It started with an insistent patient armed with a book.
Dr. Glenn Leavitt of Leavitt Women’s Healthcare was not unfamiliar with the concept of hormone replacement; doctors in his field of expertise, women’s healthcare, often aid older women experiencing menopausal symptoms through the use of hormone replacement.
It wasn’t until four years ago, however, that one patient started requesting a form of hormone replacement called hormone pellet therapy.
“She came in and said, ‘I really want you to do these hormone pellets. I’m flying down to Arizona every three months to get this done. It costs me a lot of money to fly down there and I’d like you to do it in your office,’” Leavitt recalled.
He said the patient gave him a book on hormone pellet therapy and requested that he read it, but it wasn’t until she got Leavitt’s wife involved in reading the book that the patient got Leavitt invested in the idea.
“She [the patient] talked my wife info flying into Arizona to get the pellets as well,” Leavitt said. “Three weeks after my wife came back from Arizona she goes, ‘This is working great, and I’m never doing that again, so you’re getting trained.’”
With his wife’s encouragement and the patient’s assurance that there were many in the area interested in forgoing the flight to Arizona tri-monthly, Leavitt flew to California to train with a doctor who had been offering the hormone pellet therapy for several years.
“It’s been one of the best things for hormone replacement,” Leavitt said. “I was shocked.”
The pellets, which have approximately the diameter of the inside of a pen, are inserted into the backside with a little tube and, while it may cause some discomfort initially, are preferred by many because they last for two to six months. Leavitt said they do offer a variety of hormone replacement options and encourage women to go with whatever suits their needs best.
“Many people like the pellets because they don’t have to think about it,” Leavitt said, adding that many other hormone replacements – creams, pills, patches, sprays – require a daily commitment.
Leavitt said that in addition to relieving menopausal symptoms, hormone replacement helps improve bone mass, skin, mood and even memory.
“They [the hormones] are very powerful,” Leavitt said. “We always tell people this is not something they want to take lightly. This is a medicine – we are really changing your hormones and it can affect you in good and bad ways.”
While there are many positives to the pellets, Leavitt said one of their biggest downsides is cost.
“They are more expensive up front and a lot of insurances don’t cover them,” he said.
However, Leavitt’s healthcare clinic has tried to keep costs low for its patients. In fact, they used to offer the pellet therapy to men as well but discontinued it after seeing few benefits.
“As a doctor and as a person I don’t think it’s fair to treat someone when I don’t think it is going to work,” Leavitt said.
He also said that while they do provide the hormone replacement to women who are in need of it (most frequently because of menopausal symptoms but also because of low sex drive or other issues), they are cautious when it comes to using it in those who have the potential to become pregnant.
“They would need to be on some form of birth control [if there is a possibility of becoming pregnant] because the pellets will be in you until they are gone, which can affect a baby that is developing so we are careful about that,” Leavitt said.