Groupon is now offering at-home STD tests.
The site recently posted a deal for myLAB Box. For a mere $49, you can test for gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV and trichomoniasis at home. The test will come to buyers in a discreet package. In five minutes, you collect your biological sample and send it back to the company. Within a few days, you can get your results online.
If you test positive for any of the STDs, the site will give a notice that trained STD counselors and doctors are there to offer guidance and counseling as well as a treatment plan for free.
Is the Groupon $49 deal a good deal? Here’s what you need to do: STD tests can be done by a local clinic or doctor’s office for less than $49. Results of an STD test come back in minutes, which means you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’ve been infected. If you test positive for HIV, the counselor will be on hand to help you process the information.
If you find out via the Internet that you’re positive for this STD, it can be quite scary to call the number on the box to talk to someone about it.
What if you’re positive for other STDs? You’ll need to treatment, which is why it’s best to seek a test from a medical professional instead of a Groupon deal.
What Groupon is offering is a convenience deal, but finding out that you have HIV, chlamydia or any other STD through an online result can be less than convenient. If you’re worried about privacy, you don’t have to tell anyone why you need to see the doctor. And, if you’re concerned about the stigma that comes from STD checkups, maybe you shouldn’t be having sex.
Written by Mark Riegel, MD
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