Estradiol Pellets

[emeraldmountain]

Hi,

 

Has anyone been able to get insurance to cover estradiol pellet implants? If not, what did you or your friends pay out of pocket?

 

Thanks.

[AllieJ]

I am a pellet user, but from a different country. We face similar problems to the US in that pellets are not FDA approved (TGA here), so insurance companies deem them 'investigational', so will not support them. The problem seems to be that none of the drug companies mass produce hormone pellets, so they are only available through compounding pharmacies. This means they are not subject to the strict quality controls of mass produced drugs, and there can be variation on dosage. Studies showed that some women reached the blood E level of 237pg/ml on one pellet, which is above the maximum level recommended (based on the outdated WHI study), and has been associated with uterine bleeding. To my knowledge, there has not been any studies on trans people. Of course many trans women need levels above this, so would see these levels as advantageous.

 

I pay directly for my pellets, and they cost around USD$70 per 100mg to have compounded, and around USD$110 to have them inserted by my doctor (Again, a different country, and last year prices). I get about 15 months of even delivery from this, which for me, although more than twice the price of the Gels I was using, is so worth it. I can simply forget about hormone dosing for over a year, and don't get daily or weekly reminders that I don't have natural hormone production. My levels between doses have varied, possibly due to using different pharmacies, or due to interactions with medications I started after my last pellets were  inserted (in August 2022, still going strong!). I will pay to have pellets again when these deplete. Yes, they do leave small scars on my abdomen where they are inserted, but not really noticeable, so I believe they are worth it!

 

Hugs,

 

Allie 

[emeraldmountain]

Hi @AllieJThis is great information! Thank you!

 

I am amazed that the pellets last about 15 months. Of course, me being in the US (the Bloated Land of the Not So Free Healthcare), I am guessing it would be more expensive (even though you pay out of pocket), but it still seems very worthwhile and perhaps worth the cost here in the USA.

[Carolyn Marie]

This is valuable information, so thank you, @AllieJ.  It could be a very long time before they are approved for use in the U.S.  We do have compounding pharmacies here, but this is the first I've heard of the pellets.

 

Carolyn Marie