A Steadier Way to Get Your Hormones Back in Balance
Perimenopause and menopause can affect sleep, mood, energy, weight and libido all at once — and a daily pill or patch means managing it every single morning. For women across the Boise area who would rather not, bioidentical hormone pellets deliver steady levels for three to six months from one short office visit.
Women’s Hormone Health Experts
Physician-Guided Testing
Personalized Treatment Plans
Hormone pellet therapy delivers bioidentical estradiol and testosterone from a pellet about the size of a grain of rice, placed under the skin during a 15-minute office visit. It releases steadily for three to six months — no daily pill, no patch to re-stick, no cream to time around the rest of your morning.
| Pellets | Oral pills | Patch | Cream / gel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dosing frequency | Once every 3–6 months | Every day | Changed 1–2× a week | Every day |
| Hormone levels | Steady release, no daily peak and dip | Peaks after each dose | Fairly steady while it stays on | Varies with absorption |
| What you do at home | Nothing | Remember a daily pill | Re-stick, and it can lift in heat or the shower | Apply daily, let it dry, avoid transfer |
| Route | Absorbed straight into the bloodstream | Passes through the liver first | Absorbed through the skin | Absorbed through the skin |
| The trade-off | Dose is fixed until the pellet absorbs | Easy to forget; daily peaks and troughs | Adhesive irritation is common | Transfer risk to partners and children |
Pellets are one delivery method for hormone replacement, not a different treatment. If you are still weighing formats, start with hormone therapy for women. For how pellets work generally, including for men, see our hormone pellet therapy overview — and many women run hormone support alongside medical weight loss, since the two problems are usually tangled together.
Pellet therapy for women is a form of hormone treatment that delivers hormones through a very small pellet inserted just beneath the skin during a quick in-office procedure. Each pellet is approximately the size of a grain of rice and is designed to release hormones gradually over an extended period of time.
Rather than relying on daily pills, topical creams, or other treatment methods that require regular administration, pellet therapy provides a steady release designed to maintain more consistent hormone levels over time. This gradual delivery may help reduce the fluctuations that can sometimes occur when hormone levels shift more dramatically throughout treatment.
Because hormones influence multiple systems throughout the body, maintaining more stable levels often becomes an important consideration when building long-term hormone management plans. Pellet therapy is the primary way Alturas delivers hormone replacement — see the full overview of our hormone pellet therapy program in Boise and Meridian.
Pellets are not the only option — some patients pair them with peptide therapy for recovery, sleep and energy.
One reason many patients explore pellet therapy for women is the simplicity of the treatment process itself. The procedure is performed in-office under medical supervision and typically requires minimal interruption to your normal schedule.
The treatment process generally includes:
Most patients are able to return to normal daily activities relatively quickly following the procedure, though your provider will always provide guidance based on your individual treatment plan.
For women juggling careers, family, and everything in between, pellet therapy means one procedure every few months instead of a daily routine to remember. Many of our patients also appreciate the steady hormone delivery, which can mean fewer fluctuations in mood and energy throughout the day.
To understand what hormone therapy can do for you more broadly, visit our hormone therapy benefits.
And if you’re still working out whether your symptoms point to hormone imbalance, our hormone imbalance symptoms in women page can help.
Every treatment plan at Alturas Medical Weight Loss is developed and overseen by our clinical team under the supervision of Dr. Southern. We do not believe in one-size-fits-all protocols. Your plan is built around, your history, and your goals, and it is reviewed and adjusted as you progress.
If you are ready to find out what a personalized plan looks like for you, book a free consultation with our team and we will walk you through it.
Here are answers to the top eight questions about TRT, addressing its uses, mechanism, side effects, and availability:
The area is numbed before insertion. Most women experience only mild soreness for a day or two afterward.
Typically several months, though timing depends on your individual hormone levels and how your body responds.
Pellet therapy can be appropriate for both perimenopause and menopause, depending on your symptoms and lab results.
Hormone balance can support better weight management, especially when paired with our broader weight loss programs, though results vary by individual.
Pellet therapy avoids the daily routine of pills and is designed to release hormones steadily, which many women find more consistent than oral options.
Individual results vary based on health history, adherence to the treatment plan, and other factors. Nothing on this page should be taken as a guarantee of outcome. Please consult your healthcare provider to determine whether this treatment is right for you.
At Alturas Medical Weight Loss, 1532 W Cayuse Creek Dr, Meridian, ID 83646 — about 15–20 minutes from downtown Boise and closer to ten from west Boise, the Bench or Garden City. Insertions are done in clinic; the consultation and lab review can be in person or by telehealth. Call (208) 690-2040.
Yes. We test estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, FSH, thyroid, cortisol and metabolic markers before prescribing. In perimenopause especially, levels swing week to week, so we read your labs alongside your symptoms rather than deciding from one number in isolation.
Many women notice sleep and hot flashes improving within two to four weeks. Mood, energy and libido usually follow over the first two to three months. Your second insertion is where dosing gets properly dialled in, because we can see how your body handled the first.
The most common are soreness or bruising at the insertion site for a few days. Some women get temporary breast tenderness, fluid retention or spotting as levels settle. Testosterone in the pellet can occasionally cause acne or unwanted hair growth — dose-related, and a reason we start conservatively. Pellet extrusion is uncommon but possible. We review all of it before you decide.
Honestly, this is the main trade-off. Once inserted, the dose is fixed until the pellet absorbs — it cannot be reduced the way a daily dose can. That is exactly why we start low and why lab work beforehand matters. If you want the freedom to adjust frequently, a pill, patch or cream through hormone therapy for women may suit you better, and we will tell you so.
Often yes, and it can be a good fit. Whether progesterone is needed alongside estradiol depends on whether you still have your uterus, so that changes the plan rather than ruling it out. Your surgical history is part of the consultation.
Looking for hormone pellet therapy in Boise? Alturas Medical Weight Loss is a physician-led clinic in Meridian, Idaho — about 15 to 20 minutes from downtown Boise, and closer to ten from west Boise, the Boise Bench or Garden City. The run out is a straight shot west on Chinden Boulevard or State Street, and parking is free and on-site. Because pellets last three to six months, most women make that drive two or three times a year rather than managing a daily prescription.
Alturas Medical Weight Loss
1532 W Cayuse Creek Dr
Meridian, ID 83646
Phone: (208) 690-2040
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm
Pellet insertions are done in clinic. The consultation and lab review can be in person or by telehealth.
We see women from Meridian, Eagle, Nampa, Kuna, Star, Middleton, Caldwell and Garden City — see all areas we serve.
Related services at Alturas Medical Weight Loss
Hormone replacement therapy in Boise & Meridian · HRT for women · Hormone pellet therapy
Physician-led care at 1532 W Cayuse Creek Dr, Meridian, ID — 15 to 20 minutes from downtown Boise. Book a free consultation
