Joi and Blokes Review: Why Comprehensive Hormone Labs Win
- Peggy B. - Experienced HRT Patient Reviewer
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
For decades, the standard approach to women’s midlife health has felt less like a partnership and more like a battle with a gatekeeper, your GYN or primary care doc. Too many women enter their doctor’s office with legitimate concerns about exhaustion, weight gain, and brain fog, only to be met with medical gaslighting—dismissed with a "your labs are normal" or told that their symptoms are simply an inevitable part of aging.
This refusal to run comprehensive panels leaves women guessing about their own bodies while their quality of life declines. You shouldn't have to plead for a deeper look into your own biology; you deserve data, not a dismissal. With Joi + Blokes, you can bypass the traditional hurdles entirely, signing up online to get comprehensive bloodwork at a local lab within days—no doctor’s referral or insurance red tape required.
Why Women Need Both Free and Total Testosterone Menopause Labs.
While estrogen and progesterone usually dominate the conversation, testosterone is the "unsung hero" of the female endocrine system, often existing in higher concentrations in a woman’s body than estrogen before menopause. Measuring both Total and Free Testosterone is critical because they tell two different stories: Total Testosterone represents the entire reservoir in your system, but Free Testosterone is the unbound, "bioavailable" portion that your cells can actually use.
For women in perimenopause and menopause, these levels are the primary drivers of muscle protein synthesis, bone density, and—perhaps most importantly—mental clarity and libido. Without an optimal free percentage, you may experience persistent brain fog, a softening of body composition regardless of exercise, and a total loss of drive. By auditing both markers through Joi + Blokes, you move beyond a surface-level glance and uncover whether your symptoms are rooted in a lack of available fuel for your brain and muscles.
While there is currently no FDA-approved testosterone medication specifically for women, your Joi + Blokes clinician can safely prescribe it "off-label" by adapting high-quality formulations to meet a woman's unique biological needs. This specialized approach ensures you receive a precise, physiologic dose tailored to restore your levels to a healthy, premenopausal range. By working with these experts, you can effectively bypass traditional barriers to care and start addressing symptoms like muscle loss, brain fog, and low libido immediately.
Marker | Basic Lab (Standard GP) | Comprehensive (Joi + Blokes) | Why It Matters |
Testosterone | Usually None or Total Only | Free and Total Testosterone | Vital for energy, libido, and muscle. |
Metabolic | Basic Glucose | Insulin + A1C + Lipids | Identifies midlife "metabolic gridlock." |
Thyroid | TSH Only | Full Panel (T3, T4, Antibodies) | Catching Hashimoto's or sluggish conversion. |
Vitamins | None | D, B12, Magnesium, Ferritin | Rules out deficiencies causing "fake" menopause symptoms. |
Beyond the FSH Snapshot: Getting the Full Story on Your Hormones
Your FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) level will increase as your body struggles to release eggs. Your ovaries become less responsive and begin to put our higher levels of FSH in hopes they will release an egg. While doctors often use a single high FSH reading to "diagnose" menopause, it is often an unreliable snapshot because levels can fluctuate wildly from one day to the next during the transition.
You can use an at-home Hormone Monitor like Mira to test several days or weeks in a row to confirm your levels of FSH, Estradiol and Progesterone. These at-home kits are a good first step if you are curious but are not ready to complete the full labs that providers like Joi + Blokes offer to their clients.
How to Access Professional-Grade Lab Panels Without a Doctor's Referral
Many women assume you need your primary care physican to give you a referral to have comprehensive labs completed, this is not the case. If you want to further explore your hormone and metabolic health, you can visit the Joi + Blokes website and shop the different labs that they offer. Use code NY65 to get 65% off your first set of labs.
Joi + Blokes offers a discounted self-pay option. Each Joi + Blokes lab panel includes a 30-minute consultation with one of their clinicians upon completion of the labs. Once you have paid for your lab panel, they'll send you instructions on how to visit your local LabCorp or Quest location to have blood drawn.
When results are back, they are sent to you and to Joi + Blokes. At that point, they'll ask you to visit their site and schedule your 30-minute telehealth consultation to discuss your results and any medications or HRT that may be deemed appropriate for you.
Joi HRT Cost
You can use prescription insurance for some medications. Joi + Blokes doesn't accept medical insurance. You'll be paying out of pocket utilizing their self-pay discounts for tests and medications.
Hormone Medication Pricing (Monthly)
Hormone | Form | Monthly Cost |
Systemic Estrogen (Estradiol) | Capsule/Cream/Patch | $49-$89 |
Progesterone | Capsule/Cream | $54-$69 |
Testosterone | Injections/Cream | $59-$69 |
Vaginal Estrogen | Cream/Suppositroy | $69-$89 |
*Note: Medications are typically billed and shipped in 3-month (quarterly) increments. You may also opt to have estrogen and progesterone prescriptions sent to a local pharmacy for insurance coverage for a $35 fee per 3-month prescription.
Hormone Lab Panels (65% Discount NY65)
Lab Panel | Retail Price | Discounted Price (65% Off) |
Complete Hormone Panel | $149 | $52.15 |
Advanced Panel | $399 | $139.65 |
Comprehensive Panel | $699 | $244.65 |
Joi + Blokes Membership & Subscription
The HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) program requires a recurring membership to cover clinical 1:1 consultatins and ongoing testing quarterly.
Quarterly Cost:Â $150
Monthly Breakdown:Â $50
What’s Included:
Clinician consultations and visits.
Regular hormone lab testing.
Ongoing access to a health coach and care team.
Treatment plan optimization.
Beyond Basic Hormone Labs: Why I use Joi + Blokes for Comprehensive Testing
In the beginning of my menopause journey I really felt compelled to have the hormone testing done. It was also great at each quarterly check-in to see that my hormone levels were remaining at an optimal level based on Joi + Blokes standards.
Once I had a year or so under my belt, I didn't feel the need to continue to test and used what many GYN's call "Evidence Based Medicine" where you let how you feel be the signal as to whether all is well or not. Once you feel like yourself again, it's easier to trust your body.
Today, my current HRT regimen is Oestra, by Inner Balance. It includes 3 mg of Estradiol and 100 mg of progesterone all in one medication rather than 3 prescriptions. Dr. Sarah Dacarret's feeling on testosterone (she is CEO and creator of Oestra) is if you have optimal levels of estradiol and progesterone, your body is capable of producing the needed testosterone. I feel fine not taking testosterone as an added medication, but if I ever felt the brain fog return, I'd never miss a beat and get tested by Joi + Blokes immediately. Inner Balance doesn't do hormone testing, so if that is important to you, then I'd consider Joi + Blokes to get started on your HRT journey. Use Code NY65 for 65% off first set of labs.






