Sexual healthcare for sex workers

[sexyhuman]

Hey everyone--
I'm Daphne, and I'm new to ACF. I am the co-CEO of a healthcare startup called tbd health (www.tbd.health). tbd health is women-owned and operated-- we are re-imagining the way women and vagina-owners manage their sexual healthcare by providing tools like at-home STD/STI screening kits. These kits are as reliable as traditional screening, 60% cheaper, much more convenient, and most importantly-- tbd's virtual clinical care team is sex-positive, sensitivity-trained, and trauma-aware. We are looking to learn more about whether their services will work for sex workers.

We are running a survey to learn more about what sex workers / cam models' sexual health needs are. Are you open to taking the survey for us? It will take less than 7 min of your time and we are offering the chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card to anyone that participates. You can find the survey here: https://q1vrtqkzbb8.typeform.com/to/Dpcq10gK

Please feel free to DM me if you have any questions at all.

Have a great day- Daphne

 

[Smores]

Webcam models do not have real-world sex with their customers. It is all fantasy-based and through the Internet. So there is not a good product-market fit for what you do. Real-life couples broadcast together, but again that is not a good fit to your product.

There are porn studios in countries like Venezuela / Columbia that broadcast group sex on sites like CB, and the performers appear to be at risk, with lots of casual unprotected multi-partner sex. No doubt they have some testing done in house and would want to save money on testing. But these are poor South American countries and maybe hard for you to market to.

 

[LaceyRoyce]

Webcam models do not have real-world sex with their customers. It is all fantasy-based and through the Internet. So there is not a good product-market fit for what you do. Real-life couples broadcast together, but again that is not a good fit to your product.

There are porn studios in countries like Venezuela / Columbia that broadcast group sex on sites like CB, and the performers appear to be at risk, with lots of casual unprotected multi-partner sex. No doubt they have some testing done in house and would want to save money on testing. But these are poor South American countries and maybe hard for you to market to.

Sexual health needs are not just for people who have sex with their customers. Plenty of camgirls and content creators here do shows with others and plenty of camgirls also do fssw. I've had to have awkward discussions with my gyno about sex toys, girl/girl shows etc. I've had Dr's assume I was high risk. Etc.

 

[LaceyRoyce]

Took the survey. Lots of industry specific questions about stuff like the PASS system and TTS. All stuff that's relevant to me and my work as well as others on this forum @Smores. A good alternative to talent testing would be beneficial for this industry IMO so I'm excited to see where this goes.

 

[h2ohboy]

I have to agree with @Smores.
(imo) 85% camming is solo, 6% is with a known exclusive partner, 2% non-exclusive known partner, 3% is with known multiples(if there is such thing), and 2% is the party/multiple/gang rape rooms.
I did notice that one of the questions in the survey mentioned if you are a Cam Model, and if this product was available, would you perform with more partners? What I said before.
Right now, it is only available for the owners of vaginas because it uses a vaginal swab. They are working on other types of tests.

 

[LaceyRoyce]

I have to agree with @Smores.
(imo) 85% camming is solo, 6% is with a known exclusive partner, 2% non-exclusive known partner, 3% is with known multiples(if there is such thing), and 2% is the party/multiple/gang rape rooms.
I did notice that one of the questions in the survey mentioned if you are a Cam Model, and if this product was available, would you perform with more partners? What I said before.
Right now, it is only available for the owners of vaginas because it uses a vaginal swab. They are working on other types of tests.

... but this forum doesn't just have cam models on it. Many of us do clips, porn, stripping or escorting on the side.

I'm so lost on why anyone would think more inclusive testing options for sex workers would be a bad thing to advertise here

 

[AudriTwo]

Cammodels work with other cammodels. I've seen so many models perform with others without getting tested. This is a very valuable service.

Where I used to live, I had to go to the county health department and wait 3 weeks for my results. It wasn't rural, but there wasn't a lot of options for STI screening other than doctor's office. Very inconvenient.

I started filling out your survey and am excited for this service. Hella much needed.

 

[Marceline]

I have to agree with @Smores.
(imo) 85% camming is solo, 6% is with a known exclusive partner, 2% non-exclusive known partner, 3% is with known multiples(if there is such thing), and 2% is the party/multiple/gang rape rooms.
I did notice that one of the questions in the survey mentioned if you are a Cam Model, and if this product was available, would you perform with more partners? What I said before.
Right now, it is only available for the owners of vaginas because it uses a vaginal swab. They are working on other types of tests.

