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How to Get Your Hormones
12/10/2025
The more we learn about hormones, the better we are able to evaluate the different ways to supplement hormones when our own levels start to decline. There are actually five different ways that hormones can be delivered, and this blog will look at the advantages and disadvantages of these. Because every woman’s hormone profile is different, and every woman has different access to medical care with hormones it’s important to understand all these different methods so you can work out what is the right method for you.
Hormone Delivery Systems
Method | Advantages | Disadvantages | Availability |
OTC Transdermal Creams | Goes straight through the skin, into the tissue without having to be processed by the liver. Amounts are easily adjusted Amounts are lower because none is wasted being metabolized in the liver. | Sticky – can take a while to dry and that risks spreading to other family members. This is of the most concern for topical testosterone, DHEA and estradiol. | Estriol, progesterone and DHEA are all available on the Parlor Games website, on the internet, in some of the better health food stores. Can get testosterone added to a compounded prescription – need a doctor to prescribe. Affordable |
Compounded Transdermal Creams | As above – easily absorbed. Can do a combination cream including testosterone. | Hard to adjust the amount once the mixture is made up. | Requires a doctor visit and a prescription. May or may not be covered by insurance. |
Pellets | Can be implanted for 3-4 months at a time so convenient | Soreness at implantation site. If the dose is too high, there will be symptoms for most of the time period as they can’t be adjusted once in. | Need to work with a doctor for the implantation. Expensive. |
Sublingual liquids held under the tongue | Very simple, goes straight to the tissue without passing through the liver | Can be swallowed too soon and so the useful amount is reduced, can have a bitter taste | Requires a doctor’s visit and a prescription. Unlikely to be covered by insurance. |
Oral - Pills | Simple | All hormones will have to pass through the liver first so amounts will be higher, AND there may be harmful metabolites released. Estrogen may not be bioidentical. | Prescribed by a doctor, may be covered by insurance. |
Patch | Convenience of applying once a week. Offers a more steady supply of hormones. May be bioidentical. | If patches fall off, they can be hard to stick back on. There can be an allergic reaction to the glue. May not be bioidentical | Have to be prescribed so include a doctor visit. May or may not be covered by insurance. |
How Do Hormones Move Around the Body?
But first some insight into how hormones move around the body. The two primary fluid movements in the body are the lymphatic system and the blood vessels. The blood vessels are pumped by the heart and function like the interstate road system – fast and high volume. The watery lymphatic system does not have a pump mechanism and is like the slower moving surface streets. Most hormones move around the body in a combination of the slow-moving lymphatic system and in the faster moving blood stream.
Understanding Transdermal Application
When a hormone cream is applied to the skin, the hormone is absorbed through the outer layers of the skin and into the lymphatic system for gradual delivery through the body to all the cells waiting for hormones to arrive. Some hormones will be absorbed into the blood stream through small capillaries where they will get whisked away and pumped quickly around the body to be cleaned out by the liver. Eventually, any hormones in the lymph which have not been used by cells will flow back into the blood stream and be shuttled off to the liver where they will be metabolized into smaller, different molecules. Topical hormones are very versatile because they can be adjusted easily. Users do need to be careful not to share their hormones with other members of the household by close contact for an hour or so after application.
So, What About Oral Hormones?
Hormone pills are swallowed and land in the stomach. Stomach acids and enzymes will start to dissolve the pill, and the hormone passes into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream the hormone travels quickly to the liver where it will be broken down into metabolites. Because as much as 90% of the hormone in the pill is metabolized, the dosage needs to be higher to make sure there is enough hormone available to be used in the body.
- With an estrogen pill - some of the metabolites can be harmful and cause damage within the liver and also increase risk for DNA damage elsewhere in the body such as in breast tissue.
- With a progesterone pill, the primary metabolite allopregnanolone is good for increasing GABA production and so progesterone can sometimes be prescribed to help with sleep.
- With a DHEA pill – most of the DHEA is immediately converted to another form of DHEA called DHEA-Sulphate and becomes a stored version of DHEA. While having a store of DHEA-S is good, the molecule is too big to cross the membrane that protects the brain, so pill forms of DHEA don’t provide as much brain support as a topical DHEA.
- Testosterone is not given orally – it’s usually a cream/gel or an injection into the muscle for men.
Dosing
Both creams and pills have the advantage that the amount used can easily be adjusted. One of the disadvantages is that a once-a-day use can result in surges of hormone availability around the time of use and then a gradual drop off over the next few hours. Because creams are absorbed into the slower moving lymphatic system, once the initial surge is over, hormone levels tend to drop more slowly than hormone levels from a pill.
I’ve Heard People Talk About Pellets…
Hormone pellets were developed to find a way to deliver hormones into the body in a more constant steady flow than using creams or pills AND to provide a lot of convenience. The hormone pellet is a prescription containing one or more hormones - estrogen, testosterone, progesterone. Having a pellet inserted once every 3-4 months is a lot easier than remembering to use hormones every day. However, while some women love having the ease and convenience of pellets, there is the risk that the amount of hormone may be too high and this can cause symptoms for several weeks. The slow-release pellet is injected into fatty tissue under the skin where it gradually provides a regular flow of hormones. While this can be great for supplying hormones throughout the body, it might not supply enough concentrated estrogen to vaginal/vulva tissue.
And Patches…
Hormone patches were developed by pharmaceutical companies looking for a way to create a patentable product for bioidentical hormone delivery. Bioidentical hormones themselves cannot be patented but a delivery method can. By putting standard doses of hormones in a slow-release patch – voila, a bioidentical hormone solution which can be patented. Patches offer convenience and, because everything is contained within the patch, the hormone won’t spread to anyone else in the household. Patches are often applied to the arms or belly where the hormones spread into fatty tissue for very slow gradual release. This slow release can often mean it might not supply enough concentrated estrogen to vaginal/vulva tissue.
Where Do I Apply Topicals?
A final note about application sites for hormone creams. The group of hormones we are referring to here is the steroid hormones or sex hormones. This category of hormones loves fatty tissue, just loves fatty tissue. If you put a steroid hormone cream on fatty tissue – it will just sit there, in the fat cells. While this can be a potential long-term source of hormones – the body has to actually burn the fat to release the hormone into the lymph or the blood stream. To make sure that topical hormones are available to be used in the body creams are applied to thin areas of the skin so the hormones don’t get trapped in fat and can get straight to the blood stream and into the lymphatic system. The best places are: inner wrists and arms, tops of the feet, behind the knees, on a slender neck. Of course, estriol for vulva health is applied directly to the vulva.
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Disclaimer: The information provided above is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.
Copyright © 2020-2026 - Parlor Games. All Rights Reserved.
Parlor Games, LLC ● kate@parlor-games.com ● 5304 River Rd N Ste B ● Keizer OR 97303
Disclaimer: The information provided above is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.
Copyright © 2020-2026 - Parlor Games. All RIghts Reserved.
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