Testosterone coaching, a TRT clinic or your GP: which fits you?

Prices last checked 30 September 2026. This page is general information, not medical advice. Teak sells coaching. We don't sell testosterone, supplements or tests, and we take no commission from labs, clinics or prescribers. Worth knowing before you read a comparison written by one of the options in it.

If you think your testosterone might be low, you have four broad routes: a coach, your GP, a clinic that focuses on testosterone, or doing the work yourself. They aren't really rivals. They do different jobs, and getting the order right matters more than the pick.

What's the difference between testosterone coaching, your GP and a TRT clinic?

The difference is who can decide what. Diagnosing low testosterone, looking for a medical cause and prescribing testosterone are a doctor's job. A coach explains your results and helps you change the habits linked with lower testosterone. Going it alone costs the least, but you're reading your own blood test.

	Teak coaching	Your GP	A testosterone (TRT) clinic	Going it alone
Who it suits	Men with no red flags who want their results explained and help changing sleep, training, body fat, alcohol and stress	Any man with symptoms who hasn't talked to a doctor yet. Anyone with a red flag. Anyone who needs a diagnosis	Men already being assessed by a doctor who want one focused on this single area	Men with no red flags who are disciplined and comfortable reading their own results
Who decides	You, with a coach. Anything medical goes to your GP	Your GP, with a specialist when needed	The clinic's doctor	You
What's measured	Your blood test, read marker by marker, plus habit check-ins	Your history, an examination, your medicines and the tests your GP orders	The tests the clinic orders, then regular monitoring if it prescribes	Whatever you choose to test and track
Can diagnose or prescribe	No	Yes	Yes, as a doctor's decision	No
Typical cost	A$297 / NZ$329 for 4 weeks; A$1,497 / NZ$1,649 for 12 weeks (NZ prices incl. GST). Blood tests paid separately21	AU: Medicare pays A$45.05 towards a standard consult. NZ: set by your practice, with caps for some patients1113	Set by each clinic: consult fees, tests, and the medicine if prescribed	Nothing, apart from any test you pay for yourself (from NZ$44.99 in New Zealand)15
Time it takes	A 45-minute call and a written plan. On the 12-week programme, weekly WhatsApp check-ins and a week-12 retest	A standard consult runs 6 to under 20 minutes, then one or two morning blood tests and a follow-up111	A first consult and tests. If testosterone is prescribed, guidance suggests checks at 3, 6 and 12 months, then yearly1	As much as you give it
What it can't do	Diagnose, examine you, order tests, prescribe, or promise a number	Standard consults aren't built for weekly habit check-ins between visits	Promise you a prescription, or replace your own GP's view of your whole health	Spot the results that need a doctor, or put one odd result in context

Full prices for both countries are further down. Our testosterone test cost guide compares every testing route.

What does the guidance say to sort out before TRT?

Weight, sleep, alcohol, stress, other health problems and medicines come first.¹ Only a doctor can deal with a medical cause. But for men whose levels have drifted down with weight, age or other health problems, Australian and New Zealand guidance puts habits and those other problems ahead of testosterone. bpac, which publishes prescribing guidance for New Zealand health professionals, says that once low testosterone is confirmed, doctors should first sort out any other conditions, medicines and lifestyle factors that may be contributing.¹ It lists obesity, heavy drinking, excessive exercise, significant stress and too little sleep among the factors linked with lower levels.¹

A 2014 update for Australian GPs in the RACGP's journal made the same call for older men carrying extra weight whose levels are only modestly low: the focus should be lifestyle, especially weight loss, and better management of other conditions.² healthdirect and Healthify both list weight loss, regular exercise and less stress, and Healthify adds at least seven hours' sleep a night and not drinking too much.⁷⁸

Much of the research behind this is about body weight. A 2013 review pooled 24 studies and found that weight loss, by diet or surgery, was associated with higher total testosterone, and that men who lost more weight tended to show bigger changes.¹⁰ Those are group averages from studies of men with obesity, so they can't tell you what your own result will do. Healthy Male, the Australian Government-funded men's health organisation, makes the same link in plain terms: carrying extra weight, especially around the waist, goes with lower testosterone, and it names keeping a healthy weight as a way to support normal levels.⁶

Coach's note: none of this means a low result is your fault, or that habits explain everything. It means the guidance asks you and your GP to rule the ordinary things in or out first. That part is work a coach can help with.

What do Australian and New Zealand guidelines say about testosterone therapy?

Both countries treat testosterone as a doctor's decision for confirmed deficiency with symptoms, and both are cautious about using it for levels that fall with age or weight. The detail differs.

