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The elderly woman doctor there had talked down to her and dumped a stack of pamphlets on her "as if I was stupid", the year-old student recalled. But now, the country's internet-savvy are being offered alternative options, thanks to a bunch of telehealth start-ups which have popped up in the city-state in the last year - all with a focus on sexual health.
They are allowing people "shame-free" access to sexual health products and advice - something which young people like Nadia say they need, given their attitudes to sex differ markedly to traditionally accepted views. Nadia says she used Ferne Health - a company that offers STI tests from the privacy of your own home.
After consulting a doctor via video call on the website, she was mailed a vaginal swab kit in discreet packaging which allowed her to self-collect samples. A courier picked them up the next day, and she received her within the week.
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It is common for young adults to live at home with their parents before marriage - due to both high property prices as well as cultural or religious attitudes. I can't tell my mum I'm having sex," she said.
But while both experts and users agree that such services are long overdue, clinical sexologist Martha Lee has said there needs to be some considerations when ing up for them. for at-home test kits may generate false positives depending on the way they are administered.
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Yet for many young Singaporeans, these services present one of the only viable options for them to be able to get reliable advice and information on sexual health. Fans of these services said that they enjoy their convenience, saving them hours going to the clinic. But it's the discreet, "judgement-free" experience that really draw them to these services.
But men are often scared to go to the doctor's to even admit this problem," he said.
Sexual health: 'i can't tell my mum i'm having sex'
It didn't help that the GP he saw two years ago made him feel worse about his situation. I felt humiliated.
His tele-consultation with Noah, in comparison, was private and made him feel "respected" as a patient. According to the latest edition of the World Values Survey released in February, Singaporeans were Sex de black Singapore to remain largely conservative on more "liberal norms of sexuality", with Abstinence before marriage is promoted in schoolsand sex education is deed to help students develop "mainstream values" about sexuality that are "premised on the family as the basic unit of society", the Education Ministry says on its website. Getting access to sexual health products or tests with the neighbourhood GP if you are not married can therefore be an "embarrassing" or "awkward" process, some people have told the BBC.
Women in particular, have no access to contraceptive pills without medical prescriptions although condoms are freely available at pharmacies and convenience stores.
So companies like Dear Doc which offer birth control subscription plans and Noah, are a welcome intervention. All of them involve virtual consultations with d physicians.
The start-ups certainly see the gap in the market that they are filling - and rising demand for their services proves it. Younger people are more conscious of their sexual health and are looking for ways to be responsible despite the obstacles, according to Babes, a local teenage pregnancy support service.
These digital health start-ups, being specialised in sexual health issues, could be a good platform. Nadia agrees, saying that despite the taboos she knew how important it was to get checked regularly, especially since she was about to start a new relationship.
But I know many people don't because the process hasn't been easy until now. Lockdown 'once in a lifetime chance' to cut STIs.
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