May 4, 2016 • 45 mins
The future of sexual health may be in at-home STD testing. Cristen and Caroline talk to My Lab Box startup founders Lora Ivanova and Ursula Hessenflow about how technology can destigmatize STD testing and what it's like for female founders raising venture capital for a culturally taboo product.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you looking for brand new episodes of a short
How Stuff Works podcast that explains the everyday world around us,
then check out brain Stuff with me Christian Sager. New
episodes hit every Monday and Wednesday on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify,
or anywhere else you get your podcasts. Welcome to stuff
(00:22):
Mob never told you from how Stuff Works dot Com. Hello,
and welcome to the podcast. I'm Kristen and I'm Caroline.
And Caroline, let's just start this episode on a really
personal note. Okay, let's talk about getting tested for STDs. Yeah. Absolutely,
(00:44):
Do you remember the first time you were tested? And
I realized this is so unfair because I'm asking you
the question first. No, I don't remember the first time
I got tested, but I do get tested every year
at my kind of collegist appointment. Um, the don't remember
either the very first time that I was tested. It
was probably at my gynecologist annual way back in the day.
(01:08):
But I do clearly remember when I moved to Atlanta
and I started seeing this fabulous O B g U
I N who I still see, and um I was
single ready to mingle and we were talking about all
that stuff and it was time for me to check
the boxes of what, um, what testing I wanted to do,
(01:31):
and she said, in the most non judgmental, unslept shamy
kind of way, Kristen, just take the whole panel. And
I was like, okay, you know, Doc, I know you're
not judging me, you were just looking out for my
well being. I will take the whole panel. And it
is a tiny ventnor racking when you take the whole panel,
(01:54):
because you're like like waiting for that phone call, you know. Um.
But then I all, so remember flash forward to when
I ended up in my current monogamous relationship, and we've
been together for a while and I had been through
you know, I've been of course tested again, and um.
(02:14):
One of the last times I went in, I was like,
so what, you know, what all? What all should I
get checked out? And she was like, I don't think
you need the full panel. And I was like, oh
my gosh, wow, I guess things have really gotten serious
wonderful between me and my gynecologist that it is not
me and my now fiance. But I mean, how would
(02:35):
how would she know just based on the fact that
you've been in a long term monogamous relationship. Yeah, I
mean I'd had the same sexual partner for a long
time now. Of course, that did not take into account
whether he possibly was fooling around behind my back, which
is actually a really common way that women contract STDs UM.
(02:57):
But thankfully he he wasn't. Yeah, good considering you just yeah,
you went in for your hairstyling appointment today for your wedding. Yeah, listeners,
imagine me in a lot of regal braids, yeah, which
probabalys sounds. It sounds like I've got like a little
house in the prairie look going on right now. Yeah,
(03:20):
and a crown it's real weird. Yeah, yeah, and the
prairie dresses also throwing now. Yeah, it's kind of like,
um glamorous Laura angles Wilder. Well, so people are like,
I'm not sure based on what they've said what they're
talking about today. We are talking about as TD testing,
that's right, And that's because we met these two incredible women,
(03:43):
these two business owners Laura Ivanova and Ursula Hessan Flow
when we were out at south By Southwest, and these
women have co founded the company my lab Box to
make STD testing easier. You can do it in the
privacy of your own home. I mean everybody's ordering their
groceries and their books online. Why can't you order your
(04:04):
STD tests online? Yet? Even your tampons can come to
your door. Of Sminty sponsor Lola um And in our
previous episode on women in HIV, we talked a lot
about how STDs and HIV are still very much things
that exists, Like, there's no reason for us to stop
(04:28):
having safe sex, even though we are having unprotected sex
way more often than we used to. And as a
result of that, rates of STDs like clamidia have risen. Yeah,
that's right. So let's give you a little bit of
a stat rundown because it wouldn't be a Sminty episode
without some statistics, c d statistics. That's right, Okay, So
(04:52):
this information is coming from the CDC. It's data the
most recent available, and when you look at clamidia, we
see an increase of two point eight percent between two
thousand thirteen and fourteen. I feel like at Ganaha that
rate went up five point one percent between ten and
(05:14):
it's sort of a crazy jump for syphilis, which has
jumped fifteen point one percent since. Man, you never want
syphilis jumping around. No, you don't want to be in
a bouncy castle with syphilis um and if we look
though at gneria and clamidia, this is primarily affecting younger people,
(05:35):
the kids these days as they call them, UM and
surveillance data from the CDC shows both the numbers and
rates of reported cases of clamidia and ganoia continues to
be the highest among folks fifteen to twenty four years old,
and both young men and young women are heavily affected
by these STDs, but women face the most serious long
(05:58):
term health concert a quences, and it's estimated that undiagnosed
STDs cause more than twenty tho women to become infertile
each year. Because let's remember, what is it. Up to
eighty percent of STDs can be asymptomatic. That's right. So
even if you don't feel like you're at risk, if
(06:19):
you feel like you've been safe, if you feel like
your partners have been safe, that doesn't really mean that
you shouldn't be tested. Saying we're never safe, We're never safe.
Clamytia is lurking around the corner in a trench coat.
She's always eavesdropping, Oh clammy, And going back to syphilis,
the CDC also highlights gay and bisexual men as being
(06:41):
the most affected. Um, it's increasing at the greatest rate
among those groups, so fifteen point one percent inten And
while rates have increased among men and women of all stripes, guys,
you account for more than all primary and secondary syphilis cases. Yeah,
(07:03):
And I mean syphilis has some pretty gnarly side effects
if you don't treat it, things like visual impairment and stroke,
it puts you at a higher risk for acquiring HIV.
I mean, the stuff is serious. And the CDC pointed
out some of the things that affect these rising STD rates.
And I mean, as our guests will point out when
(07:24):
we talk to them, you can potentially have sex just
one time and get an STD that one time you
have sex. But uh, individual risk behaviors like higher numbers
of partners over a lifetime contribute to that higher STD rate. Uh,
in addition to environmental, social and cultural factors like higher
prevalence of STDs in your community and or friend group,
(07:47):
or difficulty accessing healthcare. I mean, socio economic factors are
huge when it comes to health in general, but also
getting tested for your sexual health. And we've talked about
these statistics of the STDs that we know about, there's
also this issue of undiagnosed STDs and this info was
(08:09):
cited over web MD from report. So as for chlamydia,
this new government report estimates set around four hundred thousand
Americans probably have it but don't know it. And again,
women tend to be at a higher risk of harboring
these asymptomatic infections according to the U S National Center
(08:32):
for HIV and AIDS um and when it comes to
girls and boys, the chlamydia infection rate is highest among
sexually active girls between fourteen and nineteen years old at
six point four percent, and the rate among sexually active
boys between fourteen and nineteen is two point four percent.
(08:53):
And the researchers also took race into account. The rate
of chlamydia among sexually active black team girls is eighteen
points six percent compared with three point two percent among
sexually active white teen girls. So there are so many
layers and plus when it comes to getting diagnosed or
you know, getting tested, or being afraid to being afraid
to even broach the subject with your doctors, you also
(09:15):
have to take into account those added layers of homophobia
and transphobia that people in the LGBT community can face
when they try to go seek health care. You've also got, unfortunately,
unlike the experiences that Kristen and I have each had
with our gynecologists, you also have issues of slut shaming
doctors who are basically tisk tisking their patients rather than
(09:38):
just you know, I don't know, doing their job and
giving the person the full panel if they request it.
And then of course, and we'll talk a lot about
this today with Ursula and Laura, but you've got the
issue of stigma, the huge issue of stigma, whether it's
based in religious practice, a sense of morality, ideas about
(10:00):
you know, misguided ideas about things being dirty, people being dirty.