There's a lot of cam models who normally perform solo that have collaborated with other models from time to time. It's not uncommon at all. Before collaborating, even if it's just two independent models making videos or doing cam shows from one of their homes, most models will want to see a negative STD/STI panel from whoever they're collaborating with. And if they're not, then they should. Sexual health and getting tested when having new partners is important.

Also, OP didn't say just cam model opinions, she also asked for sex worker opinions, which embodies a lot more than just camming.

I don't see why male (I'm assuming) members feel the need to comment negatively on a valuable service geared towards giving women/vagina havers access to better sexual health services. I'll tell you straight up, it has not been easy getting seen for routine health services, especially sexual health services, in the last year. I live in a fairly big city that has multiple clinics and with all the Covid restrictions it's tough getting an appointment. You usually have to wait awhile to get one, and some places require a virtual appointment before you can even be seen in person. I can only imagine that it would be much harder in cities that aren't as populated as where I live. Another thing, there's a lot of clinics that aren't exactly sex positive and it can be awkward having to explain what you do for work to someone who is sitting there silently judging you. Having access to not just at home STD/STI kits, but also to a sex positive virtual clinic, is an amazing thing. I'm happy that this healthcare company exists and I hope they do extremely well, because despite what you two members think, I believe a lot of sex workers, including cam models, will greatly benefit from their services.

 

[Danigirl]

Lol love how members are giving their negative opinion on something that has nothing to do with them while the ladies here actually appreciate and want it. You don't have to be a full service sex worker to find this a valuable service. Even normal Dr offices can make women uncomfortable asking or talking about intimate issues. Having a service that is comfortable with the sex worker community can take down that barrier which means issues can be addressed faster. Women still need compassionate and professional care.

 

[Brit]

Hey everyone--
I'm Daphne, and I'm new to ACF. I am the co-CEO of a healthcare startup called tbd health (www.tbd.health). tbd health is women-owned and operated-- we are re-imagining the way women and vagina-owners manage their sexual healthcare by providing tools like at-home STD/STI screening kits. These kits are as reliable as traditional screening, 60% cheaper, much more convenient, and most importantly-- tbd's virtual clinical care team is sex-positive, sensitivity-trained, and trauma-aware. We are looking to learn more about whether their services will work for sex workers.

We are running a survey to learn more about what sex workers / cam models' sexual health needs are. Are you open to taking the survey for us? It will take less than 7 min of your time and we are offering the chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card to anyone that participates. You can find the survey here: https://q1vrtqkzbb8.typeform.com/to/Dpcq10gK

Please feel free to DM me if you have any questions at all.

Have a great day- Daphne

Many people here are not in the US. Is this service not going to be available to other countries?

 

[AmberCutie]

Hey everyone--
I'm Daphne, and I'm new to ACF. I am the co-CEO of a healthcare startup called tbd health (www.tbd.health). tbd health is women-owned and operated-- we are re-imagining the way women and vagina-owners manage their sexual healthcare by providing tools like at-home STD/STI screening kits. These kits are as reliable as traditional screening, 60% cheaper, much more convenient, and most importantly-- tbd's virtual clinical care team is sex-positive, sensitivity-trained, and trauma-aware. We are looking to learn more about whether their services will work for sex workers.

We are running a survey to learn more about what sex workers / cam models' sexual health needs are. Are you open to taking the survey for us? It will take less than 7 min of your time and we are offering the chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card to anyone that participates. You can find the survey here: https://q1vrtqkzbb8.typeform.com/to/Dpcq10gK

Please feel free to DM me if you have any questions at all.

Have a great day- Daphne

We are glad to have you here, please ignore the members' comments in this thread. Hopefully you get some good info for your survey.

