Sippa

Questions about Sippa, midlife care, hormones, weight loss, labs, and what happens next | Sippa

Frequently asked

The answers you want before you start.

You should not have to guess what care costs, whether labs are involved, how prescriptions work, or whether your symptoms count. Here is the clear version, in plain English.

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Section 01 · Start Here

The clear version, in plain English

The short version

Physician-led midlife medical care for women.

Sippa cares for the symptoms that often show up together: weight loss resistance, hormone changes, poor sleep, hot flashes, brain fog, skin changes, hair shedding, low libido, vaginal dryness, and other shifts that can make your body feel suddenly unfamiliar.

We start with your symptoms, your history, and often labs when clinically appropriate. Then we build a medical care plan around what is actually changing, not just the one symptom that brought you in.

Do you treat menopause?

Yes, including perimenopause and postmenopause.

Do you offer weight loss care?

Yes, when clinically appropriate, including GLP-1 medications and metabolic support.

Do you use labs?

Often, when clinically appropriate.

Do you take insurance?

Sippa is a cash-pay membership. HSA/FSA funds may be used when eligible.

Where are you available?

Currently Utah. Arizona coming soon.

Section 02 · About Sippa

What Sippa is, and how it works

Sippa is built around connected midlife medical care. Below, the questions women ask most often before they get started.

Is Sippa only for menopause?

No. Menopause matters, but it is not the whole story.

Sippa is built for women navigating the bigger midlife picture: perimenopause, menopause, weight loss, hormones, sleep, skin, hair, intimacy, and symptoms that tend to show up together.

Most women do not arrive with one clean concern. They come in saying something like, my weight changed, my sleep is terrible, my skin is different, my hair is shedding, and I do not feel like myself. That whole story belongs in the room.

What makes Sippa different?

Sippa is built around connected care.

Many clinics treat one lane: menopause, weight loss, skin, hair, or sleep. Sippa looks at how those pieces may be related. Your medical care may include symptoms, history, labs when clinically appropriate, prescriptions, follow-up, and medication adjustments over time.

The point is simple: you should not need five providers to explain one body.

Is Sippa a telehealth clinic?

Yes, Sippa offers virtual medical care, but we are not trying to feel like a rushed telehealth transaction.

The goal is not click, prescribe, disappear. The goal is an ongoing care relationship with enough time to understand what is changing and adjust your plan as your body responds.

Who provides care at Sippa?

Sippa is physician-led and supported by a clinical team. Emily Rhodes, NP, leads clinical care, including criteria, consult flow, prescribing standards, follow-up cadence, refills, safety, and escalation. Dr. Rhodes, MD, serves as Medical Advisor.

Sippa was built by three sisters and their father, a physician, as an extension of a family medical practice.

Section 03 · Symptoms and Treatment

What we treat, and how we start

Midlife symptoms rarely arrive alone. Sippa treats the pattern, not just the loudest complaint.

What symptoms does Sippa treat?

Sippa treats connected midlife symptoms, including:

  • Perimenopause and menopause symptoms
  • Hot flashes and night sweats
  • Weight loss resistance
  • Hormone changes
  • Poor sleep
  • Brain fog
  • Skin changes
  • Hair shedding or thinning
  • Low libido
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Intimacy concerns
  • Metabolic changes

Treatment depends on your symptoms, health history, labs when clinically appropriate, and clinical fit.

Can Sippa help if my labs have always looked normal?

Often, yes.

A lot of women are told everything is normal, even when they feel very different. Sippa does not treat labs alone. We look at your symptoms, your history, your goals, and labs when clinically appropriate.

Sometimes labs help explain part of the picture. Sometimes the pattern of symptoms matters just as much. Either way, we take what you are feeling seriously.

What if I only want help with one thing?

That is completely okay.

Many women come to Sippa for one concern, often weight loss, sleep, hormones, skin, hair, or intimacy. We start with what matters most to you, then look for anything connected that may be affecting your results.

You do not have to arrive with your whole body figured out. That is our job to help sort through.

Section 04 · Weight Loss

Medical care for midlife weight changes

Midlife weight gain is not always a willpower problem. Hormones, sleep, insulin resistance, thyroid changes, medications, stress, and metabolic shifts can all be part of the picture.

Can Sippa help with midlife weight loss?

Yes, when clinically appropriate.

If you have been doing all the right things and your body still feels different, we take that seriously. Sippa looks at symptoms, history, metabolism, hormones, medications, and often labs before building a weight loss plan.

Does Sippa prescribe GLP-1 medications?

Yes, when clinically appropriate.

Sippa may prescribe GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide or tirzepatide when they are medically appropriate for the patient. Treatment decisions depend on your health history, goals, risk factors, current medications, labs when needed, and clinical judgment.