If you have an STD, the stigma around getting tested
and talking about sexual health and sexual testing is huge.
And even just broaching those conversations, whether it's in a
long term relationship or for say, a one night stand,
can be understandably challenging because it's like, you don't you
(10:22):
don't want to ruin the mood, but you also I
want to be safe, yeah, And I think that the
way that you can do both is whipping out your
my lab box, testing kids, yeah, or just first playing
this episode of stuff Mom never told you. As you
sit silently in a room next to each other, not touching, touching,
don't touch you, don't look at each other. Just listen, um,
(10:43):
but real quickly, Caroline, you mentioned slut shaming happening at
the doctor's office. We've also heard from so many stuff
I've Never told you listeners about proved shaming as well,
going in and saying, hey, doc, test me, and a
doctor being like you, you know, Linda, there's a possible
(11:04):
way anyone's touched you and and that's that is not
okay or yeah, or the flip side of a doctor
offering to test someone and the person saying well, I've
literally never had any type of sexual contact or contact
and the doctor not believing them. So, yeah, layers, lots
of layers. So let's talk about what this my lab
(11:27):
box thing is because it's to me, it's pretty cool
because essentially what it's doing or attempting is disrupting the
sexual health stigma. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's it's a
great way to test for HIV, gonorrhea, clamidia, and trick omaniasis.
You can do it, like we said, in your own
(11:49):
house or with your partner. And what's great about it,
and we'll talk about this too with our guests, is
the fact that it's not just um s. T I
s are tds that are based in and around your
genital area. It's also they also offer extra genital testing,
which means oral and anal because these infections don't discriminate.
(12:11):
And you can also go on the website select and
order the type of test you want. So if you're like,
you know what, I really just want to find out
about gnarrha, you can do that, or you can get
what they call the Uber All Around Package, which includes
the full panel of tests that they provide, including testing mouth, anus,
(12:33):
and genital areas. And then it's delivered to your office
like one of those seeing telegrams and they're like, oh
d test, and then they throw penis confetti in the air.
It's and then basically they just take you on a
bridesmaid's or a bachelorette party and then your whist away
to Bourbon Street and New Orleans. It's kind of an
(12:53):
expensive service. Yeah, it's really weird. Actually none of none
of that is true. It's super discreet. But we will
let Laura and Ursula talk more about that. And speaking
of which, let's meet these geniuses who have created this
intersectionally minded startup to disrupt sexual health in a good way. Yeah,
(13:15):
so let's hear Laura and Ursula introduce themselves, not only
so you can hear what they do, but also so
you know how to differentiate their voices. Let it roll. Hi,
my name is Laura Vanova. I am a co founder
and chief marketing officer of My lab Box. My lab
Box is the first and onness service that allows you
to test for STDs at home, and we are available nationwide.
(13:36):
Ah So, my name is Ursula hass and Flow. I'm
the co founder and CEO of my lab Box. And
then we wanted to know what inspired my lab Box means.
It is one of those things where you're just like
sitting around having brunch, you have a few mimosas, start
talking about STD testing, and then have a brilliant idea.
Well sort of kind of but not necessarily with the
(13:59):
brunch part. My lab Box was inspired by our own
lives and the lives of our friends. UM. As adults
living in the US, UM, we were encountered multiple times
by having difficult conversations with partners and the reason why
those conversations were so difficult, we found is really because
not so much people didn't know that STDs existed, or
they didn't know they should have those conversations. They just
(14:20):
weren't testing often enough UM. And there's many reasons why
that's happening. There's fear of doctor and sphere of needlesphere
of clinics, UM. There's discomfort to associate with that, it's
time consuming, it's expensive, you have to take time away
from work, UM, and oftentimes you don't even know if
insurance is going to cover it, how much it's gonna cover,
(14:41):
what kind of test. There's a lot of lack of transparency.
Many times, UM you do not get tested for a
full panel unless you're specifically requested or unless you're symptomatic,
and as many of percent of infections can be asymptomatic.
So in that kind of confusing landscape where nothing is
standardized and nothing is clear in and sparent, people oftentimes
(15:01):
just kept the exam all together and then continue living
by exposing themselves to their partners at risk. So we
felt this is not something that's acceptable, especially in a
modern day lifestyle and which online dating has become so
easily accessible and so common and popular, and we are
finding better and more efficient ways to connect with people
(15:22):
and engage and have hookups or anything else. But it
seems like when it comes to our sexual health, things
have been really lagging for many years now. So we
started first by looking around to see we thought, maybe
there's something out there that already does that. We're shocked
to find out there's really no or little to none
and innovation, and when it comes to actual city testing
(15:42):
in the US UM so, little by little we looking
at the problem and trying to figure out really what
the barriers were for users and what made it so challenging.
We came up with a solution that we really feel
is the ultimate and the perfect service for anybody that
is sexually acted. You can test from home, you can
of the test in under five minutes, and you get
complimentary position consultations should you ever get some positive UM
(16:06):
test results from our service. And something we don't really
think about or talk about quite as much is the
fact that while technology, all of our dating apps and
things like that, well, it's allowed us to have more
sex with potentially more people, technology hasn't really kept up
with all of our sexual health and so as sexually
(16:26):
liberated as our culture has supposedly become, we just hate
talking about STDs. And it's so surprising. I mean, considering
the point where our dating culture and our quote unquote
culture is at, there's still so much fear and anxiety
around having these STD conversations. So we asked Laura why
(16:51):
she thinks that this is still an issue. You know,
I think even with the dating culture. Um, the reason
why I feel online dating and app dating has become
so prevalent is because it's much harder to walk up
to somebody in a bar or in the street and
strike a conversation. In general, I think as a culture,
there's a shyness that we experience around person to person
(17:11):
interactions and communication. And I think just the same way
as it is hard to approach a cute guy or
a cute girl in the street, it's also hard to
kind of envision yourself having a conversation about your private
life with a physician who is a stranger and who
uh may judge you or may you know, ask you
questions that are uncomfortable. So, um, I think in this case,
technology has shown us that in those tricky interactions, it
(17:36):
helps to have kind of a veil of separation or
or or to some label anonymity in that first uh
few exchanges. And just as well as dating has been
transformed by that layer of technology, we feel that that
same layer of technology cannot also offer us a solution
in terms of our sexual health and the STB testing
in general. And I mean, wouldn't wouldn't you think that
(17:57):
someone would have realized all of this, the there was
this opportunity to help people and provide more information about
sexual health. And honestly, it was astounding to Beth Laura
an Ursula that the answer was no. I think, I mean,
obviously it surprised us that once we started to look
at the solution that there really wasn't anything like this
(18:17):
out there, um. And there was nothing nationwide. Um. So
you know, that was a huge surprise. I think what's surprised.
What has surprised us the most throughout this process has
just been a that in this day and age, with
you know, all the sex education that's supposed that we
all got that this is still a big problem and
(18:39):
a bigger problem now. So it's surprised. It surprised us
how many people are just not testing and what's actually
surprised me is the the higher rate of unprotected sels. UM.
People report a lot more partners now there's you know,
online dating applications. It's just statisticly, you're going to have
(19:00):
more partners, You're gonna have more sexual partners, and people
are having a lot more unprotective sex. I think that
was a huge eye opener for me. And there's a
lot of reasons that people say that that for that
UM there's UM one likely causes that people have, you know,
less concern about HIV and AIDS being something that's going
(19:22):
to that's life threatening. That's some that now it's treatable,
so which has opened up the floodgates to more common affections,
and that's why we're seeing such a crazy increase in
common affections like flamydia and gnorea. And going back to
those statistics we talked about at the top of the podcast,
Caroline and all of those undiagnosed std s, I mean,
(19:45):
it seems like there might be some kind of internalized
assumptions people have that there's no way that they are
quote unquote high risk for contracting in std because of
maybe the number of sexual partners, the type of sex
they're having or so actual contact they're having and who
they're having it with, and Ursla points out that those
(20:06):
are kind of some myths that we're carrying around. Well,
that's I mean, these are really really common misconceptions. Is
that you know that oh it's I can't be infected
through oral sex or you know, any other type of
sexual activity that you may be involved in UM, which
you know you can. You can get oral and rectal chlamydia, UM,
(20:27):
gonna rhea UM, so you absolutely can get infections in
in in other areas, right Exactly, STDs and s t
I s don't only affect the genitals, like we said earlier,
so we wanted Laura to tell us about the importance
of that extra genital testing that they just started offering.