 

[CornerStone_]

That sounds like an amazing service and initiative for anyone, sex worker or not. There's nothing worse than having to answer 120 super personal questions to a very judgmental nurse every 6 months and have them stare you down, so I don't understand why some people seem to think it's a bad idea

 

[h2ohboy]

Ladies. I apologize if I came across as negative or against this (if I was implied). I think this is a great help for those that don't have access or are uncomfortable in other situations or settings.
Being male had nothing to do with my comment. I had been using a Planned Parenthood clinic for my screenings before I landed a "day job" with some bennies.
I don't even want to think about the emotions that I have witnessed, felt, and shared at that clinic for many obvious reasons.
As a male, it is more of a comical/serious thing to the ladies at the clinic when I arrive for my appointments. I know there is such an ignorant double standard; Oh what a stud as compared to what a whore.

and you are definitely correct @Marceline and @Danigirl, the OP was not just targeting Cam Models' opinions, she was also looking for "sex worker" opinions which i did not and
could not elaborate on since I don't know that side of the Industry. EDITED TO INCLUDE: @Miss_Lollipop

The only negative I see about it and completely left out of my comment was "PRICING". (I apologize)
200 bucks is a bit pricey and might make one question if that price is worth a little discomfort?
I'm sure/hope in the future, that many other clinics and Docs and Techs become a worldwide network, that can reduce the cost for interested clients and become available in other countries.
Penis owners will also be included in the future when they expand their means of obtaining and testing submitted samples.

 

[SaffronBurke]

Webcam models do not have real-world sex with their customers. It is all fantasy-based and through the Internet. So there is not a good product-market fit for what you do. Real-life couples broadcast together, but again that is not a good fit to your product.

There are porn studios in countries like Venezuela / Columbia that broadcast group sex on sites like CB, and the performers appear to be at risk, with lots of casual unprotected multi-partner sex. No doubt they have some testing done in house and would want to save money on testing. But these are poor South American countries and maybe hard for you to market to.

This is actually a great fit. It's considered a basic courtesy to get tested before shooting or streaming with other models. I've literally gone to Planned Parenthood, said "I'm doing a porn shoot, I need a full panel done", but then all they would test me for was gonorrhea and chlamydia, because since I'm a lesbian and hadn't had any new partners in years beforehand, I wasn't "high risk enough" to warrant testing for anything else. A service like this would make my life LOADS easier.

 

[Lelo1]

How will privacy be insured?
Who will have access to the data, and for what purposes?
Will result be shared with the community?

 

[AudriTwo]

and you are definitely correct @Marceline and @Danigirl, the OP was not just targeting Cam Models' opinions, she was also looking for "sex worker" opinions which i did not and
could not elaborate on since I don't know that side of the Industry. EDITED TO INCLUDE: @Miss_Lollipop

sex worker is an umbrella term. it applies to people who's work involves sexually explicit behavior.

 

[h2ohboy]

sex worker is an umbrella term. it applies to people who's work involves sexually explicit behavior.

I understand that. I go back to a day that included phone rooms to be used for 1-900 calls. LOL

 

[LaceyRoyce]

Ladies. I apologize if I came across as negative or against this (if I was implied). I think this is a great help for those that don't have access or are uncomfortable in other situations or settings.
Being male had nothing to do with my comment. I had been using a Planned Parenthood clinic for my screenings before I landed a "day job" with some bennies.
I don't even want to think about the emotions that I have witnessed, felt, and shared at that clinic for many obvious reasons.
As a male, it is more of a comical/serious thing to the ladies at the clinic when I arrive for my appointments. I know there is such an ignorant double standard; Oh what a stud as compared to what a whore.

and you are definitely correct @Marceline and @Danigirl, the OP was not just targeting Cam Models' opinions, she was also looking for "sex worker" opinions which i did not and
could not elaborate on since I don't know that side of the Industry. EDITED TO INCLUDE: @Miss_Lollipop

The only negative I see about it and completely left out of my comment was "PRICING". (I apologize)
200 bucks is a bit pricey and might make one question if that price is worth a little discomfort?
I'm sure/hope in the future, that many other clinics and Docs and Techs become a worldwide network, that can reduce the cost for interested clients and become available in other countries.
Penis owners will also be included in the future when they expand their means of obtaining and testing submitted samples.

I thought it was negative because you agreed w smores and his take was negative/bad fit for this forum

The actual product may or may not fit cam models and sex workers but the survey is the right fit for this forum was what I was trying to convey. I like they are asking sex workers what they need.

Regarding pricing: talent testing if I do it anywhere other than Miami, LA or Vegas is I think $130+a draw fee of 30-40 usually. I guess they're trying to be in that range but offer the at home convenience as a plus.

I agree tho...if it was the same cost as talent testing at a non tts lab and was accepted by my Co performers I'd be very willing to use it.

