Hormone pellet therapy for women, steady energy that lasts.
Bioidentical estradiol and testosterone pellets — placed with the precision EvexiPEL method and compounded by FarmaKeio — for consistent hormone balance without the daily creams or the roller-coaster. Serving Lakeway, Bee Cave, Lake Travis & greater Austin.
Hormones delivered the way your body expects them.
Hormone pellet therapy is a form of bioidentical hormone replacement (BHRT) in which tiny, custom-compounded pellets of estradiol and/or testosterone — each about the size of a grain of rice — are placed just beneath the skin during a brief in-office visit. From there they release a low, steady stream of hormone that your body draws on as needed, day and night, for roughly three to five months.
That steady delivery is the whole point. Pills, patches, and creams create peaks and troughs — a surge after each dose, then a dip that can bring symptoms back before the next one. Pellets are designed to skip the roller-coaster, which is why so many women in Lakeway and Austin describe pellet therapy as finally feeling even.
- iBioidentical. Molecularly identical to the estradiol and testosterone your body makes.
- iiConsistent. A steady release for months — no daily creams, no missed doses.
- iiiIndividualized. Each dose is compounded to your labs and symptoms, never one-size-fits-all.
Estradiol and testosterone — and why women need both.
When people think “women’s hormones,” estrogen comes to mind first — but healthy female physiology depends on a balance that includes testosterone too. Pellet therapy for women is most often built around estradiol, testosterone, or a combination, dosed to your individual labs.
Estradiol — the regulator
Estradiol is the most active form of estrogen and influences far more than the reproductive system. It supports temperature regulation (which is why declining estradiol drives hot flashes and night sweats), sleep quality, mood stability, skin and vaginal tissue health, cognitive clarity, and bone density. As estradiol falls in perimenopause and menopause, the downstream effects show up across the whole body — not just in cycles. Estradiol is balanced with progesterone where appropriate, which is prescribed separately (typically oral) rather than in pellet form.
Testosterone — the under-appreciated one
Women produce and need testosterone — in smaller amounts than men, but it’s essential. It drives libido and sexual response, lean muscle and strength, energy and motivation, mood, and a sense of vitality. Many women whose estrogen looks “fine” are actually running low on testosterone, which is why comprehensive testing matters. Pellets are an especially elegant way to deliver testosterone steadily, since it’s otherwise awkward to dose in small, consistent amounts for women.
The art of pellet therapy is getting the ratio and the dose right for you — enough to resolve symptoms, never more than your body needs. That’s the difference individualized, lab-driven dosing makes.
The symptoms that bring women in — and what relief looks like.
Most women don’t arrive asking for “estradiol.” They arrive exhausted, foggy, irritable, not sleeping, gaining weight around the middle, and wondering where their drive and their patience went. Whether it’s perimenopause, menopause, or a hormone imbalance earlier in life, the underlying story is often the same: the hormones that kept everything running smoothly have dropped or fallen out of balance.
Common signs of hormonal imbalance in women
Pellet therapy is considered when symptoms point to low or unbalanced estrogen and testosterone — and labs confirm it. The patterns we hear most often include:
- Fatigue and low energy that sleep doesn’t fix
- Hot flashes and night sweats that disrupt sleep and focus
- Mood changes — irritability, anxiousness, low motivation
- Brain fog and trouble with memory or concentration
- Low libido and reduced sense of vitality
- Weight gain, especially around the midsection, despite no change in habits
- Disrupted sleep and difficulty staying asleep
- Thinning skin, hair changes, and loss of muscle tone
Not sure whether your symptoms fit? Our symptom checklist is a good first step, and proper hormone testing tells us what’s actually happening before we recommend anything.
Not all pellet therapy is the same.
Pellet therapy has been around for decades, but the method matters enormously — both for your comfort and for your results. THRIVE uses the EvexiPEL method, a precision approach to dosing and insertion developed by the team that trains physicians nationwide. It’s a meaningful upgrade over the older, trauma-heavy pellet techniques many women may have experienced years ago.
A precise, atraumatic insertion
The EvexiPEL method uses a specialized atraumatic trocar and technique designed to minimize tissue trauma during placement. In practice, that’s associated with less bruising, a lower chance of pellet extrusion (a pellet working its way back out), and a faster, more comfortable recovery than the older BioTé-era approach. For most women the insertion itself takes only a few minutes.
Dosing built on science, not a chart
Just as important as how the pellet goes in is how the dose is calculated. The EvexiPEL method emphasizes individualized dosing based on your labs, body, and symptoms — not a fixed formula. Your pellets are then custom-compounded by FarmaKeio, a pharmacy network built specifically around hormone and pellet therapy, so what’s placed under your skin is made for you.
Compounded, bioidentical, and traceable
Bioidentical means the estradiol and testosterone are structurally identical to your own hormones — not synthetic analogs. Compounded means each batch is prepared to your prescription. Together, that’s a level of personalization a mass-produced pill simply can’t match.
Tested, personalized, and monitored.
A real medical process — never a hormone you start blind.
Test & Consult
Comprehensive lab work and a real conversation about your symptoms, history, and goals.