One thing that we added to my LAMB box in
this past week, so we're very excited about, is the
(20:49):
ability to test for extragenital infections, which means oral and
rectal in infections. The reason why this is significant is
that UM infectuals in your body, the STI infections can
be localized, so ultimately you can test negative using conventional
methods UM that which usually require genital testing. However, you
may still be infected if you have engaged, for example,
(21:09):
in oral sex or anything else. Um. So this leaves
a vast majority of kind of extra general effections undetected. Um.
And it's really important because everybody, um, not everybody, but
many people you know, do not limit themselves to only
vanilla flavor of sex, right. I mean, people sometimes have
(21:32):
different engagements and and different practices, and if you were
trying to offer a solution that's really susceptible to different
lifestyles and norms. This really is something that's important to
have as an available option, and being able to do
it from home is even better. And what would be
even better than that is getting to a point culturally
(21:53):
where this kind of testing and conversations about STDs and
save sex are destigmatized or at least just easier to
have a casual conversation about. And that's actually something that
my lab box wants to do. That is part of
their reason for being, That is part of our our
(22:14):
our mission and purpose is to at least make something,
make this something that you talk about. Now. You don't
have to go and get tested in a facility and
have that interaction with a doctor, but to make it
something that you talk about regularly, and it's just like
Laura coined, rushing your teeth, and so part of fulfilling
(22:38):
that mission to make STDs and sexual health easier to
talk about means debunking the whole high risk rhetoric that
you hear in doctor's offices. And so we wanted to
talk to Laura and Ursula Moore about whether they had
a particular group or demographic you know, age, race, whatever
in mind because of secular risks or barriers to care.
(23:02):
You know. It's it's funny because I feel many nonprofits
and organizations in this area really kind of always look at, well,
what is the high risk demographic? Right so, and they
define that in different ways, you know, depending on kind
of their individual profiles. The truth of the matter is
that anybody, any adult or a young person that are
(23:23):
engaging in sexual activity that doesn't have to be intercourse.
It can be oral sex, it could be anything else. Um.
Everybody should be getting tested. So when we think of
a high risk individual in my lab box terms, it
really is anybody that is engaging in sexual activity. Um.
And until we all understand and realize that that is
the case, I think we will always think that STDs
(23:44):
are somebody else's problem. Fact is, one third of Americans
today are living with the sexually transmitted infection. These are
not high risk individuals. These are teenagers, These are grandmothers,
These are in some cases married couples. UM. None of
them thought, oh, this is something that could happen to me.
They all thought I wasn't high risk, or they all
thought it's you know, oh it's just once you know,
(24:07):
how how much risk could there be? And and the
fact of the matter is half of adults will also
contract an st in their lifetimes. Again, we can't say, oh,
half of Americans are just at risk individuals that are
just reckless and or slutty or anything else. No, again,
these are everyday people that UM just encounter this one
(24:27):
way or another, and it only takes once. So it's
it's in a in a fact, UM, one of my
friends who UM literally was her first boyfriend. They were
in a relationship for three years, UM, and she contracted
infection from this individual. Somebody who you know in this
relationship wasn't faithful. You have no control over anybody else's actions.
(24:50):
So even if you're being careful, even if you are
on your terms, Um, somebody that's being proactive and healthy
and careful, your partner may not be. So that is
really something important for people to understand and really kind
of I think the first step of this paradigm shift
of who should be tested for schools and fully grasping
(25:11):
the need for that paradigm shift is something that these
women learned firsthand through field research and we did. Um.
It's funny because we actually, as part of developing this,
we went to a lot of exams. I mean, we
we went to clinics, we went to doctor's offices, We
got tested for everything that we could multiple times because
we really wanted to see what the experience was, you know, um,
(25:34):
other than what it has been through our past past lives.
And it's were It's amazing. We had physicians telling us, well,
you don't look high risk. You know how is the
physician just looking at you, sitting across the table from
decide that you're not high risk just by a conversation
or by the way we've done our hair, um, and um,
(25:56):
It's just not something that's possible. So but it is
a practice that is happening out there, and unfortunately something
that I'm sure if we dealt with that many other
people are dealing. Well, this is part of really what
I think inspired us to to launch this is it's
just so all over the board. I mean, I'm the
(26:18):
person that's gone to see a gynecologist every single year
since I don't remember when, you know, since I was
a teenager, and it's been so varied, and I think
that I found that so many, so many doctors don't
actually know how to talk about this. They don't get
a lot of training. Um. So I actually had had
(26:38):
a gynecologist that I went into and I asked to
be tested for everything and no idea of of my history,
um nothing, and basically just said, well, you don't look
like you're at risk. And and this was not the
first experience like this, and so it really made me
(27:00):
kind of infuriated that a gynecologist would have this sort
of like risk assessment. Well, so we wanted to know
from Ursula what she thought the doctors meant by quote
look like you're at risk. What were they basing their
assessment on. I mean, I don't, I don't know, um,
but I I would hypothesize that it's just, you know,
(27:22):
they have a certain there's a certain demographic that is
is higher risk, and you know that's you know, that's
what they're relating to. So, you know, being a white
woman late thirties not as high risk. Caroline. Going to
the post office is so old school, as the kids say,
(27:46):
it's such a hassle making those trips there. And that's
why over six hundred thousand news school small businesses are
already using stamps dot com because with stamps dot com,
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(28:08):
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So don't wait. Go to stamps dot com before you
do anything else. Click on the microphone at the top
of the homepage and type in stuff that's stamps dot
com enter stuff. So shifting the conversation away from STDs,
(28:40):
but still talking high risk, we wanted to talk to
them about business and financing because my lab box is
a startup and it's a startup that addresses taboo topics
of sex, STDs and s t I S. And also
it's something started by two women who venture capital, and
(29:02):
that really sounds like a triple Jeopardy challenge waiting to happen,
because I mean obviously the whole taboo factor, but also
only seven percent of partners at top on venture firms
are women and sixteen percent of newly launched venture firms
are co founded by women, So that to say, there
(29:22):
aren't a ton of women involved in dispensing that kind
of capital. Um and between two thousand ten female founded
startups and that just includes at least one female founder
received just ten of venture capital globally, So I mean
(29:43):
it's often an uphill battle. As we talked about with
Julie Siegel who found a Dear Kates, it's often an
uphill battle for women founded startups to get that cash.
So we were really curious to find out more about
the biz this side of starting my lab box. UM. Actually,
(30:03):
so I can tell you a lot more on the
funding side, but we've definitely had some very interesting investor conversations,
some of them board the line inappropriate. UM, We've been asked,
especially as women in this space, you know, uh strange
questions like you know, what is our sex lifelike and
what is our dating lifelike? And what STD do we
(30:24):
have that created you know, prompt to this to create
this service. UM. So there's definitely been some interesting interactions
during our fundraising trail. UM. However, we are also very
excited to have recently closed around over half a million
dollars and seed funding for this venture, and we collected
(30:44):
an assembled a group of investors that are extremely diverse
and and very UM forward thinking in the way that
they're approaching not only their investing practices, but also what
a solution like my lab box can bring to the world.