	Australia	New Zealand
Confirming a low result	Test early in the morning, fasted, and confirm a low result with a second test7	At least two early-morning results, taken between 7 and 11 am, ideally fasting, with the repeat preferably about four weeks later1
Reading the number	Results are compared with a reference range, which describes the general population rather than any one man. A result flagged high or low is one to go through with your doctor12. Results can also vary with the testing method a lab uses5	bpac notes that local expert opinion favours a low threshold for diagnosis, below 8 nmol/L, and suggests doctors discuss two morning results between 8 and 12 nmol/L with an endocrinologist1
Age and weight	The PBS does not subsidise testosterone where low levels in men without a pituitary or testicular disorder are due to age, obesity, cardiovascular disease, infertility or drugs22. The Endocrine Society of Australia found limited high-quality evidence for testosterone in older men without hypothalamic, pituitary or testicular disease3	For older men whose levels are slowly declining, the risks of testosterone may be greater than the benefits18
Who's involved	A doctor, with a specialist such as an endocrinologist or urologist involved when treatment is PBS-subsidised22	GPs can prescribe, with endocrinologist input when unsure or when results sit between 8 and 12 nmol/L1
If it's tried	Monitored for both benefit and safety4	A six-month trial, stopped if there's no benefit1

PBS rules decide what the government subsidises, not what's right for any one man. The wording above matched the listing when we checked it on 30 September 2026 and has been in place since at least 2019, but it can change.⁵²² Men with a pituitary or testicular condition are a separate case in the guidance, whatever their age, and their care sits with their doctor.³

Is TRT a doctor's decision?

Yes. Whether testosterone is right for you is between you and a doctor who has examined you, confirmed the result and looked for other causes. We won't tell you whether to ask for it, but it helps to know what your doctor will weigh. These points come straight from the guidance:

• Fertility. Testosterone therapy lowers sperm production. bpac lists wanting to stay fertile as a reason not to prescribe it, and says sperm production can take 12 months or more to recover after stopping, and in some cases may not recover.¹⁹
• Blood count. The main side effect is a rise in red blood cells, often 3 to 12 months in, which can raise the risk of clots.¹⁹
• Prostate. PSA is checked before and during treatment, and some prostate findings rule it out.¹
• Heart and sleep. bpac says long-term heart safety is still uncertain, and the Endocrine Society of Australia called for more studies.¹⁴ Sleep apnoea is where guidance has shifted: a 2014 Australian GP update and Healthify list untreated sleep apnoea as a reason not to use testosterone, but bpac's 2024 update dropped it, saying the evidence behind it was weak.²⁹¹
• Commitment. bpac describes it as potentially lifelong, with regular blood tests for testosterone, PSA and full blood count.¹

If you're weighing up a clinic that only deals with testosterone, Healthy Male advises seeing your own doctor about symptoms, and its medical director cautions against single-purpose clinics that exist mainly to sell low-testosterone treatment rather than look at your whole health.⁶ Whoever you see, it's fair to ask for every fee in writing, what you pay if you aren't prescribed anything, and whether your GP gets a copy of your results.

When should you see a GP instead of a coach?

See your GP first, and soon, if any of these apply. A coach is the wrong first call for all of them.

• A lump, swelling or other change in a testicle.¹⁷
• Breast tissue that has grown recently or feels tender.⁸
• Headaches or changes in your vision, such as double vision. Guidance links these with problems in the pituitary gland.¹⁸
• Erection problems that keep happening. They are often the first sign of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.²³
• You want children soon and testosterone has been mentioned.¹
• Thoughts of harming yourself. In Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In New Zealand call or text 1737, or call the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865. If life is in danger, call 000 or 111.¹⁸¹⁹²⁴

More generally, healthdirect advises talking to your doctor if you think you have symptoms of low testosterone, such as a lower sex drive.⁷ Teak's own rules also send you to a doctor first if you have a known pituitary, testicular or liver condition, or are having cancer treatment. The full list, including the blood results that always mean seeing a doctor, is on when we send you to a doctor. If one applies, you see your doctor before any coaching starts.

What does a GP do that a coach can't?

A GP can examine you, request tests on Medicare or through funded labs, look for medical causes, refer you to a specialist and prescribe. None of that is a coach's job.

bpac suggests measuring total testosterone between 7 and 11 am, ideally fasted. If it's low, the test is repeated, preferably about four weeks later, and LH, FSH and prolactin are added to that repeat. SHBG helps when the picture is unclear, because it lets free testosterone be calculated.¹ Your GP will also look at your medicines. Opioids and corticosteroids are among those linked with lower testosterone, and only your doctor should change them.¹³

In Australia, Medicare pays A$45.05 towards a standard GP consult (item 23, fee updated 1 July 2026). What you pay on top depends on whether the practice bulk bills.¹¹ Medicare covers all or part of most common blood tests, and many are bulk billed.¹² In New Zealand, practices set their own fees within ranges agreed with Health NZ and primary health organisations, and enrolling with a practice makes visits cheaper.²⁰ Lab funding rules are set regionally. In the Wellington region, for example, tests are funded for eligible patients, but not wellness tests on someone with no symptoms or risk factors, or tests you request yourself. Your doctor can tell you whether yours are funded.¹⁴

Take our testosterone blood test checklist to the appointment so nothing gets missed.

