Results, side effects and lab delays: the reviews that stay online
"Six months and no difference." "My labs took three weeks." "The side effects were awful." These are the most common negative reviews for hormone, ED and hair loss brands, and none of them breaks a Trustpilot rule. The work here is the reply, the expectation you set and the invitation flow. We remove the reviews that do break a rule, such as ones that name your staff. You pay per removal.
By James Tumbucon. Published · Updated . Reviewed against Trustpilot’s guidelines on
100% risk-free. You only pay for the reviews that come down.
Short answer
Reviews about poor results, side effects and lab delays are genuine experiences and opinions, and Trustpilot keeps them online. They cannot be flagged unless they break a rule for another reason, such as naming another person. The reply has to avoid two traps. It must not confirm that the reviewer is a patient, and it must not make health claims such as success rates or timelines. What helps is honest expectations before the first order, faster lab handoffs and fair invitations to every customer.
Key facts
Trustpilot does not remove a review because a business disagrees with it, and an opinion about results is a genuine experience.
Source: For which reasons can businesses flag service reviews?, Trustpilot Help Center
The FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance says health claims need competent and reliable scientific evidence, and that 'results not typical' does not cure a deceptive claim.
Source: Health Products Compliance Guidance, Federal Trade Commission
The same guidance says advertisers should not make claims through consumer testimonials that they could not substantiate if they made them directly.
Source: Health Products Compliance Guidance, Federal Trade Commission
On claimed hair loss, ED, TRT and HRT profiles with more than 100 reviews, the 1-star share in our September 2026 sample ran from 1% to 19%.
Only a customer's most recent review counts toward the TrustScore, so a customer who reviews again after a better experience replaces their earlier rating in the score.
Source: TrustScore and star rating explained, Trustpilot Help Center
The three complaints
Results. Hair regrowth takes months. Hormone therapy is adjusted over several lab cycles. ED treatment does not work for everyone. Customers who expected faster or bigger change write "waste of money".
Side effects. A customer who felt unwell says so, often in detail.
Labs and consults. TRT and HRT usually start with blood work and a clinician visit. When a lab kit is late or results sit for two weeks, the customer has paid and has nothing to show for it.
In our September 2026 sample, claimed profiles in this category did well. On claimed profiles with more than 100 reviews, the 1-star share ran from 1% to 19%. The two unclaimed profiles had 69% and 80%. The totals are in the DTC health Trustpilot report 2026.
Why none of these can be flagged
Trustpilot removes reviews for five reasons, and it says plainly that disagreement is not one of them.
| The business thinks | Trustpilot's position |
|---|---|
| "He stopped after six weeks. The treatment needs six months." | The review is his opinion of his experience. It stays |
| "Those side effects are not caused by this medication." | Trustpilot does not rule on medicine. It stays |
| "The lab caused the delay, not us." | The customer bought from you. It stays |
| "She was told results differ. It is in our terms." | A disclaimer does not make the review false. It stays |
A flag on one of these comes back as an invalid case, and your share of invalid cases is public on your Company activity page for 12 months.
The exceptions are reviews that break a rule for a different reason. A results review that names the reviewer's partner, or carries a rival's discount code, can be flagged for that. Our guide to discretion complaints and privacy flags covers the first kind.
The reply: two traps
Trap one: confirming the patient
"We are sorry the treatment has not worked for you yet" confirms that the reviewer is being treated by you. For a brand whose name signals a condition, that is a disclosure. HHS settled a case in 2023 over patient information in replies to reviews.
Trap two: the health claim
The natural reply to "it did not work" is a number. "Nine in ten men see regrowth by month six." That is a health claim, made by the brand, in public.
The FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance defines advertising to include statements on the internet and in social media. It says health claims need competent and reliable scientific evidence. It also says that a line such as "results not typical" does not cure a deceptive claim.
If you hold that evidence, the claim belongs on a page your counsel has reviewed, not in a reply written at speed by a support agent.
| Complaint | Do not write | Write |
|---|---|---|
| No results | "Most patients see results by month six, and you stopped at month two." | "Thank you for the feedback. Results differ from person to person. We cannot discuss any individual here. A clinician is glad to talk with you privately." |
| Side effects | "That is not a known side effect of this medication." | "We are sorry you felt unwell. Please contact your care team about any side effect. We cannot discuss care in public." |
| Lab delay | "Your kit was delivered on the 4th and you returned it on the 19th." | "Waiting for results is frustrating. We cannot discuss any order here. Please contact our support team so we can check on it." |
Positive results reviews carry risk too
A 5-star review that says "cured my low T in two weeks" looks like a gift. Two cautions apply.
In your marketing. The FTC's guidance says advertisers should not make claims through consumer testimonials that they could not substantiate if they made them directly. Copying that review into an ad makes the claim yours.
On the profile. If a review makes a medicinal claim that reads as promotion, Trustpilot's advertising reason may apply to it, whatever its star rating. Trustpilot expects the same rule to be applied to positive and negative reviews.
What reduces these reviews
- Set the time frame before the sale, in plain words, on the product page and in the first email.
- Send a check-in at the point where customers usually give up. A message at week six that says "this is normal, here is what to expect next" prevents many reviews.
- Make side-effect reporting easy, and route it to clinicians, not to chat agents.
- Track the lab step. Show "kit shipped", "sample received" and "results ready" with dates.
- Make it easy to pause or stop. A customer who cannot cancel a treatment that is not working writes two complaints in one review.
- Invite every customer, the same way, at the same point. Trustpilot requires fair and neutral invitations. Inviting only at month six, when the satisfied customers remain, is cherry-picking under Trustpilot's rules.
When a customer comes back
Customers can review a business again after a new experience. All their reviews stay visible, and only the latest one counts toward the TrustScore. A customer whose treatment works by month eight may write again on their own.
Do not ask for it. Trustpilot's Action We Take policy treats asking a customer to change a review after you resolve their issue as incentive misuse.
Where this fits in an audit
These reviews fill most of the "does not qualify" list for hormone, ED and hair loss brands. The audit marks which of them most need a reply and which show a repeating cause. The category page has a sample audit, and the main Trustpilot review removal page explains what can be flagged.
Request a free audit to see both lists for your profile.
If you would rather hand the work over, see our Trustpilot review removal service and what each removal costs.
Frequently asked questions
No. It is the customer's opinion about their own results, and Trustpilot keeps opinions online. It does not matter that the treatment needs longer than the customer gave it. Source: flagging reasons.
Trustpilot will not rule on medicine. A person describing how they felt is sharing an experience. The defamation sub-reason is for false statements of fact that cause significant financial loss, and a symptom report rarely fits. Do not argue the science in a reply.
Keep it general. A specific success rate or time frame in a public reply is a health claim, and the FTC asks for scientific evidence behind health claims in any public medium. Say that results differ and offer a private conversation. Source: Health Products Compliance Guidance.
Be careful. The FTC says you should not make claims through testimonials that you could not substantiate directly, and that a 'results not typical' line does not fix a deceptive claim. Ask counsel before using results reviews in marketing.
No. The customer bought from you, and the lab is part of your service. That reason is for reviews that clearly describe another company.
Primary sources used on this page
- For which reasons can businesses flag service reviews?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- Transparent Flagging: see how a business is reporting its reviews. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- OCR agreement with a provider that disclosed patient information in response to negative online reviews. U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesLast verified
- Health Products Compliance Guidance. Federal Trade CommissionLast verified
- Guidelines for Businesses. TrustpilotLast verified
- TrustScore and star rating explained. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- Action We Take. TrustpilotLast verified
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