So I think at the end of this journey, no
matter what business you fundraise for, you're going to get
a lot of nose and and the reasons why you
(31:05):
get those nose almost don't matter. UM that what matters
is that you get the right PSS, and you get
those ss from people who believe in your product, are
willing to invest and willing to support you. UM. We
have a very high number of female investors on board,
which is not also very typical for most startups. So
it's I think from a diversity perspective. We've We're feel
(31:27):
very good about where we're at right now with the
team that's behind this company and U S S call founders.
You know, I would say that, um, we've had some
interesting experiences. I say, for the most part, actually it's
been very positive, UM and interesting enough in in a
lot of our funding has come from Houston, which is
(31:49):
a huge medical market. So we've got some initial funding
UM from a fund called Use and Health Ventures there
and a lot of interest. I think that they were
get the privacy and I think that's what S took up.
What stood out for for these funders is like they
could relate whether they were married for thirty years or not,
or they were men. They really got privacy. So that
(32:13):
resonated with a lot of investors. But we did and
we've had investors that UM were just making outright comments
like about us being women and um, you know that
we we need to kind of sell this with our
femininity and our sexuality and I mean just things things
(32:34):
like this that UM, but that I would say it
was rare, good exc but but that was a very
interesting one. We're like, okay, well that was interesting. So
now that my lab box recently closed around of more
than half a million dollars in seed funding for this
venture and is growing. Let's get down to the nuts
and bolts of how it works. So it was very
(32:56):
easy that you would go on our website, for example,
and you would select the kit that is best fitted
for your lifestyle. In about a couple of days, you
would receive the kid at home and in a very
standard package. Nobody will know, not your neighbors, or your
family or your roommates. UM. You will be able to
do the test in under five minutes, so you basically
collect a small sample UM that is pain free, and
you mailed a sample back to our lab affiliate for testing.
(33:19):
In another day or two, you will receive your results
online in your secure account, so you'll be able to
just log in and view when your results are ready,
and you can share those results either with a partner
or with your doctor. You can print a PDF or
just share them through the interface on the website. The
(33:40):
these are really tests done in as little as three steps,
you know, order collect sample, check results UM. The other
thing that we're really excited about we just launched about
a couple a few weeks back, is the ability to
have free and complementary consultations. If you test positive for
our service, well that means is that we actually have
positions that and talk to you via telemedicine consultation and
(34:03):
prescribe you a treatment plan, and is what it was
one day from getting your results, so you can be
on your ways from testing to treatment in just a
matter of hours. But of course we wanted to know
too what do doctors think, because I could imagine some
docs being like, oh you and your technology, male lord
of nonsense, pa, twist there, pencilfin mistachs these monocled doctors. UM.
(34:33):
And it turns out, though that the response has been
overall positive. It's been very interesting. I mean, we we've
approached a few of them because we were really kind
of trying to think about how this integrates it to
somebody's global health UM, and many of them have been
very positive about the prospects of this being something that
(34:53):
patients just do and they can kind of recommend a
frequency for them to do that, and they can just
bring their results maybe once a year and UM. In general. UM. However,
we also see a lot of physicians thinking it's you know,
unless it's unless people are at risk or unless they're
engaging in X, Y and Z, they don't need to test,
So there's still a bit of a barrier there in
(35:14):
that regard, but we're seeing a positive shift UM as
this being something that could be complementary and and physicians
recognizing that it's just something that's ultimately uh supporting their practice,
UM without requiring them to become experts in this or
this field. And so if they're getting a good response
from a lot of physicians, we wondered whether they thought
(35:35):
about partnering with sex educators, whether in schools or kind
of in the community in general. UM. Yes, So we've
actually got quite a lot of interest from sex educators. UM.
We've been talking to to too many that just you know,
they want they want to advocate for this. UM. They
they'll become an affiliate, and I mean we we want
(35:56):
people to share in this, so UM they they sometimes
they will just advocate and you know, they'll do a
blog post. They there's a lot of spokespeople that will
just be out there using this as something that they
advocate as as part of as an easy testing solution. UM.
And in some cases they will just because they will
(36:17):
also become affiliates through our affiliate network. So now that
the startup exists and it's potential seems massive, we wanted
to know what direction they're thinking in terms of the future.
You know, now that they've made it, what next. So
I mean, we really see this and it's we really
(36:39):
see this as something that is it's a global concern.
I mean S T I S are you know, the
fifth most common area that people are seeking treatment for globally,
So this is not just a problem in the U S.
It's a global problem. So we really see expanding even
beyond the us UM into other countries where the discreet
(37:00):
nature of this is even even more paramount. So we've
actually already gotten a lot of interest in Asia, for example.
The big dream, I mean, we really want to be
the at home testing solution for people living in America.
And this is something that allows you to take health
in your control and completely own it UM. And we're
really big believers that really the best way to take
(37:21):
care of your health is to take care of your
health alone, to be informed, to be proactive, and ultimately
to get tested. So this is our big vision. We
see ourselves expanding across different categories. We see ourselves adding
additional infectious and obviously being able to offer a full
and comprehensive panel. What we currently test for right now
is the most prominent infections, so these are between the
(37:45):
most common new infections that you would encounter in uh
your daily life. And so we really started there. We
wanted to make sure we catch the biggest risks and
then from there on we really want this to be
a comprehensive sexual health platform and then growing from there
into the future. So we're very excited. So now, of course,
(38:06):
where can our listeners learn more about Laura, Ursula and
my lab Box. To learn more about my lab Box,
order our service and try us out and go to
my lab box dot com. So thanks again to Laura
Ivanova and Ursula Hessan Flow, co founders of my lab Box,
(38:30):
for taking the time to talk to us on a
very busy south By Southwest showroom floor. They were so
kind and so patient. We even had some technical difficulties
and they just you know, they went with it. Let's
be honest, we're being honest about STDs. Be honest, Caroline.
It was more like Caroline difficulties in that I didn't
(38:53):
press the record button, but Laura was so Laura was
so kind. You know, she was like, Okay, I'll just
say ill of that stuff again, because you know, technical
difficulties happen, just like STD. Yes brought it full circle. Um,
and now listeners were curious to hear from you. Have
you had any particularly interesting, positive or negative interesting STD
(39:19):
testing experiences? Do you have any tips on having the
STD conversation with sexual partners? Let us know mom Stuff
at how stuff works dot com is where you can
send your emails. You can also tweet us at mom
Stuff podcast or messages on Facebook, and we've got a
couple of messages to share with you when we come
right back from a quick break. Caroline, it's no news
(39:42):
to our stuff. Mom never told you audience that moms
are so unique. There's no one quite like my mom, Nancy,
and no one quite like your mom, Sally. And because
these women are so unique, we should get them a
Mother's Day present that is just as unique because they
are right, Because I mean, listen, we could get them,
(40:03):
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how about something that's nice and delicious and something that
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get some freshly dipped strawberries for moms starting at plus shipping,
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(40:24):
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(40:47):
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don't forget this is a limited time offer and Mother's
(41:31):
Day is right around the corner, so make sure you
order now. And now back to the show. I have
one here from Lana in response to our discussion with
Ashley Doyle and Gina Hellfrik of recruit Her about salary negotiation,
she says, listening to you guys talk reminds me painfully
(41:53):
of my first job out of college. I had interviewed
in a few places, and one Fortune five hundred company
mentioned that their offer was non negotiable. They offer it
to all entry level engineers and you take it or
leave it. I didn't wind up getting the job, but
the idea that their offer was a fair number stuck
in my head. So when I got a similar offer
from the job I ultimately took, I didn't negotiate. I
just assumed it was a fair entry level offer. Well,
(42:15):
one day I was talking to a mechanic on the
shop floor and he made a snide comment about how
much us dumb college kids make just for having a degree,
and he cited a very precise number that was fifteen
thousand dollars a year higher than I was getting naturally,
I laughed. I don't get anything near that. You don't
he said, because that's what Joe got. This is all
past hints, because Joe name changed had recently been fired
(42:37):
for showing up to work drunk. Okay, uh is that
what he told you? He must have been lying. I'm
not surprised, well, he said. We all went out drinking
after they handed out the bonuses, and Joe left his
bonus a word paper in the backseat of my car.
