• What labwork is recommended for the purpose of dosing your pellet?

  • For Women: estradiol, total testosterone, FSH, TSH, free T4 and free T3, TPO, CBC, CMP, vitamin D, vitamin B12

  • For Men: estradiol, total testosterone, free testosterone, PSA, TSH, free T4 and free T3, TPO, CBC, CMP, vitamin D, vitamin B12

     

• Do patients need to stop taking any medications before getting labs drawn?

  • If on hormone replacement creams, patches or oral HRT, patient should not apply or take their hormones directly before getting their blood drawn. Further instructions will be given.

  • Once blood is drawn, patient may resume taking or applying the above.

  • For injectable testosterone: BioTE recommends drawing blood on the day the patient would have received the injection (the injection can be given AFTER they have had blood drawn).

  • Once pelleted, women stay on their existing estrogen hormone therapy for 3 days and then discontinue on day 4 after receiving the pellet.

  • Men should discontinue their existing hormone therapies 7 days AFTER pelleting.

  • A woman using testosterone cream should discontinue their cream 7 days AFTER pelleting.

  • Timing of labs if getting thyroid labs checked should be 3-4 hours AFTER taking morning dose.

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• How are BioTE pellets inserted?

  • BioTE pellet insertion is a minor surgical procedure performed under local anesthesia. The hormone pellets are placed under the skin most commonly in the fat of the buttock or fat of the belly. The whole procedure takes approximately 5 minutes.

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• What are the post-procedural restrictions?

  • Purpose of these restrictions: to prevent infection and pellet extrusions.

  • No heavy lifting or glute work (squats/lunges/cycling)

  • No immersion in water (pool/tub/etc)

  • Women: Remove ice when no longer cold; remove outer dressing day after procedure; remove steri-strips on Day 3.

  • Men: Remove ice when no longer cold; remove outer dressing on Day 5; Remove steri-strips on Day 7.

  • It is not uncommon to see some bruising or develop a collection of blood around the area of the pellet insertion. The purpose of the ice and restriction of activity is to reduce the risk of hematoma.

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• Does BioTE ever recommend removing pellets?

  • No. Even if a patient discovers they are pregnant, have an infection or have developed prostate or breast cancer, or any other diagnosis unrelated to optimizing hormones, BioTE does not recommend removing the pellets due to the trauma to the tissue. The pellets will eventually dissolve and disappear.

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• When will you feel a difference?

  • Depends! Energy, mood, hot flashes, and sleep improve within the first four weeks. Libido may take longer. Most feel moderate relief with the first pellet insertion, but we recommend you get at least 2-3 pellet insertions before your symptoms are optimized.

• When do you stop BioTE?

  • You can decide to discontinue BioTE at your discretion.