GLP-1s are not right for everyone. If they are not the right fit, we will talk about other options.

Does Sippa prescribe metformin?

Yes, when clinically appropriate.

Metformin may be considered when insulin resistance, metabolic health, or other clinical factors are part of the weight picture. As with any medication, it depends on your history, symptoms, labs when appropriate, and clinical fit.

Is Sippa just a weight loss clinic?

No.

Weight loss may be one part of medical care, but Sippa is not built as a one-lane weight loss clinic. We look at the broader midlife picture, including hormones, sleep, metabolic health, skin, hair, intimacy, and symptoms that may be connected.

Section 05 · Hormones and Menopause

Hormone therapy and the questions that come with it

Hormone therapy can be helpful for many women, but it is not right for everyone. Below, the questions worth asking before you start.

Do you treat perimenopause?

Yes.

Perimenopause can begin years before menopause, and it can bring real changes: irregular cycles, hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, brain fog, weight changes, skin changes, hair shedding, vaginal dryness, and libido changes.

You do not have to wait until your period is completely gone to ask for help.

Do you prescribe hormone therapy?

Yes, when hormone therapy is the right fit for your body and your medical history.

Sippa may prescribe options such as bioidentical estradiol, progesterone, vaginal estradiol, testosterone, DHEA, or non-hormonal options based on your symptoms, history, labs, goals, and clinical needs.

Is hormone therapy safe?

Hormone therapy can be helpful for many women, but it is not right for everyone.

Safety depends on your personal health history, risk factors, symptoms, age, time since menopause, medication history, and the type of hormone therapy being considered. Sippa reviews your situation before recommending treatment.

What is bioidentical hormone therapy?

Bioidentical hormones are hormones that are structurally similar to hormones your body naturally makes. In midlife care, this often refers to estradiol and progesterone.

The important question is not just whether something is bioidentical. The important question is whether it is clinically appropriate, safely prescribed, properly monitored, and adjusted for your body.

Do you prescribe testosterone?

Sometimes, when clinically appropriate.

Testosterone may be considered for certain symptoms and situations, but it requires thoughtful evaluation, dosing, and follow-up. It is not automatically prescribed to every patient.

Do you offer non-hormonal options?

Yes.

Hormones are not the right choice for every woman. Sippa may discuss non-hormonal options when appropriate, depending on your symptoms, medical history, preferences, and risk factors.

Section 06 · Labs and Blood Work

How labs fit into your medical care

Sippa uses labs when they are clinically helpful, not as a default tax. Below, when labs come into play and what they tend to cover.

Do you use labs or blood work?

Often, yes.

We start by listening to your symptoms and history, then order labs when clinically appropriate. Blood work can help us understand hormones, thyroid, insulin resistance, metabolic health, vitamin levels, and other changes that may be affecting how you feel.

Are labs required for everyone?

Not always.

Labs are ordered when clinically appropriate. Some symptoms and medications may require lab work. Other situations may be guided first by history, symptoms, and clinical evaluation.

What labs might Sippa order?

Depending on your symptoms and clinical needs, labs may include hormone markers, thyroid markers, metabolic markers, fasting insulin, lipids, vitamin D, and other relevant tests.

Your clinician will decide what makes sense for your situation.

Can I use insurance for labs?

Often, labs may be billed through insurance depending on the lab, your plan, and the tests ordered. Cash-pay lab options may also be available.

Sippa will help explain the available lab paths, but coverage and final costs depend on your insurance plan and the lab provider.

Section 07 · Prescriptions and Pharmacy

How prescriptions and refills work

When medication is part of your care plan, you have options. Below, the basics of how Sippa handles prescriptions and pharmacy choice.

What medications does Sippa prescribe?

When clinically appropriate, Sippa may prescribe medications related to midlife and menopause care, including hormone therapy, GLP-1 medications, metformin, skin treatments, hair treatments, sleep support, vaginal estradiol, and other options based on clinical need.

Not every medication is right for every patient.

Can I choose my pharmacy?

Yes.

When medication is prescribed, we help route it through the option that fits your situation. That may include a local pharmacy, insurance pharmacy, compounding pharmacy, or cash-pay option when available.

The goal is simple: the right care path for your body, your budget, and your life.

Do you use compounded medications?

Sometimes, when clinically appropriate.

Some patients may use compounded medications. Others may use FDA-approved medications through a traditional pharmacy or insurance pharmacy. The best route depends on the medication, your clinical needs, availability, pricing, and pharmacy options.

Are medications included in membership?

Usually, medications are separate from the membership fee.

Costs depend on the medication, pharmacy route, insurance coverage, cash-pay options, and availability. Sippa helps you understand the path before you move forward.

