Testosterone Start Requirements | The Menopause Clinic
The Menopause Clinic · Patient Requirements

Testosterone Start
Requirements

Here's what's needed before a testosterone prescription can be written. The steps below can be completed in any order — most patients work through them between scheduling their in-person visit and the visit itself.

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Important — State Licensing Requirement
You must be physically located in Louisiana at the time of every interaction.
Our providers are licensed in Louisiana, so you must be physically present in the state of Louisiana for every visit, message, lab order, and prescription — not just at sign-up. This applies to all telehealth visits, portal messages, and in-person appointments. If you are out of state at the time of an interaction, please let us know.
Quick summary: Tier 2 (Comprehensive) membership is required for patients who joined after Oct 15, 2025. An in-person visit is required before prescribing — all in-person visits are held at 700 Camp St., New Orleans, LA 70130. Labs are required before starting, again at 6–8 weeks, then every 6 months.

What's required

1
Complete your baseline symptom tracker
This gives us a full picture of your symptoms before starting — and becomes the tool we use to track your progress over time. You only need to do this once before starting.
1
Go to menopauselouisiana.com/track
2
Enter your name and date of birth
3
Under medications, select Testosterone — or both, if applicable — even if you haven't started yet
4
Answer what you can — some questions may not apply before starting, and that's okay
Open symptom tracker
📊 This same tracker is used at follow-up visits so we can measure how your symptoms change over time. Your answers now are your baseline.
2
Complete the testosterone acknowledgement form
Required before your prescription can be written. Opens in a new tab.
Open acknowledgement form
3
Read the Testosterone Therapy Patient Guide
Includes a video inside. Use the link below, or find it in your portal under Documents & Handouts — search "testosterone."
Open Patient Guide
4
Schedule & complete an in-person visit
Required because testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance. If you're currently on Tier 1, you'll receive an invoice to upgrade to Tier 2 — your appointment will be confirmed once payment is received.
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Visit location — 700 Camp St., New Orleans, LA 70130
All in-person visits are held at this address. Please check your booking confirmation email for your exact appointment details, suite information, and parking instructions.
Get directions →
Schedule in-person visit
5
Complete your baseline labs
Required before prescribing. Pick the option that fits you below and send us the matching message. With cash-pay (Rupa), results come straight to us — nothing for you to upload. With insurance, retrieving and sharing your results is on you (steps below).

Option 1 — Use insurance

We upload a lab requisition for you to take to an in-network lab. Check your out-of-pocket cost first — if it's more than $150, cash-pay (Option 2) is usually cheaper. Insurance labs don't come back to us automatically, and we have no account or visibility with outside labs — so retrieving them, uploading them, and telling us they're ready is your responsibility. See the steps below.

Copy & send this exact message in the portal

This is the message you'll send us — it confirms you understand how insurance labs work on your end. Please send it as written.

Option 2 — Cash-pay (Rupa Labs)

Great for high-deductible plans. Usually under $120. We send the order, Rupa emails you instructions, and results come directly to us. Message us to confirm exact cost.

Copy & send this exact message in the portal
If you use insurance (Option 1), here's what's required on your end:
1
Check the cost first. If your out-of-pocket portion runs more than $150, our cash-pay option (usually under $120) is likely cheaper — and those results come straight to us.
2
Make sure your results show your full name and the test date so we can match them to your chart.
3
About 10–12 days after your draw, check your account with the lab — that's typically when results are ready.
4
Upload them to your portal: log in → Documents & Handouts → upload.
5
Tell us once they're uploaded — message your provider in the portal or email info@menopauselouisiana.com. We can't see when or where you had labs done, so your testosterone can't be prescribed until your results are uploaded and you've let us know.

⚠️ Stop biotin 72 hours before labs. This includes anything labeled Biotin, B7, or Vitamin H — biotin can interfere with certain lab results.
Will you automatically receive my insurance-based results? ▾
Not reliably — we request faxed results, but they don't always come through. If you use insurance, the results are yours to retrieve: check your lab account after about 10–12 days, then upload them to your portal under Documents & Handouts (or message them to us).
Why is an in-person visit required? ▾
Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance, so federal regulations require an in-person visit before we can prescribe.
Why do I have to be in Louisiana for every interaction? ▾
Our providers hold Louisiana licenses, and state licensing law requires that the patient be physically located in the state where the provider is licensed at the time care is delivered. This applies to telehealth visits, portal messages, lab orders, and prescriptions — not just your initial sign-up. If you're traveling or relocating, message us before your next interaction so we can advise.
Do I really need to stop biotin before labs? ▾
Yes. Biotin can interfere with certain immunoassay lab tests and affect accuracy. Please stop for 72 hours before your draw.
Lab schedule at a glance
Baseline — before starting
Follow-up — 6–8 weeks after starting
Ongoing — every 6 months
Knowing what's normal

What to expect after you start

Once you start testosterone, head to the What to Expect tab on your symptom tracker. It walks through the typical timeline — when changes usually begin, what's normal at each stage, and what's worth messaging us about. Use it as your reference between visits so you know what's expected and what isn't.

Open symptom tracker