Questions
The procedure, without the vagueness
What is going to happen to me in that room, and what can I not do afterwards?
No fasting is required in advance of the procedure.
One week before the procedure, if possible, stop all NSAIDs: aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, naproxen sodium and the like. No fasting in advance of the procedure is required.
We require, at minimum, our comprehensive blood panel. Your provider will go through it with you.
It takes only a few minutes. You are brought into the exam room and the insertion site is numbed. The most common site is the upper buttocks. A small incision is made for the pellet to be inserted, then the site is covered with a small bandage.
Eliminate lower-body exercise. Walking is fine, but no extraneous exercise. Avoid swimming, hot tubs and bath tubs; showers are fine. Normal activities may resume once the bandage is removed.
It varies by patient. Women, on average, are re-pelleted every four months. Men, every six.
The pellets are bio-identical and contain nothing other than the hormone the body naturally produces, so they dissolve completely and are absorbed, leaving nothing behind.
The short version
No fasting, before the appointment or before the procedure. Stop NSAIDs a week beforehand if you can. A comprehensive blood panel is required first, and your provider goes through it with you.
The insertion takes a few minutes. The site is numbed, a small incision is made, the pellet goes in, and a small bandage goes over it.
For about a week afterwards: walking is fine, other lower-body exercise is not, and no swimming, hot tubs or baths. Showers are fine. Normal activity resumes when the bandage comes off.
Women are re-pelleted on average every four months, men every six, which puts the year at roughly two to four visits.