Though before I had a car the lab I used was $30 uber so it came to like 200 all told...

 

[Emberblaze]

Webcam models do not have real-world sex with their customers. It is all fantasy-based and through the Internet. So there is not a good product-market fit for what you do. Real-life couples broadcast together, but again that is not a good fit to your product.

There are porn studios in countries like Venezuela / Columbia that broadcast group sex on sites like CB, and the performers appear to be at risk, with lots of casual unprotected multi-partner sex. No doubt they have some testing done in house and would want to save money on testing. But these are poor South American countries and maybe hard for you to market to.

Pardon me?
I have genitals and therefore need access to sexual health stuff even though the only penis that's been inside of me in 7 years is my bfs.

Not to mention plenty of other sex workers work with other sex workers, have sex with people in their free time, escort etc.

Even if I didn't have sex with anyone sexual and reproductive health services are important to me. Even a solo model that is abstinent may experience things they don't want to discuss with their primary care provider like increased yeast infections or UTI's from prolonged play etc. because of stigma around sex work.

 

[Emberblaze]

Also I'm Canadian so I can't fill this out but if you do further surveys for non US based models I would be happy to fill it out.

 

[Smores]

I can eagerly endorse the idea that every person should have access to cheap and accurate testing for diseases that can be sexually communicated. I would just broaden the scope because I did not see that being specific to webcam modeling.

@sexyhuman Have you looked at the idea of using microarray testing to create a test panel that would look for dozens of diseases at a very low price? Microarray allows one sample to be screened using specialized test chips, so that one test can look for even hundreds of conditions. See what Vibrant Wellness has done using microarray to look for autoimmune conditions.

Something that really bothers me for sexual disease testing is that there are dozens of viruses and bacteria that can be easily transmitted, yet no one ever tests for them. For example, there are at least six variants of Herpes, including seldom-tested variants like Epstein-Barr (EBV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). lf there were a cheap-enough test that looked for all of these variants along with the usual suspects there are many of us who might want to take that once a year even when we did not have any known risk factors.

 

[AudriTwo]

Shut up smores.

 

[Danigirl]

I can eagerly endorse the idea that every person should have access to cheap and accurate testing for diseases that can be sexually communicated. I would just broaden the scope because I did not see that being specific to webcam modeling.

@sexyhuman Have you looked at the idea of using microarray testing to create a test panel that would look for dozens of diseases at a very low price? Microarray allows one sample to be screened using specialized test chips, so that one test can look for even hundreds of conditions. See what Vibrant Wellness has done using microarray to look for autoimmune conditions.

Something that really bothers me for sexual disease testing is that there are dozens of viruses and bacteria that can be easily transmitted, yet no one ever tests for them. For example, there are at least six variants of Herpes, including seldom-tested variants like Epstein-Barr (EBV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). lf there were a cheap-enough test that looked for all of these variants along with the usual suspects there are many of us who might want to take that once a year even when we did not have any known risk factors.

Just stop. This isn't for or about you.

 

[Carmita Bonita]

I appreciate how seamless, knowledgeable & inclusive the survey was too!

 

[CornerStone_]

Something that really bothers me for sexual disease testing is that there are dozens of viruses and bacteria that can be easily transmitted, yet no one ever tests for them. For example, there are at least six variants of Herpes, including seldom-tested variants like Epstein-Barr (EBV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). lf there were a cheap-enough test that looked for all of these variants along with the usual suspects there are many of us who might want to take that once a year even when we did not have any known risk factors.

They test for pathogens that are actually significant, that aren't found in almost everyone, that can have a profound impact, and that we know are not part of the normal microbial community. It's not laziness or anything, it's just not spending 12000$ to test 1 person to get the same amount of significant information that 200$ of testing would have given.

To use your example, there are 9 herpesvirus that can infect human, and of those 7 who primarily uses human as hosts. They don't test for them because they are so easily transmitted that everyone has them already.
About 90% of adults are positive for epstein barr.
Between 60 and 100% of the population is positive for cytomegalovirus depending on the region. They sometimes do test pregnant mothers for active CMV infections because that is when it can actually be dangerous to the baby.
Roseolovirus and varicella zoster are positive in like 99% of the population.
Sure you could test for them but those test are a total waste of money since almost everyone will be positive to all four.
Kaposi could be a target but it's so misunderstood and unless you couple it with an immunodeficiency it almost never causes any trouble, so we don't test because we don't know the significance of it.
This leaves the 2 herpes simplex among the human endemic viruses, and again 2/3 of the world is positive for HSV-1 which makes testing rather pointless.
HSV-2 is the only herpes virus not always tested for that could maybe be beneficial since the prevalence is only 12-15%, although only a fraction of those are actually contagious past the initial infection. The stigma associated with the diagnosis and the risk of false positive is why you usually have to ask for them specifically to be included.
As for the relevant HPVs and Hep A and Hep B, you should be vaccinated, so routine testing is pointless.

