Low testosterone (low T) is not something you expect, but it is something you can treat. Testosterone pellets for men are a state-of-the-art therapy that can help you feel like yourself again. By broadening your understanding of this unique treatment option, you can make an informed decision about your health.
Even before you are born, testosterone is shaping your body and personality. It influences every organ system in the male body and continues to play an important role in your physical and emotional health throughout your life. But testosterone levels don’t remain constant. After peaking around the age of 20, testosterone production typically begins to decrease by 1-2% per year by the time you enter your 30s.
While this decline is natural and expected, some men experience a greater than average drop or who experience chronically low testosterone. This can be the result of several conditions:
Primary hypogonadism, or testosterone deficiency, occurs when the testicles fail to make enough testosterone.
Secondary hypogonadism occurs when the hypothalamus or pituitary glands malfunction and do not signal the testicles to produce testosterone.
Age-related low testosterone is often a combination of primary and secondary deficiencies.
Regardless of the cause, low testosterone can produce serious and disruptive symptoms. These include:
Sex drive: A lack of interest or sexual desire is a common early sign of low T.
Mood, anxiety, and cognitive function: Mood disturbances, anxiety, and deficits in cognitive function, including memory and concentration, may become evident.
Body composition: Healthy testosterone levels support lean muscle mass and strong, healthy bones. Over time, low T can weaken the body’s structural support, making you more prone to injuries and diminishing your strength.
Metabolic and cardiovascular disease: Diabetes, heart attack, and stroke are not early signs of low T, but these dangers grow over time if hormone levels are not corrected.
Today, a variety of testosterone replacement therapies are available to match the diverse needs and lifestyles of patients. While doctors can make recommendations based on your symptoms and their experiences with specific methods, which hormone replacement treatment you choose is ultimately up to you.
The most widely-used treatment options include:
Topical gels/creams: Testosterone gels and creams are applied daily to the skin. Although application is easy and can be performed at home, gels and creams may be messy and can rub off on others, potentially presenting health risks. The short duration of action means that a missed dose can lead to significant hormonal fluctuations and breakthrough symptoms.
Injectables: Testosterone injections are administered in your doctor’s office. Short-acting versions require injection weekly or even every few days to prevent dips and spikes, while longer-acting injections are administered every 10 weeks. Some men may learn to inject themselves at home but must still return to their doctor’s office for ongoing hormone testing. While injectables are a popular option, dosing is uneven, as testosterone levels spike soon after injection then decline until the next injection.
Subcutaneous pellets: Pellet therapy provides replacement hormone in a state-of-the-art delivery system that mimics the body’s own mechanism. Testosterone pellets are implanted under the skin of the abdomen or buttock every 3-6 months in your doctor’s office. As the pellets dissolve, testosterone is released at a steady rate, simulating your body’s natural release of hormones. As the longest-acting form of testosterone therapy, pellets are quickly gaining popularity.
The ease, convenience, and predictability of testosterone pellet therapy for men make them the preferred option for many. But although pellet therapy may be an appealing option, some patients are concerned about the insertion process. Taking a closer look at how pellet therapy happens can put your mind at ease.
The insertion of testosterone pellets will require a short visit to your doctor’s office. Once you are in a prone position on the treatment table, an area on the lower abdominal wall or upper buttock will be cleaned with an antiseptic solution. After the insertion site is numbed with a local anesthetic, a small incision is made. The appropriate number of hormone pellets—each about the size of a grain of rice—is then inserted in the fat layer under the skin. A strip of sterile tape will be used to cover the incision. The entire process takes about 10 minutes.
While the pellet implantation process is virtually painless, there is a brief recovery period. You will be asked to keep the insertion area dry, which means no swimming or baths immediately after the procedure. Applying an ice pack periodically may help to speed healing. After a few days, the dressing may be removed and you will be able to resume all normal activities.
Any time an incision is made, there is a risk of infection or inflammation. With testosterone pellets, however, this risk is low, and keeping the area clean and dry will help to prevent complications.
The primary risk of testosterone pellets comes from incorrect dosing. Once testosterone pellets have been implanted, they cannot be removed. Your doctor should be conservative and use the minimal number of pellets required to ensure that you do not receive too large of a dose. Additional pellets can always be added if the initial dose is not high enough.
Within a few weeks, most men start to feel the effects of testosterone therapy. Your doctor will schedule follow-up testing and monitor your treatment response. Follow-up care should also include checking the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and monitoring your red blood cell count since testosterone therapy may cause both of these to rise.
Based on follow-up testing, your doctor will decide when your next pellet insertion should happen and may adjust the number of pellets to be implanted. Typically, pellet insertion will be scheduled every 3 to 6 months, and the insertion site will be rotated to avoid a build-up of scar tissue.
Hormone pellets have been in use since the 1930s. Since that time, a small number of men receiving testosterone pellet therapy have experienced negative outcomes. This is mainly due to inflammation at the insertion site that caused pain, redness, scarring, and, in some cases, resulted in pellets being extruded or pushed out through the skin.
To improve outcomes, EVEXIAS, in cooperation with our partner pharmacy, FarmaKeio, has created a better testosterone pellet. These pellets are formulated with plant-sourced, bioidentical testosterone engineered to match your body’s own hormones along with binders and lubricating agents. With the inclusion of a tiny amount of triamcinolone, a corticosteroid hormone, we have been able to minimize the inflammatory response at the insertion site.
This unique, proprietary pellet formulation has resulted in fewer pellet extrusions and faster healing. With less inflammation at the insertion site, patients experience quicker and more consistent absorption, giving you more rapid symptom relief. There is also less potential for scarring with repeated insertions, making pellet therapy a better long-term solution.
By restoring healthy testosterone levels, testosterone pellets for men can provide widespread benefits. These may include:
Testosterone replacement therapy may improve sexual functioning by increasing sexual desire, frequency of erection, frequency of orgasm, and volume of ejaculate. It is not a primary therapy for erectile dysfunction though it may be valuable as an adjunct therapy.
Researchers have found that testosterone therapy can balance mood, reduce depressive symptoms, and alleviate anxiety.
Estrogen has a protective effect on bone mineral density in men, but your body must have adequate testosterone in order to make it. With healthy testosterone levels, there is enough testosterone available to convert to estrogen, helping you maintain healthy bone mineral density.
Hormone replacement therapy that restores adequate testosterone levels may help to preserve lean muscle mass and keep your body strong.
Men with low T are at risk for metabolic syndrome. Testosterone replacement therapy may be beneficial for reducing the parameters of metabolic syndrome, including obesity, high waist circumference, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, reduced insulin sensitivity, and hypertension.
Regardless of the cause, testosterone replacement therapy can put you on the path to comfort and help you protect your long-term health. By choosing the long-acting protection of testosterone pellet therapy, you can skip the mess of creams and gels and avoid the ups and downs of injections. In the hands of a knowledgeable and caring physician, pellet therapy lets you set it and forget it—and may hold the promise of a brighter future as you age.
If you want to learn more about our state-of-the-art testosterone pellets for men, the doctors in the EVEXIAS network can offer the guidance you need. Contact us to learn more about our innovative treatments.
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