Despite my commitment to never going back to school, I have recently been taking a lot of tests. However, these tests don’t involve cramming the night before. Okay, well, I guess technically cramming is involved but it’s a very different kind of cramming, and honestly, if you’re cramming things in the bedroom, you might want to take a step back and reevaluate the situation.
Needless to say, the tests I’ve been taking are of the STD variety. You may have read my review of the Crown Heights Sexual Health Clinic a few months back but recently I learned of a new way to keep yourself safe and tested: myLAB Box.
According to the company, myLAB Box is a first-of-its-kind service that delivers STD screening solutions to your doorstep allowing you to keep private things private. While I’ve done a fair share of things to my pussy, I’ve never tested it for things beyond the scope of UTIs and babies, both which involve the easy (yet messy!) task of peeing on a thing. What would I have to do to test other things? And what other things could be tested myself?
Well, if you use myLAB Box, a lot! The at-home tests included on the site include chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, genital herpes, hepatitis B, syphilis, hepatitis C, and everyone’s favorite, HPV. Some are combined into combination boxes like the V-Box which includes tests for all things vagina: yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. Or the Boomer Box which tests for common STDs and hepatitis C. According to the site, hepatitis C has a 40% prevalence in the “Baby Boomers”(born from 1945-1965). Plus, there are boxes specific to fertility and hemoglobin levels or gluten sensitivity.
So who’s behind the box?
Lora Ivanova, the CEO of myLAB, used to work at an e-commerce retailer, second-largest to Amazon in global sales. Not exactly ‘sexy’ but she says “I had worked passionately to help provide positive shopping experiences for millions and with myLAB Box, I saw an opportunity to do this in a sector that truly made an impact - healthcare. I wondered, why was it that in the age of convenience which affected everything from consumer goods to dating was healthcare failing to adapt?”
Lora’s upbringing in Europe, focused on regular checkups, self-care, and wellness education, had her questioning how “with less than 15 days between vacation and sick time a year, when are Americans supposed to find the time for an exam?” As someone who’s wondered about ‘something weird going on down there’, I agree that the added time and cost making and waiting for an appointment to get it checked could certainly add to the stress.
I am fortunate to live in a city with doctor options out the ass; Urgent Cares, Planned Parenthoods, etc., an appointment is usually just a quick train ride away. myLAB Box is not meant to replace those. Ivanova says, “We consider free clinics a vital part of our care ecosystem but they remain limited by geography and funding, which as we know has been an acute challenge to scaling their reach.” We’ve seen the news: Planned Parenthood taking cuts, medical services becoming harder in certain states. “We need an alternative that can reach every household regardless of income, gender, age or location.” says Ivanova.
So what does a myLAB Box cost?
Well, each box is priced differently, but on the site, myLAB provides an at-a-glance view of how the boxes compare to the services of other providers.
By selling direct to consumers, myLAB box says they can offer exceptional service at half the cost of conventional lab tests. Not to mention, the extra benefit of reducing the fear and stigma some face when getting tested, could be considered priceless. If you do test positive for anything, myLAB offers access to free telemedicine consultations, claiming to work with some of the best experts in the United States. This also includes the added convenience of prescriptions. “It's that simple.” says Ivanova.
Would myLAB Box be the simple solution for my own box? I was about to find out...