What does a testosterone coach actually do?

A testosterone coach helps you understand your results and change the habits most linked with lower testosterone, week by week. At Teak it works like this:

1. You open the WhatsApp chat on the site and answer two quick questions.
2. You send a blood test you already have (PDF or photo), or your coach tells you which markers to ask your GP or a lab for.
3. A coach reads every marker in plain English. Where your panel includes total testosterone, SHBG and albumin, we calculate free testosterone.
4. Your habits are ranked by what's most likely costing you: sleep, training, body fat, alcohol, stress and pelvic floor.
5. You get a written plan. On the 12-week programme you check in weekly over WhatsApp, and your week-12 retest is compared with your first result.

Calculated free testosterone is an estimate, and the experts don't fully agree on it. The Endocrine Society of Australia doesn't recommend it for clinical decisions, while bpac prefers it to direct measurement where a diagnosis is still uncertain after two morning tests.¹³ We use it to explain your panel, never to decide anything medical. More detail is on how it works.

Can coaching sit alongside your GP's care?

Yes, in most cases, and that's how it's meant to work. Say your GP calls your results borderline and suggests losing some weight, sleeping more and drinking less. You leave with good advice but no week-by-week plan. That habit work is the coach's job. Your GP keeps the medical side.

Two exceptions. If you're already on testosterone, hCG or clomiphene, Teak isn't for you, and the prescriber who knows your case is the right person (see who this isn't for). And if you have a known pituitary, testicular or liver condition, or are having cancer treatment, we send you to your doctor first, and they need to know before you change anything.

Is going it alone a reasonable option?

Yes, for plenty of men with no red flags. Changing the habits in the guidance costs nothing. What going it alone tends to miss is context. One result can mislead, which is why guidance asks for a second morning test, and results can shift with the lab method used.¹⁵ Nobody is watching for the results that need a doctor, either.

If you go it alone, test in the morning, repeat a low result, use the same lab where you can, and see a GP for anything on the list above. Free guides: how to increase testosterone naturally, free testosterone and SHBG and the testosterone unit converter for results in ng/dL.

What won't Teak do?

• Diagnose, examine you, order tests or prescribe anything.
• Tell you your testosterone is low. We show you where each result sits against the lab's range, and the diagnosis is your doctor's call.
• Recommend any prescription medicine, or tell you to start, stop or change one.
• Sell testosterone, supplements or blood tests, or take a commission from labs, clinics or prescribers.
• Promise a testosterone number or any result.
• Keep coaching past a red flag. The doctor comes first.

How we write and source pages like this one is set out in our editorial policy, and the studies we rely on are summarised on our research page.

How much does each option cost in Australia and New Zealand?

Option	Australia	New Zealand
GP consult	Medicare pays A$45.05 for a standard consult (item 23). Your cost depends on whether the practice bulk bills11	Set by the practice within a range agreed with Health NZ and primary health organisations, and lower if you're enrolled. Standard fees are held at 8 June 2026 levels for 2026/27. Health NZ's caps are NZ$20 for adults with a Community Services Card and NZ$30.50 for other adults at Very Low Cost Access practices1320
Blood tests your doctor requests	Medicare covers all or part of most common tests; many are bulk billed12	Funded for eligible patients under regional rules, but not for wellness testing of someone with no symptoms or risk factors14
Blood test you order yourself	Paid in full. See our cost guide	Through Awanui's BODYiQ service: NZ$44.99 for total testosterone only, or NZ$104.99 for total and free testosterone, SHBG and free androgen index1516
Testosterone (TRT) clinic	Set by each clinic. Ask for every fee in writing	Set by each clinic. Ask for every fee in writing
Teak Baseline, 4 weeks	A$297	NZ$329 incl. GST
Teak 12-week programme	A$1,497	NZ$1,649 incl. GST

Prices last checked 30 September 2026. Teak prices are from our own product pages.²¹ Blood tests for Teak are ordered and paid for separately through a GP or private lab. Upgrade from the Baseline to the 12-week programme within 60 days and the Baseline price comes off. Instalments: ask in chat.

Not sure which route fits? Open the WhatsApp chat from the homepage and ask, or email hello@jointeak.com. Chatting first costs nothing, and if the honest answer is "see your GP first", that's what you'll hear.