- Hormone & metabolic panel
- Symptom review
- Health history
- Candidacy screening
Personalize & Place
Pellets compounded to your numbers, then placed in a few minutes with the EvexiPEL technique.
- Individualized dosing
- FarmaKeio compounding
- Atraumatic insertion
- Simple aftercare
Monitor & Refine
We re-check labs and symptoms and fine-tune each cycle — care that improves over time.
- Follow-up labs
- Symptom tracking
- Dose refinement
- Re-pellet every 3–5 months
From first visit to feeling like yourself.
The appointment
Placement is quick and done right in our Lakeway clinic. After numbing a small area — usually the upper hip — your provider makes a tiny opening, places the pellets, and closes it with a small adhesive strip. Most women are in and out in well under an hour and drive themselves home.
The first few days
You’ll be asked to avoid vigorous lower-body exercise and submerging the site (pools, baths, hot tubs) for several days while it heals. Light activity is fine. Mild tenderness or a little bruising at the site can happen and resolves on its own.
The timeline of relief
Hormones don’t flip a switch — they rebuild. Many women notice early improvements in energy and sleep within a couple of weeks, with mood, mental clarity, libido, and body composition continuing to improve over the following one to two months as levels stabilize. Each pellet cycle lasts roughly three to five months; we re-check and re-dose before symptoms return.
Where pellets fit in your bigger picture
Hormones rarely work in isolation. Depending on your labs we may also look at thyroid, address PCOS, or fine-tune individual hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone — building a complete plan rather than a single intervention.
Honest fit, real expectations.
Pellet therapy is one of several delivery options within our women’s hormone care, and the best choice depends on you. Some women prefer the convenience of pellets; others do better with creams or other forms — and we’ll be candid about the trade-offs.
Pellets are often a good fit for women who
- Have lab-confirmed low or unbalanced estradiol and/or testosterone with matching symptoms.
- Want steady, set-and-forget hormone levels without daily creams or patches.
- Have struggled with the peaks-and-troughs of other delivery methods.
- Value an individualized, monitored approach over a generic prescription.
Pellets may not be the answer when
Certain health histories, family histories, or goals point to a different plan. That’s exactly what the consultation and labs are for — if pellets aren’t right for you, we’ll recommend what is. Hormone therapy is always a shared, informed decision made with physician supervision.
The THRIVE difference
Boutique, provider-directed care from Kristine Kjolhede, FNP-C and the THRIVE team — EvexiPEL-certified, FarmaKeio-partnered, and genuinely individualized, for women across Lakeway, Bee Cave, Lake Travis, and greater Austin. Ongoing care and replenishment are simple with our membership.
How pellets compare to pills, patches, and creams.
Bioidentical hormones can be delivered several ways, and each has a place. The right choice is the one that fits your body, your labs, and your life — here’s an honest comparison.
Pills & patches
Convenient and familiar, but they require daily attention and create a daily peak-and-trough cycle. Oral estrogen also passes through the liver first, which isn’t ideal for everyone. Patches deliver more steadily than pills but can irritate skin and peel off.
Creams & gels
Topicals can work well and are easy to adjust, but they demand daily application, can transfer to partners, children, or pets through skin contact, and absorption varies from day to day — which can mean inconsistent results.
Pellets
Pellets trade daily effort for a steady, months-long release with nothing to remember, no transfer risk, and consistent levels. The trade-off is that the dose is set once it’s placed — which is exactly why the individualized, lab-driven EvexiPEL dosing approach matters so much. For women who want “set it and forget it” consistency, pellets are often the most satisfying option. We’ll walk you through all of it and recommend honestly.
Hormone therapy done the right way.
Hormone therapy is safe and effective when it’s individualized, properly dosed, and monitored — and that’s exactly how we practice. It is never a set-and-ignore prescription.
Testing before, and testing after
We start with comprehensive hormone testing and re-check your levels after your first pellet cycle to confirm we’ve dialed in the right dose. From there we monitor labs and symptoms on an ongoing basis and refine each cycle — care that gets better over time rather than drifting.
Physician-supervised, personalized care
Your plan is overseen with physician supervision and built around your full health picture — including thyroid, metabolic health, and conditions like PCOS where relevant. We review your personal and family history carefully, discuss benefits and risks in plain language, and make the decision together.
When pellets aren’t appropriate
Some histories — including certain hormone-sensitive conditions — mean pellet therapy isn’t the right choice, or calls for extra caution. We’ll always tell you honestly and, when needed, coordinate with your other physicians. Informed, shared decision-making is the standard.
Pellet therapy, answered.
Straight answers from our provider. If your question isn’t here, we’ll cover it in a consultation.
Ask KristineWomen’s hormone care, rooted in Lakeway.
Our clinic at the edge of Lake Travis serves Bee Cave, Westlake, Spicewood, and greater Austin — private, provider-directed, and focused on getting you back to feeling like yourself.
“Within a few weeks I was sleeping again and actually felt like me. I wish I’d done this years ago.”— THRIVE patient, Lakeway TX
Ready to feel steady again?
Start with testing and a real consultation. We’ll tell you honestly whether hormone pellet therapy is right for you — and build a plan around your labs, your symptoms, and your goals.
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