Testosterone pellet therapy for women

Posted by caspurr @caspurr, Feb 7 9:16pm

I am 71 years old and it was suggested to me that I should try this to help rebuild bone and muscle and hopefully restore and heal my injured knee. Severe arthritis bone on bone on left knee along with meniscus tear and ACL tear.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Bones, Joints & Muscles Support Group.

Profile picture for ilovepizza @ilovepizza

What patch ? My oncologist suggested Prolia. I said no. Not gonna die from osteoporosis. Sounds dumb but I take
6 different meds for 3 different issues.

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@ilovepizza
Are you saying that an oncologist is advising you regarding osteoporosis and hormone replacement?

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Profile picture for caspurr @caspurr

Correction, it was an estrogen pill inserted and not progesterone. Spoke with the doctor. She called in a prescription for DHEA for vaginal atrophy.. Do you know anything about it?

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@caspurr

I don't know anything about dhea for vaginal atrophy. Is she a women's health and/or menopause specialist?

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Profile picture for loriesco @loriesco

Firstly, I hope your hormones were tested before you started your medicines. I hope you are seeing a specialist who will test your hormones after, say, six months to see how they are being used by your body. Secondly, I’ve been on bio transdermal HRT twice since I went into menopause at 47. I am now 68 my second time I started about a half a year ago in conjunction with my osteoporosis bone medicines. I have an endocrinologist for the bone medicines and a hormone menopause doctor for the HRT. I feel so much better from a balanced regimen of HRT. To the person who said they’re not gonna take the bone medicine cause they’re not gonna die of osteoporosis. It is possible they should know that if your bones aren’t strong enough and you fracture or break them you indeed might die from a broken hip. When you get older, the pain is so excruciating from a fall and your body is so fragile that it is possible they can’t replace your hip because you aren’t strong enough to recover and one dies very quickly. I had two close relatives die from breaking their hips within a couple days at 80 and 90 years of age. When they opened me up for cervical surgery at 67 My bones fell apart in their hands, even though my DEXA scans showed I had strong bones. My surgeon told me the DEXA test are only general and I can have specific areas that are weak. That was all I needed to suffer on the rec class and the TYMLOS! It was a short period of adjustment and I don’t even notice I’m on those medication’s now. If you have a good hormone doctor, it’s gonna take you a little while to get balanced on the hormone medication. It’s not one-size-fits-all even on the compounded formulas. To me feeling as good as I do and having the stamina that I now have mix rubbing the medicines on my arms totally worth it every day I didn’t go for the pallet or the patches because they don’t deliver as well as the transdermal and the progesterone Prometrium gel pill. One also needs to know if they have cancer risks, which I do in my family so there’s particular dosages that are avoided as well as recommended to stay balanced. I also take DIM which is a supplement that “clears“ the hormones. I suppose that make means having them disperse and not build up in my body properly, it is overwhelming to do the research and figure out what’s right, but if you work closely with a qualified a Doctor Who is caring that would probably be best because the research is pretty sophisticated these days.

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@loriesco thank you so much for your detailed input! I'm 69, am new to the Mayo blog. This forum is exactly what I've been searching for! I took HRT for about 19 years following early menopause at 46 years old, most of that time I was using Combi patch which worked very well. My understanding is that there is a window of 10 years once you start menopause in which you will receive the mostlong term health benefits from HRT. I had a knee replacement in 2018 and my orthopedic surgeon asked me to pause my HRT a few months prior to surgery. Afterward I chose not to continue the patch. When hot flashes returned my internist prescribed an anitdepressant called Venlafaxine which suppresses the hot flashes. This works and my GYN concurred with my internist that it's the best solution for hot flashes vs. HRT. Most of the research I've done on HRT has addressed the updated studies and benefits for menopausal women but I haven't found anything specific to women over 65 until your post! I recently consulted with an HRT specialist and recently had the full blood panel done via her specific orders. The results you're experiencing are promising. I feel good but I want to feel great overall and that sounds like what you've achieved.

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Profile picture for wendolene13 @wendolene13

@loriesco thank you so much for your detailed input! I'm 69, am new to the Mayo blog. This forum is exactly what I've been searching for! I took HRT for about 19 years following early menopause at 46 years old, most of that time I was using Combi patch which worked very well. My understanding is that there is a window of 10 years once you start menopause in which you will receive the mostlong term health benefits from HRT. I had a knee replacement in 2018 and my orthopedic surgeon asked me to pause my HRT a few months prior to surgery. Afterward I chose not to continue the patch. When hot flashes returned my internist prescribed an anitdepressant called Venlafaxine which suppresses the hot flashes. This works and my GYN concurred with my internist that it's the best solution for hot flashes vs. HRT. Most of the research I've done on HRT has addressed the updated studies and benefits for menopausal women but I haven't found anything specific to women over 65 until your post! I recently consulted with an HRT specialist and recently had the full blood panel done via her specific orders. The results you're experiencing are promising. I feel good but I want to feel great overall and that sounds like what you've achieved.

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@wendolene13 happy to know all of this! I am tweaking it all over the past year with the naturalist but then going to a traditional gyno doctor. My research was that 10 years was it - no return, but yes, the research now is different, and older women CAN return after a 10-year break. (I started at 47). Be sure to get tested you don't want too much hormone to show up in your blood tests. My mom died of ovarian cancer and my aunt had breast cancer so I tend to work closely with my doctor. I want the hormones to assist with muscle and bone maintenance. I also learned that my "borderline" A1C was really NOT borderline at all, but causing many physical problems like fatigue, weight gain, and dizziness - and voracious hunger. Now I am much better taking Metformin, but I had to ask for it. Crazy that I am always borderline and have to ask for everything! THEN feel better! 😉

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Agree, we have to be our own advocates. Why are we not coached through proactive treatment to known aging issues liked vaginal atrophy, collagen supplements etc. No one tells us in our 40’s how to be proactive with our choices and self care to prepare for aging! It seems that so much about women’s health in particular has been swept under the rug and we’re left to our own discovery. Medicine has generally been reactive for so long and one could only receive proactive care through a concierge physician. Things are changing, thankfully and I think a lot of it has to do with our ability to research online. As much as physicians dislike us using the internet for information, it has to push them to be better and more proactive in a good way. Kudos to those who devote their lives to treating, healing, and caring the rest of us, they do not have an easy job. Sorry I digress but it’s so nice to communicate with someone who is an experienced kindred spirit. You have inspired me to cautiously pursue HRT, thank you so much!

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