Comparison of Hormone Delivery Methods.

At Amethyst Wellness, we have decided to utilize primarily the pellet deliery system of Biote. 

Pellets: pros: 1) Bio- identical. What is delivered in the Pellets is identical to the Hormones in your body. 2) delivered through Cardiac Output. The more you need, the more you get. This is very similar to the way that the body delivers Hormones naturally. 3) There is no concern over family members coming into contact with the Hormones. 4) the pellets have been around since 1939. There is tons of research proving their efficacy and predictability.  cons: 1) this is a minor surgical procedure, once they are place in subcutaneous tissue, they are there. 2) risk of infection - just as with any surgical procedure- there is a potentia. 

Topical creams: pros: 1) non - invasive 2) bio- identical cons: 1) must ensure that family do not come in contact with the cream. 2) unpredictable rate of absorption 3) causes a large spike and then a crash- regardless of the bodies needs. 

Troche: pros: 1) non -invasive- sits between teeth and gums and is slowly absorbed throuth the buccal membrane. 2) bio-identical negatives: 1) causes a large spike and then a crash- regardless of the bodies needs. constantly over and under shooting. 2) absorption is unpredictable. 

injections: : pros:1)  semi- invasive- but fast acting. cons: 1) causes a large spike and then a crash regardless of bodies needs. 2) not bio-identical there is a problem with thromboxin A- may lead to increased risk of coronary artery disease for this reason. injections are mildly painful. 

Oral: pros: 1) not invasive  Cons: 1) there is no oral Testosterone that is safe. 2) estrogens and Progestins are synthetic- These are the ones that caused the Women's Health Initiative study to be stopped early in 2002. Increased risk of stroke and cancers. These are premarin and provera. Progesterones, however are different than progestins. Progesterone is bio-identical and not synthetic. It is metabolized in the liver and does have metabolites that can cause drowsiness. This can be a good thing if a patient is having trouble sleeping. 

These represent the main deliery methods that are currently utilized for Hormone therapy.