My Hormone Journey: Why Pellets Weren't the Answer for Me
Hey friend! You know I’m all about finding that "well and worthy" life, and lately, my own hormone journey is taking a new direction and I wanted to share with you.
For a long time, I was doing hormone pellets. I’ll tell you the full story in the episode, but let’s just say peer pressure is real, even when you’re a health coach! I wanted that "miracle fix" everyone was talking about, especially when my libido felt like it was in the toilet (we're going there today, sister). But after two years of feeling "overdosed" and tired of the constant procedures, I knew I needed a different way.
I invited two women who have become my "hormone dream team" to join me: Dr. Elizabeth Adams andMelinda Fowler (The Hormonal Pharmacist). They are helping me transition off pellets and onto a more adjustable, bioidentical path, and I wanted you to sit in on our conversation.
In this episode, we’re chatting about:
The "Lost Generation": Why so many of us were told hormones were dangerous and why that’s changing.
The Sleep Thief: Why I was hooked on Ambien for 10 years, and what I actually needed instead.
The Power of the "Click": Why I’ve moved to adjustable creams and troches (and what on earth a "troche" even is!).
Testing 1, 2, 3: The real difference between blood tests and saliva tests when it comes to seeing what your body is actually using.
The "Uterus Myth": Why progesterone is for everyone, even if you’ve had a hysterectomy.
If you’ve been feeling "off," struggling with brain fog, or wondering why your cardiologist says your heart is fine even though it's racing, this one is for you. You don’t have to wait until you’re "officially" in menopause to start feeling like yourself again.
Grab a cup of coffee (or your magnesium!) and come hang out with us. You’re not alone in this transition, and there is definitely more than one way to find your balance.
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Deanna: Hey guys, welcome back to the Well and Worthy Life podcast. I’ve been telling you this episode was coming, and I am so excited to finally share it. It’s all about my hormone journey and my HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) experience.
I have two wonderful women with me today who are guiding me through this process because I’ve recently decided to change things up. I know there are so many different terms for it, but I’m going to call it Hormone Replacement Therapy for now. I was doing pellets up until a few months ago when I decided it was time to come off of them. To be honest, I never really wanted to go on pellets in the first place, and I’ll get into that in a bit.
First, let me introduce Dr. Elizabeth Adams and Melinda Fowler. Dr. Adams originally helped me with—we didn’t do Botox, what did we do, Elizabeth?
Dr. Adams: We did Daxxify.
Deanna: Yes, Daxxify! Oh my gosh, I have loved Daxxify so much. That’s how I originally met Dr. Adams; she is with Aesthetic Atelier. If you know me, I struggle to pronounce certain words, and that is a hard one! But I met her there, and she told me she had partnered with a consultant, Melinda Fowler, to focus on hormones. I was so excited because I knew I wanted to come off pellets.
About two years ago, I started pellets because I was so frustrated. I was using testosterone cream, estrogen cream, and progesterone tablets, but my libido was in the toilet. It was awful. I kept hearing about pellets. If you’ve been following the podcast, you know I’ve had other people on here to talk about them. I resisted for a long time because I knew you could "overdose" someone on pellets, but I finally succumbed to the peer pressure. Let’s be honest: there’s a lot of pressure when your girlfriends are saying, "Oh, it’s just so great, I feel wonderful!"
Eventually, I decided I didn’t want to be cut every three months to have pellets put in me. I was having issues with bleeding, and I needed guidance on where to go next. That’s where Dr. Adams and Melinda came in. Ladies, tell everyone a little bit about your backgrounds.
Dr. Adams: I have been in what I call "functional aesthetics" for about 15 years. I had a practice in Mississippi where I focused on aesthetics as the "front door," because that’s typically what women focus on first. But gut health and hormonal health are the underlying issues that affect your external appearance. In addition to that, I am also going through the perimenopausal journey myself. It always makes you more interested in the subject when it applies to you! About 10 years ago, I started doing hormone therapy as well. Then I met Melinda, who is a true expert in this field. It is an extensive subject—whether it's pellets, injectables, or creams—it can get really confusing.
Deanna: Melinda, tell us about your background and how you got into this.
Melinda: I’m a traditionally trained pharmacist. For 25 years, I dispensed "a pill for every ill and a potion for every notion." I’d have my "hormone ladies" come in complaining, and I’d think, "Oh, bless her heart," until it happened to me. Not knowing what it was, I went to every specialist. I got prescriptions for sleep, anxiety, weight gain, and bloating.
Tragically, in 2020, I lost both of my parents. While that was a tragedy, it also gave me a chance to breathe, take a step back from traditional pharmacy, and look at what the rest of my life was going to look like. It didn’t involve being on all those medicines. I went looking for answers and found out I was in perimenopause. That was the root cause. Now, I’m on HRT and it’s beautiful. I feel like I’ve truly healed a patient for the first time—and that patient is me.