Sorry for the technical speak, I get carried away sometimes when people talk nonsense about my babies (i'm a virologist by training and sometimes I think of viruses as my babies. I know it's sad and geeky )

And sorry also for not minding my own business, I just can't help myself sometimes

 

[cbhours]

The only negative I see about it and completely left out of my comment was "PRICING". (I apologize)
200 bucks is a bit pricey and might make one question if that price is worth a little discomfort?
I'm sure/hope in the future, that many other clinics and Docs and Techs become a worldwide network, that can reduce the cost for interested clients and become available in other countries.
Penis owners will also be included in the future when they expand their means of obtaining and testing submitted samples.

when you add to cart its 141.75 which is similar to everlywell.com's STD test though everlywell often has promos to bring it down further.

 

[h2ohboy]

when you add to cart its 141.75 which is similar to everlywell.com's STD test though everlywell often has promos to bring it down further.

I guess overall it is going to cost a bit. The Family Planning clinic I used to go to had a sliding scale for those that had an income.
I don't remember exact numbers, but for example: If you made 1000 bucks a month you only paid 20 bucks. If you made 2000 a month it was 40 bucks.
Of course no income, it was free and there were many times, "I had no income".

 

[Smores]

They test for pathogens that are actually significant, that aren't found in almost everyone, that can have a profound impact, and that we know are not part of the normal microbial community. It's not laziness or anything, it's just not spending 12000$ to test 1 person to get the same amount of significant information that 200$ of testing would have given.

Thank you for all of the good points that you make throughout your response, but you miss the point. Microarray testing allows you to do $25K of testing for under $200, because you are reducing everything to a programmed microarray that tests simultaneously on the same sample. If you look at what Vibrant is doing with rare autoimmune diseases, it is amazing. A single neurological autoimmune test is looking for dozens of conditions that would each individually cost more than the entire Vibrant test array costs. As long as you get incremental diseases tested for "free", why not test them?

You are right that many humans have many Herpes viruses. Personally, I am one of those rare individuals who does not have EBV. Even if I have a committed partner, it is useful for us to know what each of us had before the relationship started, and what changes during the relationship. If you are not paying any additional money for the extra information, why object to that, as long as anyone gets value from it?

You should never presume that a given individual - maybe outside the porn industry where some studios might make it a job requirement - has every vaccination. Getting Hep A/B/C status is a no brainer, as long as it does not cost extra money.

I would agree with your approach if the extra testing cost extra money. The whole point of my post was to encourage them to look at microarrays as a way of breaking through the cost barrier and opening up much wider testing for not-much-extra money.

 

[AudriTwo]

 

[CornerStone_]

Thank you for all of the good points that you make throughout your response, but you miss the point. Microarray testing allows you to do $25K of testing for under $200, because you are reducing everything to a programmed microarray that tests simultaneously on the same sample. If you look at what Vibrant is doing with rare autoimmune diseases, it is amazing. A single neurological autoimmune test is looking for dozens of conditions that would each individually cost more than the entire Vibrant test array costs. As long as you get incremental diseases tested for "free", why not test them?

I pmed you the details because it's derailing too much from such a nice topic ^_^
But the gist is: First, you cannot compare auto-immune to infectious disease testing.
Most STDs have different testing procedures and relies on different principles and from different sample types, and that means you would need between 3 and 6 chips at a minimum depending on how thorough you are to actually test for STDs, making the use of chips way more expensive than testing them individually, with little to no benefits for the vast vast majority of people.
To use Vibrant as an example, they have a 27 pathogen chip that looks for DNA in stool sample (with a 5% false negative rate!!!! which is enormous for STDs), but then they also have a chip that only looks for lyme disease (that is I think only 80-85% sensitive), so it's really disease/pathogen dependent.