Why Singapore women are turning to online doctors for their sexual and mental health
When 27-year-old Bani Bains, a communicator, shared that her pare started breaking out during the "circuit billow" concluding twelvemonth, she said that she didn't know what to exercise.
"I had never been to a dermatologist before, and was quite scared to footstep out at the peak of the pandemic. A video consult helped me understand that I had cystic acne, aggravated by mask wearing and I got a prescription for it."
The video consultation was with a doctor from a telehealth service. Such services give patients remote access to online consultations with a medico for diagnosis, treatment and prescriptions.
Bains isn't the but woman using them.
We're using them as a more private, judgment-gratis alternative to seeing a doctor at a clinic. Why? Considering talking about topics similar contraception and sex – indeed, anything related to our intimate health – is thought of as sensitive.
And doing it face to face, fifty-fifty in a medical setting at a general practitioner or gynaecologist's clinic, only, well, makes u.s. chroma.
It's not just the shyness, it's the stigma besides. Shruti Dwivedi, founder of Dearest Dr., a women-axial telehealth service, said such topics are however considered "taboo".
And that's led to the growing demand for telehealth services dedicated to women, who see them as being more convenient, discreet, affordable, and judgement-gratis.
Another reason, says 11 Liu, the founder of Ferne Health, a sexual health platform that caters to women, is the lack of sexual activity education in Asia. Her service offers sexually transmitted diseases (STD) screening, a gonorrhoea and chlamydia home test kit and STD tele-consults.
Having previously lived in the The states, Liu said she realised that many in Asia didn't grow up being aware of sexual health and that in that location'south a stigma effectually sex. It's in such areas, she told CNA Lifestyle, that telehealth services are most needed.
READ:More than women diagnosed with endometriosis amid greater awareness of the touch of severe menses hurting
Her experience working in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, inspired her to attempt to remove the social stigma associated with sexual health screenings by bringing the service directly to women's doorsteps.
A Rising DEMAND FOR TELEHEALTH SERVICES Simply FOR WOMEN
What is it about telehealth services that appeal to women? Mainly, it's the convenience and privacy they offer, compared to in-clinic visits.
What if I bump into someone I know at the clinic? How practise I skip the long queue? Do I want to spend time waiting in a crowded clinic during a pandemic? What's a quick manner for me to top up my contraceptive pills without having to pop into my doctor'south office?
Telehealth services offer what'southward perceived to be a judgement-free consultation (which matters if it'southward your first fourth dimension seeking nativity control solutions) to timely refills of prescriptions delivered straight to your doorstep.
But information technology's not but easier access to birth command that's propelled the demand for women-focused telehealth services. Increasingly, women desire a broader range of self-care services, including mental health therapy, weight loss solutions and home examination kits.
Launched in March this year, Zoey offers a holistic approach to a woman's health. Information technology covers seven areas: Acne, birth control, pilus loss, emergency contraception, smoking cessation, mental wellness therapy and weight loss.
Sean Low, its co-founder, told CNA Lifestyle that demand for the latter two areas has been growing. "Our treatment for weight loss is currently our fastest-growing category on Zoey," he said.
Low also said that more women are besides seeking individual therapy, particularly during the pandemic where adjusting to life at habitation can exist trying.
Meanwhile, others, such equally telemedicine platform HiDoc, is offering boosted help to groups of women who demand a focused community, through its customs website and app.
Called Nectar, it targets women-related health concerns, from memory turn down afterward pregnancy to visiting a psychologist with your child. The app was launched in March this twelvemonth to help normalise conversations around topics like skin conditions, fertility issues and mental wellness.
Said its co-founder Dr Christina Depression: "Nosotros accept started to see increasing queries from iii significant groups of women: Those who want to be a mum, expecting mums, and new mums."
READ: COVID-19 vaccination in women: Your pinnacle 17 questions answered
IF IT'S YOUR FIRST Fourth dimension USING A TELEHEALTH SERVICE
You start by creating an account with your personal details. For some services, like Ferne Wellness, you can opt to take a free assessment to indicate specific interests such as STD screening or health supplements, whether it's your first fourth dimension using the service or not.
Meanwhile, others like Zoey offering a variety of free medical evaluations to assess your healthcare needs from the get-go. For example, if you lot're opting for therapy, the medical evaluation would include reflective questions that pertain to whether you tend to overreact in situations or experience negative emotions ("feeling scared without whatsoever good reason").
At Ease Healthcare, which offers what it calls "sensitive healthcare" – that is, areas such as birth control and emergency contraception, STD and HIV tests, and treatment for vaginal and urinary tract infections – you'll demand a tele-consult with a doctor first.
That'southward in line with Ministry of Health (MOH) guidelines that mandate that a video consultation must be done before a prescription can be given.
But for subsequent visits to the Ease Healthcare site (and after confirming that you've attended a check-in with the medical team), it'southward every bit like shooting fish in a barrel as logging in, choosing your birth command renewal and carting out.
Withal, if you are visiting the site for a different event, say, you are unsure about which test kit to opt for to bank check for a range of sexually transmitted infections (STI) such as HIV or chlamydia, then you volition need to sign upwardly for an STI teleconsultation.