I still didn't believe it, but the mechanic actually produced
the paper. This guy, Joe, who had started the exact
same rotational program at the same time as me, and
(42:58):
who held an equivalent degree, was earning fifteen thousand dollars
more a year. I was stunned. I knew there were
compensation disparities out there in the world somewhere, but I
never thought anything this agreedious would happened to me. And
if we started out with that size gap and our
races were all percentages after that, I would never catch
up with a guy who was so irresponsible that he
had shown up to work drunk. Very shortly after that,
(43:20):
I was interviewing for a new job. Still I couldn't
bring myself to negotiate on my own behalf. When my
future boss asked me what I expected to receive, I
choked out people in my rotational program are receiving and
I gave him Joe's salary. My boss came back with
an offer that was closer to Joe's salary than mine,
and I accepted it. He was so surprised that I
still wonder if I should have continued negotiating. Negotiating his hard,
(43:43):
especially when you desperately want any job except the one
you're currently holding. I hope I do better next time.
And Lana, we hear you. It's hard, and we really
wish you the best of luck. So I've got a
letter here from Alex about our Spilio Salary Secrets episode
as well, and she writes, I just wanted to say
thank you so much for your latest podcast on salary transparency.
(44:05):
I recently received a raise, but it was not the
full amount I was expecting, and at the time I
didn't think to negotiate or pushback, even though I knew
I deserved the full raise. I was too busy being
the quote model worker and didn't want to cause any trouble.
I was so happy to hear you and your guests
speak to the complex struggles women face when assuming the
role of negotiator. After listening to your podcast, I feel
(44:27):
like I have the tools to present my case for
higher pay without too much fear. Oh, Alex, I'm so
thrilled to hear that, and I hope that that conversation
goes well for you. And I got to say, um,
it's not only uh delightful hearing from you all, it's
also encouraging to us to you know, have our own
(44:48):
negotiation conversations in in a stronger kind of way. So
keep your letters coming, friends, mom. Stuff at how stuff
works dot com is our email address and for links
to all of our social media as well as all
of our blogs, videos, and podcasts with our sources. So
you can learn more about STDs and startups. Head on
over to stuff Mom Never Told You dot com. We're
(45:14):
more on this and thousands of other topics. Is it
how stuff works dot com
Are you looking for brand new episodes of a short
How Stuff Works podcast that explains the everyday world around us,
then check out brain Stuff with me Christian Sager. New
episodes hit every Monday and Wednesday on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify,
or anywhere else you get your podcasts. Welcome to stuff
(00:22):
Mob never told you from how Stuff Works dot Com. Hello,
and welcome to the podcast. I'm Kristen and I'm Caroline.
And Caroline, let's just start this episode on a really
personal note. Okay, let's talk about getting tested for STDs. Yeah. Absolutely,
(00:44):
Do you remember the first time you were tested? And
I realized this is so unfair because I'm asking you
the question first. No, I don't remember the first time
I got tested, but I do get tested every year
at my kind of collegist appointment. Um, the don't remember
either the very first time that I was tested. It
was probably at my gynecologist annual way back in the day.
(01:08):
But I do clearly remember when I moved to Atlanta
and I started seeing this fabulous O B g U
I N who I still see, and um I was
single ready to mingle and we were talking about all
that stuff and it was time for me to check
the boxes of what, um, what testing I wanted to do,
(01:31):
and she said, in the most non judgmental, unslept shamy
kind of way, Kristen, just take the whole panel. And
I was like, okay, you know, Doc, I know you're
not judging me, you were just looking out for my
well being. I will take the whole panel. And it
is a tiny ventnor racking when you take the whole panel,
(01:54):
because you're like like waiting for that phone call, you know. Um.
But then I all, so remember flash forward to when
I ended up in my current monogamous relationship, and we've
been together for a while and I had been through
you know, I've been of course tested again, and um.
(02:14):
One of the last times I went in, I was like,
so what, you know, what all? What all should I
get checked out? And she was like, I don't think
you need the full panel. And I was like, oh
my gosh, wow, I guess things have really gotten serious
wonderful between me and my gynecologist that it is not
me and my now fiance. But I mean, how would
(02:35):
how would she know just based on the fact that
you've been in a long term monogamous relationship. Yeah, I
mean I'd had the same sexual partner for a long
time now. Of course, that did not take into account
whether he possibly was fooling around behind my back, which
is actually a really common way that women contract STDs UM.
(02:57):
But thankfully he he wasn't. Yeah, good considering you just yeah,
you went in for your hairstyling appointment today for your wedding. Yeah, listeners,
imagine me in a lot of regal braids, yeah, which
probabalys sounds. It sounds like I've got like a little
house in the prairie look going on right now. Yeah,
(03:20):
and a crown it's real weird. Yeah, yeah, and the
prairie dresses also throwing now. Yeah, it's kind of like,
um glamorous Laura angles Wilder. Well, so people are like,
I'm not sure based on what they've said what they're
talking about today. We are talking about as TD testing,
that's right, And that's because we met these two incredible women,
(03:43):
these two business owners Laura Ivanova and Ursula Hessan Flow
when we were out at south By Southwest, and these
women have co founded the company my lab Box to
make STD testing easier. You can do it in the
privacy of your own home. I mean everybody's ordering their
groceries and their books online. Why can't you order your
(04:04):
STD tests online? Yet? Even your tampons can come to
your door. Of Sminty sponsor Lola um And in our
previous episode on women in HIV, we talked a lot
about how STDs and HIV are still very much things
that exists, Like, there's no reason for us to stop
(04:28):
having safe sex, even though we are having unprotected sex
way more often than we used to. And as a
result of that, rates of STDs like clamidia have risen. Yeah,
that's right. So let's give you a little bit of
a stat rundown because it wouldn't be a Sminty episode
without some statistics, c d statistics. That's right, Okay, So
(04:52):
this information is coming from the CDC. It's data the
most recent available, and when you look at clamidia, we
see an increase of two point eight percent between two
thousand thirteen and fourteen. I feel like at Ganaha that
rate went up five point one percent between ten and
(05:14):
it's sort of a crazy jump for syphilis, which has
jumped fifteen point one percent since. Man, you never want
syphilis jumping around. No, you don't want to be in
a bouncy castle with syphilis um and if we look
though at gneria and clamidia, this is primarily affecting younger people,
(05:35):
the kids these days as they call them, UM and
surveillance data from the CDC shows both the numbers and
rates of reported cases of clamidia and ganoia continues to
be the highest among folks fifteen to twenty four years old,
and both young men and young women are heavily affected
by these STDs, but women face the most serious long
(05:58):
term health concert a quences, and it's estimated that undiagnosed
STDs cause more than twenty tho women to become infertile
each year. Because let's remember, what is it. Up to
eighty percent of STDs can be asymptomatic. That's right. So
even if you don't feel like you're at risk, if
(06:19):
you feel like you've been safe, if you feel like
your partners have been safe, that doesn't really mean that
you shouldn't be tested. Saying we're never safe, We're never safe.
Clamytia is lurking around the corner in a trench coat.