I built a business called The Hormonal Pharmacist to guide women through this transition. It’s the largest hormone shift in our lives, but due to a study gone wrong in the late 90s and early 2000s, we’ve had a "lost generation" of women. My goal is to catch us up.
Deanna: It’s amazing because here we are—three women brought together by perimenopause. When I started Well and Worthy Life as a blog 10 years ago, nobody was talking about this. I was 50 and definitely in the throes of it, but no one said a word. I got my health coaching certification and took courses, but I always say I know just enough to be dangerous! I’m a big-picture person, so I like to hook my audience up with the right experts, which is why you both are here.
Looking back, I was likely in perimenopause in my 40s because I couldn't sleep. I was going through a nasty divorce at the time, so I assumed that was the only reason. My doctor gave me Ambien and Xanax and just said, "Don't take them on the same day." I got hooked on Ambien for 10 years.
Melinda: Perimenopause can start 10 years before menopause—even in your mid-to-early 30s. That’s the same time sleep disruption happens due to life and kids. It’s hard to differentiate: is it the kids waking you up, or hormone fluctuations? One of the most common symptoms is heart palpitations. You never want to ignore those, but if the cardiologist says your EKG is normal, start connecting the dots. Are you also not sleeping? Do you have brain fog or new belly fat? If everything else is normal, check the hormones.
Deanna: How early can you start HRT? And are you still calling it HRT?
Melinda: I still say HRT. In perimenopause, your levels are on a rollercoaster. The goal is to even out those highs and lows so the lows aren't as low and the highs aren't as high. We start with a low, supportive dose of estrogen, always balanced with progesterone. There is a myth that if you don't have a uterus, you don't need progesterone. Technically, you don't need the endometrial protection, but if you want to balance your hormones, you have to invite everyone to the party.
Deanna: So you don't have to wait until menopause?
Melinda: No! Why would you wait? You don't wait until your hypertension puts you in the emergency room to treat it. You see the signs and manage it as soon as you can.
Dr. Adams: Exactly. It’s not black and white. If you identify symptoms early, you can even use lead-in therapies like magnesium for sleep or ashwagandha for mood before moving into full HRT.
Deanna: I think that’s why we’re all so confused—there’s no "one way" to do it. There is so much noise.
Melinda: That’s why I like adjustable dosage forms like creams and gels. With a pellet, once it’s in, it’s there. But with a cream, if your breasts are tender one day, you can back off the estrogen. Or if you didn't sleep well, you can take an extra progesterone. Personally, I take 400mg of progesterone. If I wake up groggy, I know I took too much, and I go back down to 300mg the next night. You learn to listen to your body.
Deanna: That was my biggest issue with pellets. I felt good, but I was concerned about the lack of adjustability. After I filled out your paperwork and did the saliva test—which we chose because it shows what is active at the receptor site rather than just what’s in the blood—you had me wait a while to let my levels come down. I was scared I would "tank" or have no energy, but I feel great! My libido isn’t quite where it was on pellets, but it’s much better than it was before. Now I’m on estrogen cream, a testosterone troche, and progesterone. I’ve never done a troche before.
Dr. Adams: It’s one of my favorite ways. It’s not a pill, not a cream, and not an injectable.
Melinda: As a pharmacist, if there’s an orifice, I can get a drug in it! We have so many options. If you aren't tolerating progesterone orally, you can use it vaginally. When people say, "I tried hormone therapy and it didn't work," my first questions are: What was your dose? What was your dosage form? Did you start low and go slow?
Deanna: What about the fear around breast cancer? I hear so many women say their doctor won’t let them touch hormones because of family history.
Melinda: There is only one absolute "no," and that is a personal history of hormone-positive cancer. Not a family history, and not a personal history of hormone-negative cancer. Anything else deserves a conversation.
Dr. Adams: We now consider bioidentical HRT safe for almost everyone. We aren't using oral estrogen anymore, which was causing the majority of the problems in older studies.
Deanna: I love that. I feel very cared for with this concierge service. It’s so different from just being handed a prescription and sent on your way. If you’re feeling "off," you don’t have to suffer. There isn't just one way to do this. I wish I had known this 20 years ago!
Ladies, where can everyone find you?
Melinda: You can find me at www.hormonalpharmacist.com. I’m a virtual practice, so I work with people everywhere. I’m licensed for consultations in Georgia and Alabama. You can also find me on Instagram @hormonal.pharmacist.
Dr. Adams: And I am @aesthetic_atelier_md on Instagram. I am also concierge and virtual.
Deanna: Thank you both so much for joining me. We’ll keep everyone updated on how I’m feeling in a few months. Thank you for being here, friend. Don’t forget to subscribe and keep choosing what makes you feel well and worthy!
