Hi, Everyone! I’m Karol. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m one of the health coaches here at Integrative Health Matters. I am so passionate about nutrition, health, and wellness. In my own medical care, I prefer to take a more holistic approach.
When Dr. Kevin May joined us at our clinic, we all got the opportunity to learn more about how he practiced bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. His product of choice was BioTE. We had our first training session with the BioTE support team two months ago, and my ears perked up when Teresa, our account rep, started talking about common symptoms of people in need of hormone supplementation. Fatigue, sleep problems, hot flashes, night sweats… I was mentally checking off all those boxes for my own symptoms in my head and becoming more intrigued by the second.
Teresa explained the differences in pelleting and oral or injectable hormones. BioTE is made up of natural ingredients that replicate “human identical” hormones. All the ingredients in the pellet are FDA approved. The science behind the pellets allows for a more steady secretion of the hormones into the blood stream. You don’t have to worry about the “roller coaster effect” that comes with oral or injectable hormones. You don’t have to worry about transfer issues that come with using gels or creams. You don’t have to worry about your body having negative reactions to synthetic hormones. On average, women need to be re-pelleted about three times a year. It all seemed simple enough.
We watched an actual pelleting procedure, and it looked minimally invasive. There was a small incision made into the patient’s adipose tissue in their bottom—near the hip—and the pellets were inserted. The incision was then closed up with a small steri-strip. There were no stitches or sutures needed. Major exercise was avoided for three days, no submerging in water for that time period… and they were good to go for the next four months.
I decided to do a little more digging and visit with Dr. May to see if I would be a candidate for BioTE. He agreed that I was presenting with the usual symptoms. He gave me a bit more perspective on the success he had seen in his patients after treatment. We talked about the extremely low complication rate. I decided to move forward with my lab work and get some data on my current hormone levels. I wanted to see if BioTE was really worth the hype. Below is my account of my experience.
Pre-Pellets: I was exhausted. I had very poor sleep quality. I woke up several times through the night. I never woke up feeling well rested. I was moody. Honestly, I had a bit of a bad attitude towards my husband. Whether it had to do with my attitude or something else, this resulted in a low libido. I was having bad hot flashes—at least 5–7 a day. I was also having night sweats, which made an already unbearable Texas summer even worse!
Pelleting Procedure Day: I went into things feeling very pumped. I had the Rocky theme music playing in my head. I was ready! During the procedure, I felt nothing but the quick sting of the numbing shot. The procedure took 10 minutes, at most. I got instructions to not bathe for 3 days or submerge in water. Keep bandage on for three days. No heavy exercise, cycling, or squats for three days. Dr. May informed me that it could take about 4 weeks to see the full effects of the pellets.
Day 1 Post-Pellet: One of the most surprising things was that when the numbing effect wore off, there was no pain or feelings of having the pellets in. There was no residual soreness or strange effects of the numbing agent used. I felt like I hadn’t even had a procedure.
Week 1: I developed a small scab on the insertion site. It has quickly healed (and later fell off). I am still having hot flashes, but more like four a day—and they aren’t near as intense. I am reminding myself to walk regularly and do cardio so that I get my blood pumping. Dr. May let me know that this helps get the hormones flowing in my system.
Week 2: My sleep started to turn a corner. I am waking up feeling more rested. I am waking up fewer times per night. My hot flashes and night sweats have minimized to about one per day/night and they continue to wane in their intensity.
Week 3: My night sweats are totally gone. My hot flashes are completely gone. My sleep is 100% better. This may seem minimal, (but not to us ladies) but the bags under eyes are much lighter and less noticeable. My energy is much better. I have noticed that my thoughts towards husband are much sweeter, more loving. One of the best things is that I have less feelings of stress and anxiety.
Overall thoughts: I feel very positive about BioTE. I have seen nothing but great things come from my experience. I have faith in the product and the quality of the ingredients. I plan to go back in three months and do it all again!
If you have any additional questions about being a candidate for BioTE hormone replacement therapy or any of our other services, don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule a free, 15-minute phone consult!