Many of my patients, both men and women, are using bioidentical hormones. These consist of oral creams, patches, gels, troches and pellets. Hormones can be a lifesaver for women, especially experiencing a difficult menopause. These options are beneficial, but we’ve found pellets mimic the ovaries and testes the best. Pellets provide a consistent level of hormones, which don’t create extreme highs or lows. No daily pills, changing weekly patches, reapplying creams, etc. Once the pellets have been implanted, the patient is free to perform their daily activities (except for a brief break from strenuous exercise) until it’s time for a pellet replacement. They are also longer lasting, up to 4 months for women and 6 months for men.
A woman’s symptoms can be confusing, as they may resemble something familiar. Something as simple as a migraine. The symptoms are many and each individual is different. They can be migraines, foggy thinking, difficulty sleeping, hot flashes/flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, heart palpitations, hair loss, anxiety, mood swings, bloating, loss of libido, memory loss and more.
For men, it can be erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, loss of muscle mass, foggy thinking, moodiness, sleep disturbances, depression, and more.
Click here for more Bioidentical Hormone Therapy information.
We offer a superbill for the pellet appointment so patients can submit to their insurance. Unfortunately, each insurance provider is different and sometimes reimbursement is successful, other times it is not. Because of diagnostic codes and CPT codes, many insurances consider pellets experimental, and patients may not be fully reimbursed. We have patients who submit the superbill and receive at least a partial reimbursement subtracting a co-pay or insurance discount. Some of our patients have experienced difficulty in getting insurance reimbursement, as some of these applications are compounded. In other words, created by ‘scratch’ and not industrialized like synthetic hormones. Think Premarin.
If a patient breaks down the price of pellets vs. other applications, the convenience far outweighs the other applications. If it were to be broken down by daily costs, it would be equivalent to a coffee latte’. It’s up to the patient to determine their health priorities and we will work with them. We offer other bioidentical hormone treatments to suit the patient’s financial needs. However, pellets are far more cost effective, beneficial and convenient for the patient.
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in good health,
Vishaal Veerula, MD