She's always eavesdropping, Oh clammy, And going back to syphilis,
the CDC also highlights gay and bisexual men as being
(06:41):
the most affected. Um, it's increasing at the greatest rate
among those groups, so fifteen point one percent inten And
while rates have increased among men and women of all stripes, guys,
you account for more than all primary and secondary syphilis cases. Yeah,
(07:03):
And I mean syphilis has some pretty gnarly side effects
if you don't treat it, things like visual impairment and stroke,
it puts you at a higher risk for acquiring HIV.
I mean, the stuff is serious. And the CDC pointed
out some of the things that affect these rising STD rates.
And I mean, as our guests will point out when
(07:24):
we talk to them, you can potentially have sex just
one time and get an STD that one time you
have sex. But uh, individual risk behaviors like higher numbers
of partners over a lifetime contribute to that higher STD rate. Uh,
in addition to environmental, social and cultural factors like higher
prevalence of STDs in your community and or friend group,
(07:47):
or difficulty accessing healthcare. I mean, socio economic factors are
huge when it comes to health in general, but also
getting tested for your sexual health. And we've talked about
these statistics of the STDs that we know about, there's
also this issue of undiagnosed STDs and this info was
(08:09):
cited over web MD from report. So as for chlamydia,
this new government report estimates set around four hundred thousand
Americans probably have it but don't know it. And again,
women tend to be at a higher risk of harboring
these asymptomatic infections according to the U S National Center
(08:32):
for HIV and AIDS um and when it comes to
girls and boys, the chlamydia infection rate is highest among
sexually active girls between fourteen and nineteen years old at
six point four percent, and the rate among sexually active
boys between fourteen and nineteen is two point four percent.
(08:53):
And the researchers also took race into account. The rate
of chlamydia among sexually active black team girls is eighteen
points six percent compared with three point two percent among
sexually active white teen girls. So there are so many
layers and plus when it comes to getting diagnosed or
you know, getting tested, or being afraid to being afraid
to even broach the subject with your doctors, you also
(09:15):
have to take into account those added layers of homophobia
and transphobia that people in the LGBT community can face
when they try to go seek health care. You've also got, unfortunately,
unlike the experiences that Kristen and I have each had
with our gynecologists, you also have issues of slut shaming
doctors who are basically tisk tisking their patients rather than
(09:38):
just you know, I don't know, doing their job and
giving the person the full panel if they request it.
And then of course, and we'll talk a lot about
this today with Ursula and Laura, but you've got the
issue of stigma, the huge issue of stigma, whether it's
based in religious practice, a sense of morality, ideas about
(10:00):
you know, misguided ideas about things being dirty, people being dirty.
If you have an STD, the stigma around getting tested
and talking about sexual health and sexual testing is huge.
And even just broaching those conversations, whether it's in a
long term relationship or for say, a one night stand,
can be understandably challenging because it's like, you don't you
(10:22):
don't want to ruin the mood, but you also I
want to be safe, yeah, And I think that the
way that you can do both is whipping out your
my lab box, testing kids, yeah, or just first playing
this episode of stuff Mom never told you. As you
sit silently in a room next to each other, not touching, touching,
don't touch you, don't look at each other. Just listen, um,
(10:43):
but real quickly, Caroline, you mentioned slut shaming happening at
the doctor's office. We've also heard from so many stuff
I've Never told you listeners about proved shaming as well,
going in and saying, hey, doc, test me, and a
doctor being like you, you know, Linda, there's a possible
(11:04):
way anyone's touched you and and that's that is not
okay or yeah, or the flip side of a doctor
offering to test someone and the person saying well, I've
literally never had any type of sexual contact or contact
and the doctor not believing them. So, yeah, layers, lots
of layers. So let's talk about what this my lab
(11:27):
box thing is because it's to me, it's pretty cool
because essentially what it's doing or attempting is disrupting the
sexual health stigma. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's it's a
great way to test for HIV, gonorrhea, clamidia, and trick omaniasis.
You can do it, like we said, in your own
(11:49):
house or with your partner. And what's great about it,
and we'll talk about this too with our guests, is
the fact that it's not just um s. T I
s are tds that are based in and around your
genital area. It's also they also offer extra genital testing,
which means oral and anal because these infections don't discriminate.
(12:11):
And you can also go on the website select and
order the type of test you want. So if you're like,
you know what, I really just want to find out
about gnarrha, you can do that, or you can get
what they call the Uber All Around Package, which includes
the full panel of tests that they provide, including testing mouth, anus,
(12:33):
and genital areas. And then it's delivered to your office
like one of those seeing telegrams and they're like, oh
d test, and then they throw penis confetti in the air.
It's and then basically they just take you on a
bridesmaid's or a bachelorette party and then your whist away
to Bourbon Street and New Orleans. It's kind of an
(12:53):
expensive service. Yeah, it's really weird. Actually none of none
of that is true. It's super discreet. But we will
let Laura and Ursula talk more about that. And speaking
of which, let's meet these geniuses who have created this
intersectionally minded startup to disrupt sexual health in a good way. Yeah,
(13:15):
so let's hear Laura and Ursula introduce themselves, not only
so you can hear what they do, but also so
you know how to differentiate their voices. Let it roll. Hi,
my name is Laura Vanova. I am a co founder
and chief marketing officer of My lab Box. My lab
Box is the first and onness service that allows you
to test for STDs at home, and we are available nationwide.
(13:36):
Ah So, my name is Ursula hass and Flow. I'm
the co founder and CEO of my lab Box. And
then we wanted to know what inspired my lab Box means.
It is one of those things where you're just like
sitting around having brunch, you have a few mimosas, start
talking about STD testing, and then have a brilliant idea.
Well sort of kind of but not necessarily with the
(13:59):
brunch part. My lab Box was inspired by our own
lives and the lives of our friends. UM. As adults
living in the US, UM, we were encountered multiple times
by having difficult conversations with partners and the reason why
those conversations were so difficult, we found is really because
not so much people didn't know that STDs existed, or
they didn't know they should have those conversations. They just
(14:20):
weren't testing often enough UM. And there's many reasons why
that's happening. There's fear of doctor and sphere of needlesphere
of clinics, UM. There's discomfort to associate with that, it's
time consuming, it's expensive, you have to take time away
from work, UM, and oftentimes you don't even know if
insurance is going to cover it, how much it's gonna cover,
(14:41):
what kind of test. There's a lot of lack of transparency.
Many times, UM you do not get tested for a
full panel unless you're specifically requested or unless you're symptomatic,
and as many of percent of infections can be asymptomatic.
So in that kind of confusing landscape where nothing is
standardized and nothing is clear in and sparent, people oftentimes
(15:01):
just kept the exam all together and then continue living
by exposing themselves to their partners at risk. So we
felt this is not something that's acceptable, especially in a
modern day lifestyle and which online dating has become so
easily accessible and so common and popular, and we are
finding better and more efficient ways to connect with people
(15:22):
and engage and have hookups or anything else. But it
seems like when it comes to our sexual health, things
have been really lagging for many years now. So we
started first by looking around to see we thought, maybe
there's something out there that already does that. We're shocked
to find out there's really no or little to none
and innovation, and when it comes to actual city testing
(15:42):
in the US UM so, little by little we looking
at the problem and trying to figure out really what
the barriers were for users and what made it so challenging.
