Getting sexual and reproductive health services can be…awkward. The whole process of going to the doctor, getting up on that table, and talking about your sex life can be enough to make even a seasoned sex educator blush. But luckily, there’s a way you can get your birth control and sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests without having to look another person in the face: telehealth.
It’s safe to say everyone’s lives have been upended by the coronavirus. But what happens when your sex life starts to disappear because of it? If you’re quarantined with your partner, it can be easy for people to assume you’re getting it on the regular. You’re home more often than usual with all those opportunities to have sex in the kitchen, on the couch, and maybe even in the bed. But these aren’t exactly regular times, are they? And plenty of people are finding that despite having more opportunities to do so, they just don’t want to have sex right now. So how do you get back in the groove if the pandemic is wrecking your libido?
No one likes getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). You have to talk about your sex life with a stranger. (Or, worse, the same health care provider your mom goes to.) You have to make time for, schedule, and go to an appointment. Then you have to have swabs and/or blood taken, neither of which is at the top of anyone’s “fun things to do” list. But in the age of telemedicine, a few companies are making it easier than ever to get tested.
You know when you go to your health care provider the first time and they make you sign that form about HIPAA? If you’re like many people, you probably didn’t take the time to read it all the way through. But HIPAA—which stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act—is actually a really important law that protects your privacy, among other things.
From rural America to the most urban cities, telehealth is gaining in popularity. People are getting skin conditions checked out, getting their birth control prescriptions filled, and even ordering tests for sexually transmitted infections. But because it’s such a new phenomenon, people have a lot of questions. Perhaps the biggest one? How much does it cost—and will insurance cover it?