MY $609 STD TEST (lol)

to all my sexually active girlies (and boyies)

please get tested regularly !! please !!

if you haven’t gotten the hpv vaccine, i HIGHLY recommend it - even though it is most effective prior to first sexual contact (yes this includes oral and anal play), it is still WORTH getting the vaccine after because you can protect yourself from the subtypes that have not been transmitted yet

—

why did i pay $609 for my std test?

i initially made an appointment at dsc (department of STI control) clinic, which is a subsidised clinic under the national skin centre that caters to sexual health related matters.

as expected from subsidised public healthcare, there is a waiting period for the appointment slot, and i managed to get an appointment 3 weeks after my first email (they just offer you the earliest available appointment). as i was unable to make it for the scheduled slot, i had to call the hotline during working hours to reschedule the appointment.

and on the day of the appointment, i woke up late and missed the appointment 🥲🥲🥲

as my off days were very limited, i decided to just try my luck to walk into any private clinic on the same day of my missed appointment. i was already in town and had a tight schedule, so i was mainly looking for clinics in orchard/somerset area. i tried to contact other clinics but unfortunately there was either no slot available or the consult fee was $1xx… and that is how i ended up at dtap 🫡

the doctor available on that day was a male doctor (female doctors require prior appointments), which i was ok with so i just walked in and told the receptionist i was here for std testing. the dr asked all necessary questions very professionally (including types of sex, protection, last sexual contact) and based on the answers, recommended me the essential package + add on for an additional site. (ie. if you had vaginal and oral sex, you are recommended to test both areas whether a not protection was used. if you also had anal sex, it would be three sites. just because you don’t have gonorrhoea in ur vag doesn’t mean it’s not in ur mouth!!)

firstly the doctor took bloods for hiv/syphilis screening. then if needed, oral swab will be done before moving on to genital swabs. the whole process was painless and quick. personally i wasn’t fearful of the swabs but if you are, the doctor was very patient and explained every step clearly, so there were no surprises.

then i paid and left 💸

results were out 2 days later. an e report was sent to my email - happy to share that i’m clear (for now lol). i’m assuming if there was any abnormalities, the doctor will contact you during working hours to advise accordingly.

—

personally i feel that the dtap package was not very comprehensive (eg. does not offer hepatitis testing) - for those who are not aware of their hepatitis titre, i highly recommend checking as we can get hep B booster shots. the test also didn’t test for herpes sooo.. for the price, i wouldn’t recommend going to dtap.

📍dsc clinic is for sure the most affordable option, and would be a great option for those not in a rush/don’t need treatment. otherwise, googling “sti test singapore” would come out with many options. personally i would probably visit 📍cross street medical clinic if i wished to visit a private clinic, otherwise ill try harder to wake up on time for my scheduled appointment 🥲

as usual, hmu if you have any questions/concerns! get tested regularly and have safe sex everyone 🫶

#GirlTalk #RealTalk #sexualhealth #std