am on .1 Vivelle Dot right now bi-weekly. I see him again in March and maybe we'll talk about it then.

I look forward to hearing about other ladies' experiences with pellets.

My doctor herself uses the pellets and recommends them, but here's the problem: they are not approved by the FDA. Because of this, most insurance companies do not cover them (in fact, I am not aware that any do, but perhaps someone is). Doctors can offer them from their offices as mine does, but no pharmaceutical company can - and the pellet implantation is not cheap.

Although the pellets have been used in Europe and other parts of world for decades, the FDA has elected not to study them (interestingly, though, it has approved the testosterone version).

I can't help wondering if some letter-writing might be in order. Here, for example, is <insurance company name removed per website guidelines.> statement regarding the pellets: "<insurance company name removed per website guidelines> considers implantable estradiol pellets experimental and investigational because they have been shown to produce unpredictable and fluctuating serum concentrations of estrogen." A very curious reason to reject the pellets given that the serum concentrations can fluctuate (based on what I have read) during use of many of the approved forms - and "experimental?" I believe my doctor mentioned they've been around since 1935.

Anyway, the outlook for finding insured hormone pellets is pretty poor, unfortunately.

Dang it!! Thanks fr the extra info!!

For what it's worth, I'm on Premarin (1.25mg) and doing very well indeed. The pellets sound great because you don't have to worry about them all the time (and they do bypass the liver, which is nice) - but you'll be OK in spite of the FDA. Even so...

Consider:
1) A big study saying how dangerous HRT is comes out at the same time
baby-boomers are entering menopause in large numbers...hmmm.
2) The very same hormones are just as dangerous in the contraceptives that young women take, but are we hearing much about that?
3) The risks sounded really bad...but check out the Mayo Clinic's article on "Hormone Therapy: Is it right for you?"

HRT can be risky for some - but the benefits are so important for the majority of those who use it.