What is in the pellet?

• BioTE pellets are made from the steroid ring purified from the soy or yam plant to create estradiol or testosterone. There are no soy allergens in the pellet. Stearic acid is the binding agent. It is VERY rare to be allergic to stearic acid.

How long have pellets been around?

• Pellets were first developed in 1939 and were given to women who underwent hysterectomies. They have been widely used in Europe and Australia and are the longest studied form of hormone replacement therapy to date.

Why haven’t I heard much about bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?

• Bio-identical HRT was very popular until a large pharmaceutical company developed and patented Premarin in 1942. This was a popular synthetic estrogen hormone made from pregnant horses. Bio-identical hormones are natural compounds and cannot be patented and cannot be exclusive to one pharmaceutical company; this limits pharmaceutical companies’ interest.

• There is significant scientific data on pellet therapy focusing on heart, breast, bone, and brain protection. This information can be on the www.BioTeMethod.com website. Select “Support” and “Studies.”

Are pellets FDA approved?

• The ingredients estradiol and testosterone used in the pellets are FDA approved, but the actual pellet is not. However, the manufacturing of BioTE pellets takes place in 503B facilities which ARE under strict regulations by the FDA and pharmacy boards.

How are BioTE Pellets better than other bio-identical pellets?

• BioTE is the only company to have its affiliated pharmacies’ pellets independently tested with 8 quality measures. Pellets from BioTE’s affiliated pharmacies are e-beam sterilized which assures the highest quality of sterilization currently available. BioTE pellets are consistently produced with only 3% variance in testosterone and 5% variance in estrogen.

How are BioTE pellets different from injections?

• Injections contain SYNTHETIC testosterone suspended in oil and are time released. They give a “roller coaster” effect due to the surge of hormones initially following the injection and then drop following absorption. Injections are metabolized through the liver.

• BioTE pellets release bio-identical testosterone based on cardiac output. The more active you are, the better the hormones are absorbed. Pellet testosterone is metabolized in the kidneys.

What does the program entail?

• Commitment to eating healthy, exercise, and compliance with nutraceuticals.

• Your lab results and answers on the health assessment form will be used to customize your personal program recommendation. Additional prescription oral hormones may be required to optimize your overall health (thyroid hormone, progesterone for women).

What are the side effects of hormonal therapy?

• Less than 2% of our patients experience actual side effects or secondary responses.

• These secondary responses may be noticeable in the first two rounds during the initial balancing phase or re-optimization phase.

• In women:

  • Fluid retention or swelling, especially in hot months. This is temporary and we can prescribe a mild water retention pill if needed.

  • Breast tenderness: we recommend taking an extra DIM SGS+. Iodine+ also helps!

  • Post-menopausal bleeding: some women may experience irregular bleeding after starting hormone therapy. This is most commonly caused by noncompliance with progesterone therapy. Post-menopausal bleeding is NOT normal and should be evaluated and treated. Please tell Dr Chung if you are having any bleeding!

  • Sleepiness: progesterone therapy can cause patients to be sleepy. Most patients take it with dinner or at bedtime. If you have been prescribed progesterone, you may need to figure out the best timing for you. If sleepiness if a real issue for you, we can change the progesterone pill to a sublingual form.

  • Acne: if acne is an issue for you, we can prescribe spironolactone to offset this side effect.

  • Hair loss or hair growth: again, spironolactone can help with this.

• In Men:

  • Mild fluid retention, acne, hair growth may occur.

• Testicular shrinkage may occur. This means there will be decreased sperm count, decreased testicular mass, and possible prostate enlargement. These side effects occur much more frequently with synthetic testosterone.