We came up with a solution that we really feel
is the ultimate and the perfect service for anybody that
is sexually acted. You can test from home, you can
of the test in under five minutes, and you get
complimentary position consultations should you ever get some positive UM
(16:06):
test results from our service. And something we don't really
think about or talk about quite as much is the
fact that while technology, all of our dating apps and
things like that, well, it's allowed us to have more
sex with potentially more people, technology hasn't really kept up
with all of our sexual health and so as sexually
(16:26):
liberated as our culture has supposedly become, we just hate
talking about STDs. And it's so surprising. I mean, considering
the point where our dating culture and our quote unquote
culture is at, there's still so much fear and anxiety
around having these STD conversations. So we asked Laura why
(16:51):
she thinks that this is still an issue. You know,
I think even with the dating culture. Um, the reason
why I feel online dating and app dating has become
so prevalent is because it's much harder to walk up
to somebody in a bar or in the street and
strike a conversation. In general, I think as a culture,
there's a shyness that we experience around person to person
(17:11):
interactions and communication. And I think just the same way
as it is hard to approach a cute guy or
a cute girl in the street, it's also hard to
kind of envision yourself having a conversation about your private
life with a physician who is a stranger and who
uh may judge you or may you know, ask you
questions that are uncomfortable. So, um, I think in this case,
technology has shown us that in those tricky interactions, it
(17:36):
helps to have kind of a veil of separation or
or or to some label anonymity in that first uh
few exchanges. And just as well as dating has been
transformed by that layer of technology, we feel that that
same layer of technology cannot also offer us a solution
in terms of our sexual health and the STB testing
in general. And I mean, wouldn't wouldn't you think that
(17:57):
someone would have realized all of this, the there was
this opportunity to help people and provide more information about
sexual health. And honestly, it was astounding to Beth Laura
an Ursula that the answer was no. I think, I mean,
obviously it surprised us that once we started to look
at the solution that there really wasn't anything like this
(18:17):
out there, um. And there was nothing nationwide. Um. So
you know, that was a huge surprise. I think what's surprised.
What has surprised us the most throughout this process has
just been a that in this day and age, with
you know, all the sex education that's supposed that we
all got that this is still a big problem and
(18:39):
a bigger problem now. So it's surprised. It surprised us
how many people are just not testing and what's actually
surprised me is the the higher rate of unprotected sels. UM.
People report a lot more partners now there's you know,
online dating applications. It's just statisticly, you're going to have
(19:00):
more partners, You're gonna have more sexual partners, and people
are having a lot more unprotective sex. I think that
was a huge eye opener for me. And there's a
lot of reasons that people say that that for that
UM there's UM one likely causes that people have, you know,
less concern about HIV and AIDS being something that's going
(19:22):
to that's life threatening. That's some that now it's treatable,
so which has opened up the floodgates to more common affections,
and that's why we're seeing such a crazy increase in
common affections like flamydia and gnorea. And going back to
those statistics we talked about at the top of the podcast,
Caroline and all of those undiagnosed std s, I mean,
(19:45):
it seems like there might be some kind of internalized
assumptions people have that there's no way that they are
quote unquote high risk for contracting in std because of
maybe the number of sexual partners, the type of sex
they're having or so actual contact they're having and who
they're having it with, and Ursla points out that those
(20:06):
are kind of some myths that we're carrying around. Well,
that's I mean, these are really really common misconceptions. Is
that you know that oh it's I can't be infected
through oral sex or you know, any other type of
sexual activity that you may be involved in UM, which
you know you can. You can get oral and rectal chlamydia, UM,
(20:27):
gonna rhea UM, so you absolutely can get infections in
in in other areas, right Exactly, STDs and s t
I s don't only affect the genitals, like we said earlier,
so we wanted Laura to tell us about the importance
of that extra genital testing that they just started offering.
One thing that we added to my LAMB box in
this past week, so we're very excited about, is the
(20:49):
ability to test for extragenital infections, which means oral and
rectal in infections. The reason why this is significant is
that UM infectuals in your body, the STI infections can
be localized, so ultimately you can test negative using conventional
methods UM that which usually require genital testing. However, you
may still be infected if you have engaged, for example,
(21:09):
in oral sex or anything else. Um. So this leaves
a vast majority of kind of extra general effections undetected. Um.
And it's really important because everybody, um, not everybody, but
many people you know, do not limit themselves to only
vanilla flavor of sex, right. I mean, people sometimes have
(21:32):
different engagements and and different practices, and if you were
trying to offer a solution that's really susceptible to different
lifestyles and norms. This really is something that's important to
have as an available option, and being able to do
it from home is even better. And what would be
even better than that is getting to a point culturally
(21:53):
where this kind of testing and conversations about STDs and
save sex are destigmatized or at least just easier to
have a casual conversation about. And that's actually something that
my lab box wants to do. That is part of
their reason for being, That is part of our our
(22:14):
our mission and purpose is to at least make something,
make this something that you talk about. Now. You don't
have to go and get tested in a facility and
have that interaction with a doctor, but to make it
something that you talk about regularly, and it's just like
Laura coined, rushing your teeth, and so part of fulfilling
(22:38):
that mission to make STDs and sexual health easier to
talk about means debunking the whole high risk rhetoric that
you hear in doctor's offices. And so we wanted to
talk to Laura and Ursula Moore about whether they had
a particular group or demographic you know, age, race, whatever
in mind because of secular risks or barriers to care.
(23:02):
You know. It's it's funny because I feel many nonprofits
and organizations in this area really kind of always look at, well,
what is the high risk demographic? Right so, and they
define that in different ways, you know, depending on kind
of their individual profiles. The truth of the matter is
that anybody, any adult or a young person that are
(23:23):
engaging in sexual activity that doesn't have to be intercourse.
It can be oral sex, it could be anything else. Um.
Everybody should be getting tested. So when we think of
a high risk individual in my lab box terms, it
really is anybody that is engaging in sexual activity. Um.
And until we all understand and realize that that is
the case, I think we will always think that STDs
(23:44):
are somebody else's problem. Fact is, one third of Americans
today are living with the sexually transmitted infection. These are
not high risk individuals. These are teenagers, These are grandmothers,
These are in some cases married couples. UM. None of
them thought, oh, this is something that could happen to me.
They all thought I wasn't high risk, or they all
thought it's you know, oh it's just once you know,
(24:07):
how how much risk could there be? And and the
fact of the matter is half of adults will also
contract an st in their lifetimes. Again, we can't say, oh,
half of Americans are just at risk individuals that are
just reckless and or slutty or anything else. No, again,
these are everyday people that UM just encounter this one
(24:27):
way or another, and it only takes once. So it's
it's in a in a fact, UM, one of my
friends who UM literally was her first boyfriend. They were
in a relationship for three years, UM, and she contracted
infection from this individual. Somebody who you know in this
relationship wasn't faithful. You have no control over anybody else's actions.
(24:50):
So even if you're being careful, even if you are
on your terms, Um, somebody that's being proactive and healthy
and careful, your partner may not be. So that is
really something important for people to understand and really kind
of I think the first step of this paradigm shift
of who should be tested for schools and fully grasping
(25:11):
the need for that paradigm shift is something that these
women learned firsthand through field research and we did. Um.
It's funny because we actually, as part of developing this,
we went to a lot of exams. I mean, we
we went to clinics, we went to doctor's offices, We
got tested for everything that we could multiple times because
we really wanted to see what the experience was, you know, um,
(25:34):
other than what it has been through our past past lives.