Do you manage refills?

Yes, refill support is part of ongoing care when medication is clinically appropriate.

Refills may depend on follow-up, safety criteria, symptom response, labs when needed, and whether the medication is still the right fit.

Section 08 · Membership, Pricing, Insurance

How payment works at Sippa

Sippa is a cash-pay membership. We do not bill insurance directly. Below, exactly what that means for you, your HSA/FSA, and your costs.

Do you take insurance?

Sippa is a cash-pay membership, which lets us spend more time with you and avoid the usual insurance runaround.

HSA/FSA funds may be used when eligible, and we can provide documentation if you choose to submit to insurance yourself. Sippa does not bill insurance directly.

Why is Sippa cash-pay?

Because the kind of care we believe in takes time.

Insurance-based care often rewards short visits, narrow coding, and fragmented treatment. Sippa is built for longer conversations, connected care, follow-up, and thoughtful plan adjustments.

Can I submit to insurance myself?

Yes, if you choose.

Documentation is available if you would like to submit to insurance yourself. Reimbursement depends on your insurance plan, benefits, and carrier rules.

Can I use HSA or FSA funds?

HSA/FSA funds may be used when eligible.

Eligibility depends on your plan and the type of service or medication. We recommend checking with your HSA/FSA provider if you are unsure.

What does membership include?

Membership includes ongoing physician-led medical care, visits, follow-up, care plan adjustments, refill support, and prescription management when clinically appropriate.

Medications and labs may have separate costs depending on the route you choose.

Are labs and medications included in the membership price?

Usually, no.

Labs and medications may be separate costs. The exact cost depends on insurance, pharmacy route, cash-pay options, compounding options, and the care plan that is right for you.

Can I cancel?

Yes. Cancellation details are reviewed in the membership terms.

The goal is transparency. No one should feel trapped in care that is not right for them.

Section 09 · Visits and Follow-Up

What happens after you get started

Care does not end at the first prescription. Below, how visits and follow-up are designed to work.

What happens after I get started?

You begin with an intake form that tells us what is changing, what you have tried, and what matters most to you.

Then you meet with a clinician who reviews your symptoms, history, goals, and labs when clinically appropriate. From there, we build a care plan that may include prescriptions, lab work, follow-up, lifestyle guidance, pharmacy routing, or other medical support.

How long is the first visit?

The first visit is designed to give your clinician enough time to understand the full picture, not rush through one symptom.

Final visit length is confirmed once operational details are in place.

Will I see the same clinician each time?

Sippa is designed around continuity of medical care, so you are not reintroducing yourself at every visit. Your care team should know your story, your plan, and how your body is responding over time.

How often do follow-ups happen?

Follow-up cadence depends on your care plan, medications, symptoms, labs when needed, and clinical safety.

Some medications require closer follow-up. Other plans may need less frequent check-ins. Sippa adjusts follow-up based on what is clinically appropriate.

What if my plan is not working?

Then we adjust.

Midlife care is not one-and-done. Your body changes, your symptoms shift, and medications may need to be adjusted. Follow-up is part of the care model because the first plan is not always the final plan.

Section 10 · Availability and Eligibility

Where Sippa is available, and who it is for

Sippa is currently serving women in Utah. Arizona is coming soon. Below, the scope of medical care we offer and when to seek care elsewhere.

Where is Sippa available?

Sippa is currently serving women in Utah. Arizona is coming soon.

Do I need to live in Utah?

For now, yes, if you are seeking medical care while Sippa is only serving Utah patients.

Telehealth rules depend on state licensure and where you are located at the time of care.

Who is a good fit for Sippa?

Sippa may be a good fit if you are experiencing midlife symptoms such as weight loss resistance, poor sleep, hot flashes, night sweats, hormone changes, skin changes, hair shedding, low libido, vaginal dryness, or symptoms that feel connected but have been treated separately.

Sippa may not be the right fit for every medical situation. If your needs are outside our scope, we will let you know.

Does Sippa provide emergency care?

No.

Sippa does not provide emergency care. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Does Sippa treat mental health conditions?

Sippa does not treat mental health conditions directly at this time.

Some women experience mood shifts during perimenopause or menopause, and those symptoms may come up during care. But Sippa is not a psychiatric or mental health provider. If you need mental health diagnosis, therapy, crisis support, or psychiatric medication management, we recommend working with the appropriate licensed mental health or medical professional.

Midlife can be brutal

If something has changed, it counts.

You do not need to know if it is hormones, metabolism, stress, sleep, aging, or something else.

You just need to know that you do not feel like yourself.

Start there. Tell us what has changed, and we will help you sort through the rest with real medical care, thoughtful follow-up, and a plan built around you.

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