Are STI Home Test Kits Reliable?

Since 2020, there has been an increase in the availability of at-home test kits for sexually transmitted infections here, but how accurate and safe are these products? We speak with the brands and healthcare experts to find out.

- Samantha David

Even today, the topic of sexually transmitted infections (STI) can be hard to broach – but perceptions seem to be slowly changing, and it’s becoming increasingly acceptable to talk about sex and, by extension, sexual health.

On Tiktok, public figures such as Jenelle Marie Pierce, creator of The STI Project – a US-based movement that focuses on breaking the STI stigma – promote STI awareness and education, targeting Gen Zers. And closer to home, Something Private – a podcast on everything related to women’s health – launched in 2019 when Singapore kicked off its first national immunisation programme for human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common STI with types that could possibly lead to cervical cancer.

In the past couple of years, there has been a subtle shift in how we discuss sexual health. Brands like Ease Healthcare and Ferne Health have also popped up in Singapore, possibly offering easier access to sexual healthcare.

Aside from some key differences – Ease Healthcare is dedicated to the entire women’s health ecosystem (from support networks to period tracking tools, for example), while Ferne Health caters to males and females, and also the LGBTQ+ community – both are platforms that deliver STI test kits directly to your doorstep, and depending the type of kit purchased, they can be either be self-administered through vaginal swabs or urine samples, or through an assisted blood sample collection with the aid of a licensed phlebotomist. Cost-wise, starting prices for STI at-home test kits are similar for both brands ($49 for Ease Healthcare, and $46 for Ferne Health).

THERE HAS BEEN A SUBTLE SHIFT IN HOW WE DISCUSS SEXUAL HEALTH.