Similarly, if you are currently undergoing therapy at Zoey (which recommends at least six sessions), but desire to seek treatment for acne besides, you will demand to fill in another evaluation course for it, followed by a teleconsult and a prescription subsequently.
Cost wise, first-time teleconsultations can range from S$twenty (for ten minutes) to S$90 (for 45 minutes). And if you lot feel you need a follow-upwards with the doctor, services like Zoey accuse S$15 for a subsequent video consultation, while Dear Doc offers a monthly subscription of unlimited consultations from S$xv to S$45 for the whole month.
Overall, information technology is a more affordable option as compared to visiting a general practitioner (S$twenty to S$xxx for a ten-minute visit) or a specialist (from S$60).
If you're worried about whether your dr. is "legit", all telehealth services in Singapore are required to be qualified legally, which includes registered doctors under Singapore Medical Council (SMC). Doctors are likewise required to comply with Singapore-canonical guidelines, such equally National Telemedicine Guidelines and SMC Ethical Lawmaking and Ethical Guidelines.
It'south also worth noting that all doctors providing telehealth services in Singapore are required to be licensed under the Healthcare Services Human activity, which will come into effect in June 2022.
To help yous decide which telehealth service would work best for your needs, CNA Lifestyle provides a breakdown of the best features of the different providers bachelor in Singapore.
FOR FAST AND DISCREET BIRTH CONTROL OPTIONS
What's the difference between a contraceptive pill and a patch? And which brand is most suitable for me? If yous are unsure, here's where a teleconsultation with a doctor volition come in useful.
When it comes to delivering your "clandestine" packages, telehealth providers are also discreet and thoughtful with their nondescript, unassuming packaging – no 1 will ever know what they contain.
Deliveries are quick besides. Both Zoey and Ease Healthcare get your birth control pills to you lot in four hours for free. Meanwhile, Ferne Wellness offers emergency contraceptives (from S$75) within 3 hours of a consultation with a doctor.
Note that while birth control pills are taken regularly, emergency contraceptives should only be used to forbid pregnancy and are taken inside 72 hours of unprotected sex.
Too be aware that your telehealth doctor should not replace your current doctor. According to Dearest Physician, such services can help you lot avert making multiple visits to the clinic to get your contraceptives, but for urgent intendance and almanac wellness screenings, you should still visit a dispensary.
IF You PREFER TO MINIMISE CONTACT WITH DOCTORS FOR HEALTH TESTS
If you're worried most that persistent crawling at your nether regions or unusual discharge, you might want to prepare your fears to residue by checking with a medico. The growing availability of self-examination kits opens up a host of opportunities for women to not filibuster seeking medical help.
Besides, a self-administered vaginal swab is deemed less intrusive.
Co-ordinate to a 2022 clinical study involving 550 patients in Bharat, self-collected vaginal swabs proved to be a reliable alternative to those obtained by a doctor when it came to an STD diagnosis.
If yous suspect that y'all have an STI, Ferne Wellness, for example, offers a 10-minute teleconsultation. The S$20 consultation fee is waived if you purchase the service's at-home STD testing kits (from S$46) for either chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis or HIV after the teleconsultation. There'due south also a free assessment online if y'all are not sure of which kit to go.
Other than testing for STI, Ferne Health likewise offers other self-exam kits, from cervical cancer and HPV (South$200) to urinary tract infection (S$50) and bacterial infections covering trichomoniasis, bacterial vaginosis and candida (S$150). After you get your test results, you can head into a free teleconsult with the md, full privacy promised.
IF You lot WANT PROMPT MEDICAL INSIGHTS FROM EXPERTS IN A WOMEN-FOCUSED FORUM
Roofing topics from mental wellness to sexual health, Nectar's community Q&A feature allows you to encounter the questions other members are request on the platform, and take them answered by the experts (which forums tend to exist lacking in).
This helps y'all connect with women facing similar concerns such as fertility issues and anxieties around egg freezing in Singapore for medical reasons.
Said Dr Low: "Through active community engagement and research, we discovered that many women require a unique back up organisation to assist them along their wellness and wellness journey."
IF Y'all WANT TO Showtime A CONVERSATION ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE Liberty FOR WOMEN
It's not all virtually finding the right product to cater to your intimate care needs. Telehealth services can help create conversations nearly sensitive issues likewise.
To that end, Dear Doc has expanded its telehealth offerings beyond just birth control solutions to also include sexual wellness counselling. Said Honey Dr.'south Dwivedi, "Every woman deserves the right to map out her life and health goals every bit she sees fit, and have access to the required tools that empower her to brand those a reality."
And for women who adopt to run into a female person md, Beloved Doc has an all-women medical team.
The telehealth services are besides reaching out to more women through social media. Ease Healthcare has a TikTok how-to series showing you how to accurately paste a birth control patch, as well every bit what your vaginal discharge may be telling you.
READ:How Singapore healthcare experts are using TikTok to achieve out to more patients
Similarly, Zoey is too providing insights from the experts through a blog serial explaining how each type of birth command pill works, its side furnishings and the risks involved.
Ferne Wellness too helps interruption down circuitous topics such as protecting yourself from STI and how to prepare for your pap smear appointment, on their Instagram.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/women/telehealth-online-services-women-singapore-birth-control-269876
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