Testosterone is one of the most important hormone both in men and women but still a great number of people are testosterone deficient. Since past few years, the good effects that testosterone has on our body are recognized on a greater scale by the medical fraternity. Now, it is clear that many problems associated with age, can be solved by replenishing the testosterone level.
Although the testosterone level can be increased naturally, but there might be some cases where that wouldn’t be possible, maybe because of thee age or other medical condition. For such people, testosterone replacement therapy can be a life improving and even life saving tool. In testosterone replacement therapy, testosterone is externally administered into the body.
Testosterone pellets or “Subcutaneous Pellets” can be seen as one of the testosterone delivery system of TRT. In simple language, testosterone pellet is a way to inject testosterone into your body at a steady pace.
About testosterone pellets
The pellets are crystalline testosterone, cylindrical in shape. Each pellet is about 9 mm in length and about 3 mm in diameter. A study done on testosterone pellets, showed that about 1.3 mg of testosterone is released per 200 mg pellet in one day.
So, if you have 5 pellets inserted into your skin, then each day 6.5 mg (1.3 X 5) of testosterone is released into your body. Although, in practicality about 12-15 pellets are inserted into the body in one sitting. These pellets can last for 3-6 months, depending upon your metabolism.
How testosterone pellets actually work?
Incisions are made on the body, usually around the hip. Through these incisions a number of pellets are inserted. This number depends upon the amount of dosage a patient needs. The capillaries around these pellets allows the testosterone to get into the blood and circulate throughout the body.
The amount of testosterone released in the blood depends upon the physical activity performed by the patient. If the patient is relaxing or sleeping then less testosterone will be released in the blood and if he/she is performing some kind of physical activity, then the capillaries around the pellets will dilate and more amount of testosterone will be released in the body.
Anesthesia is used to numb the area where the incisions will be made, so, it is a not a painfull process. The procedure is very simple and will not take more then 15 minutes. Although, you shouldn’t shower for couple of days and not participate in any rigorous activity over a couple of weeks, it will help the incision wounds to heal faster.
Advantages of testosterone pellets over other shot/gels/patches
Dosage frequency
Actually, this reason is enough for you to choose testosterone pellets over other delivery systems. The gels and patches must be applied everyday, this can lead to missing a number of days. And this task becomes tedious over a period of time. With shots you have to go to your doctor after every couple of weeks. But this is not the case with testosterone pellets, you are injected with pellets, that lasts up to 3-5 months. That means, you have to undergo this process twice or thrice a year only.
But, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to visit your doctor. Whenever a patient is undergoing any hormone replacement therapy. His/her hormone levels must be monitored from time to time. Testosterone replacement is not very different. As testosterone increases RBC’s, the level of RBC’s is also checked from time to time. But the good things is that your visit to the doctor will be relatively less frequent.
Fluctuating testosterone level
In our body, the level of testosterone keeps on fluctuating over a day. In fact, it fluctuates about 12-15 times in a day. The problem with shot and gels is that they keep a steady high level of testosterone. On the other hand, as we discussed before, the amount of testosterone released by pellets fluctuates, depending upon the actions performed by the patient.
Shots vs pellets
The first basic difference is the interval between the dosage. Shots you have to take after every couple of weeks but pellets only twice or thrice a year. But, the main advantage that pellets has over shots is, that shots increases the risks involved with testosterone replacement therapy. It is like, when you take shot you are putting an immense amount of testosterone in your body and if at the same time your body decides to release good amount of testosterone by itself. It can be bad for your health.
You should know that testosterone is responsible for producing RBC’s, i.e, the more testosterone the more RBC’s. In case, a very large amount of testosterone is released simultaneously, the number of RBC’s in your blood can increase so much, that it can lead to blood thickening and clogging of arteries.
This problem is not there with the pellets, as it release controlled amount of testosterone over a period of time.
Testosterone pellets for women
Even when Testosterone is considered as a male hormone, it is as important for women as it is for men. It benefits ranges from high libido, more energy, better heart condition, less fat etc. But, it has its bad effects too. And when taking testosterone externally some care must be taken, especially by women. An excess quantity of testosterone can lead to development of masculine features, like facial hair and voice deepening, in women.
Testosterone pellets is the best testosterone delivery system, when it comes to women. It effectiveness and the controlled release of testosterone makes it a clear winner. The number of pellets inserted is less when compared to males.
Cost of testosterone pellets
This is the only area where testosterone pellets lack. One pellet will cost you somewhat between $90-$100. So, as the men and women need different number of pellets, the cost you have to pay will depend upon your sex. Secondly, the amount of pellet is also very much dependent upon the testosterone your body producing naturally. So, if your body produce very low testosterone on its own, then you’ll more pellets and vice versa.
Things to keep in mind before getting testosterone pellets
If you are below thirty and you don’t have any medical condition that suppresses the testosterone level, then you should try to avoid getting into testosterone replacement therapy. Although, testosterone pellets is the safest way, but still it does have some risk factors associated to it. First step is choosing a doctor who has some experience with TRT. Secondly, it is your duty to do as much research as you can about testosterone replacement and testosterone pellets, before entering the program.
View Comments (1)
Thank you for this article. Our son has Klinefelter’s and has agreed to do the pellets. Is there a way to get help for him to pay for this. He makes minimum wage.