If you’ve been putting off bringing up menopause because you don’t know what the visit would even involve, here’s the whole thing — start to finish. Most people leave the first visit with a plan.

It’s a regular primary-care visit

Menopause care at LAC is part of your primary care, billed like any other office visit through your insurance. There’s no separate menopause clinic fee, no membership, no cash program. You can raise it at your annual visit or book a visit just for it.

Step by step

  1. Tell us what’s going on. We use a structured symptom review so nothing gets missed and we can track it over time. Bring a list — a phone note is fine.
  2. Review your history and risk. Family history, heart risk, breast and uterine history, bone health, current medications. This is what shapes your options.
  3. Labs only if they’ll change the plan. Menopause is usually a clinical diagnosis; we order labs when they’ll genuinely change what we do.
  4. A real plan. If hormone therapy fits, we start at a sensible dose with follow-up scheduled. If it doesn’t, we name the alternative and start it the same day.
  5. Follow-up that happens. A check-in for any new therapy, then an annual review — with the decision to continue, adjust, or stop made on purpose, not by default.

Meet the care

You choose your provider at LAC. Rocio Argueta, NP, runs her own panel and is a continuity anchor for everyday care — the person who knows your history visit after visit. Peyman Sarrafian, MD, runs his own panel, leads LAC Women's Health, and handles the menopause, hormone-therapy, and more complex side of care. Either way, you see the same team over time; that continuity is the point.

OB-GYN, when you need one

Primary care handles menopause for most people. When something needs a gynecologist — abnormal bleeding, fibroids that need imaging, a surgical question — we work with OB-GYN as a partner and manage the handoff so you’re not lost in the system.

You don’t need every symptom, a referral, or a special program to start. You need one visit. Bring the topic; we’ll build the plan.

Menopause belongs where the rest of your health already lives.

Call us in Bakersfield and mention menopause when you schedule — most new patients are seen the same week.

📞 Call (661) 735-1710

Questions we hear

Do I need a referral or a specialist to be seen for menopause at LAC?

No. Menopause care is part of primary care at LAC. You can bring it up at a regular visit or book one specifically for it — no referral needed.

Who will I see?

You choose. Rocio Argueta, NP, runs her own panel and is a continuity anchor for everyday care. Peyman Sarrafian, MD, runs his own panel and leads LAC Women's Health, including the menopause and hormone-therapy side and more complex care. You see the same team over time.

Is the visit covered by insurance?

Menopause visits are billed as primary care and covered like any other office visit. If you’re on Medicare, Medicare’s free Annual Wellness Visit is a good place to start the conversation, and follow-up visits are billed normally.

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Sí. Contamos con personal que habla español cada día que estamos abiertos. Puede leer esta página en español aquí: Cómo es una visita de menopausia en LAC

How we create this content: Articles are written by LAC Women's Health. Clinical content is reviewed by Peyman Sarrafian, MD before publication. This article is general education — it is not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for a visit. For medical questions, call us at (661) 735-1710.