And it's were It's amazing. We had physicians telling us, well,
you don't look high risk. You know how is the
physician just looking at you, sitting across the table from
decide that you're not high risk just by a conversation
or by the way we've done our hair, um, and um,
(25:56):
It's just not something that's possible. So but it is
a practice that is happening out there, and unfortunately something
that I'm sure if we dealt with that many other
people are dealing. Well, this is part of really what
I think inspired us to to launch this is it's
just so all over the board. I mean, I'm the
(26:18):
person that's gone to see a gynecologist every single year
since I don't remember when, you know, since I was
a teenager, and it's been so varied, and I think
that I found that so many, so many doctors don't
actually know how to talk about this. They don't get
a lot of training. Um. So I actually had had
(26:38):
a gynecologist that I went into and I asked to
be tested for everything and no idea of of my history,
um nothing, and basically just said, well, you don't look
like you're at risk. And and this was not the
first experience like this, and so it really made me
(27:00):
kind of infuriated that a gynecologist would have this sort
of like risk assessment. Well, so we wanted to know
from Ursula what she thought the doctors meant by quote
look like you're at risk. What were they basing their
assessment on. I mean, I don't, I don't know, um,
but I I would hypothesize that it's just, you know,
(27:22):
they have a certain there's a certain demographic that is
is higher risk, and you know that's you know, that's
what they're relating to. So, you know, being a white
woman late thirties not as high risk. Caroline. Going to
the post office is so old school, as the kids say,
(27:46):
it's such a hassle making those trips there. And that's
why over six hundred thousand news school small businesses are
already using stamps dot com because with stamps dot com,
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So don't wait. Go to stamps dot com before you
do anything else. Click on the microphone at the top
of the homepage and type in stuff that's stamps dot
com enter stuff. So shifting the conversation away from STDs,
(28:40):
but still talking high risk, we wanted to talk to
them about business and financing because my lab box is
a startup and it's a startup that addresses taboo topics
of sex, STDs and s t I S. And also
it's something started by two women who venture capital, and
(29:02):
that really sounds like a triple Jeopardy challenge waiting to happen,
because I mean obviously the whole taboo factor, but also
only seven percent of partners at top on venture firms
are women and sixteen percent of newly launched venture firms
are co founded by women, So that to say, there
(29:22):
aren't a ton of women involved in dispensing that kind
of capital. Um and between two thousand ten female founded
startups and that just includes at least one female founder
received just ten of venture capital globally, So I mean
(29:43):
it's often an uphill battle. As we talked about with
Julie Siegel who found a Dear Kates, it's often an
uphill battle for women founded startups to get that cash.
So we were really curious to find out more about
the biz this side of starting my lab box. UM. Actually,
(30:03):
so I can tell you a lot more on the
funding side, but we've definitely had some very interesting investor conversations,
some of them board the line inappropriate. UM, We've been asked,
especially as women in this space, you know, uh strange
questions like you know, what is our sex lifelike and
what is our dating lifelike? And what STD do we
(30:24):
have that created you know, prompt to this to create
this service. UM. So there's definitely been some interesting interactions
during our fundraising trail. UM. However, we are also very
excited to have recently closed around over half a million
dollars and seed funding for this venture, and we collected
(30:44):
an assembled a group of investors that are extremely diverse
and and very UM forward thinking in the way that
they're approaching not only their investing practices, but also what
a solution like my lab box can bring to the world.
So I think at the end of this journey, no
matter what business you fundraise for, you're going to get
a lot of nose and and the reasons why you
(31:05):
get those nose almost don't matter. UM that what matters
is that you get the right PSS, and you get
those ss from people who believe in your product, are
willing to invest and willing to support you. UM. We
have a very high number of female investors on board,
which is not also very typical for most startups. So
it's I think from a diversity perspective. We've We're feel
(31:27):
very good about where we're at right now with the
team that's behind this company and U S S call founders.
You know, I would say that, um, we've had some
interesting experiences. I say, for the most part, actually it's
been very positive, UM and interesting enough in in a
lot of our funding has come from Houston, which is
(31:49):
a huge medical market. So we've got some initial funding
UM from a fund called Use and Health Ventures there
and a lot of interest. I think that they were
get the privacy and I think that's what S took up.
What stood out for for these funders is like they
could relate whether they were married for thirty years or not,
or they were men. They really got privacy. So that
(32:13):
resonated with a lot of investors. But we did and
we've had investors that UM were just making outright comments
like about us being women and um, you know that
we we need to kind of sell this with our
femininity and our sexuality and I mean just things things
(32:34):
like this that UM, but that I would say it
was rare, good exc but but that was a very
interesting one. We're like, okay, well that was interesting. So
now that my lab box recently closed around of more
than half a million dollars in seed funding for this
venture and is growing. Let's get down to the nuts
and bolts of how it works. So it was very
(32:56):
easy that you would go on our website, for example,
and you would select the kit that is best fitted
for your lifestyle. In about a couple of days, you
would receive the kid at home and in a very
standard package. Nobody will know, not your neighbors, or your
family or your roommates. UM. You will be able to
do the test in under five minutes, so you basically
collect a small sample UM that is pain free, and
you mailed a sample back to our lab affiliate for testing.
(33:19):
In another day or two, you will receive your results
online in your secure account, so you'll be able to
just log in and view when your results are ready,
and you can share those results either with a partner
or with your doctor. You can print a PDF or
just share them through the interface on the website. The
(33:40):
these are really tests done in as little as three steps,
you know, order collect sample, check results UM. The other
thing that we're really excited about we just launched about
a couple a few weeks back, is the ability to
have free and complementary consultations. If you test positive for
our service, well that means is that we actually have
positions that and talk to you via telemedicine consultation and
(34:03):
prescribe you a treatment plan, and is what it was
one day from getting your results, so you can be
on your ways from testing to treatment in just a
matter of hours. But of course we wanted to know
too what do doctors think, because I could imagine some
docs being like, oh you and your technology, male lord
of nonsense, pa, twist there, pencilfin mistachs these monocled doctors. UM.
(34:33):
And it turns out, though that the response has been
overall positive. It's been very interesting. I mean, we we've
approached a few of them because we were really kind
of trying to think about how this integrates it to
somebody's global health UM, and many of them have been
very positive about the prospects of this being something that
(34:53):
patients just do and they can kind of recommend a
frequency for them to do that, and they can just
bring their results maybe once a year and UM. In general. UM. However,
we also see a lot of physicians thinking it's you know,
unless it's unless people are at risk or unless they're
engaging in X, Y and Z, they don't need to test,
So there's still a bit of a barrier there in
(35:14):
that regard, but we're seeing a positive shift UM as
this being something that could be complementary and and physicians
recognizing that it's just something that's ultimately uh supporting their practice,
UM without requiring them to become experts in this or
this field. And so if they're getting a good response
from a lot of physicians, we wondered whether they thought
(35:35):
about partnering with sex educators, whether in schools or kind
of in the community in general. UM. Yes, So we've
actually got quite a lot of interest from sex educators. UM.
We've been talking to to too many that just you know,
they want they want to advocate for this. UM. They
they'll become an affiliate, and I mean we we want
(35:56):
people to share in this, so UM they they sometimes
they will just advocate and you know, they'll do a
blog post. They there's a lot of spokespeople that will
just be out there using this as something that they
advocate as as part of as an easy testing solution. UM.
And in some cases they will just because they will
(36:17):
also become affiliates through our affiliate network. So now that
the startup exists and it's potential seems massive, we wanted
to know what direction they're thinking in terms of the future.
You know, now that they've made it, what next. So
I mean, we really see this and it's we really
(36:39):
see this as something that is it's a global concern.
I mean S T I S are you know, the
fifth most common area that people are seeking treatment for globally,
So this is not just a problem in the U S.
It's a global problem. So we really see expanding even
beyond the us UM into other countries where the discreet
(37:00):
nature of this is even even more paramount. So we've
actually already gotten a lot of interest in Asia, for example.
The big dream, I mean, we really want to be
the at home testing solution for people living in America.
And this is something that allows you to take health
in your control and completely own it UM. And we're
really big believers that really the best way to take
(37:21):
care of your health is to take care of your
health alone, to be informed, to be proactive, and ultimately
to get tested. So this is our big vision. We
see ourselves expanding across different categories. We see ourselves adding
additional infectious and obviously being able to offer a full
and comprehensive panel. What we currently test for right now
is the most prominent infections, so these are between the
(37:45):
most common new infections that you would encounter in uh
your daily life. And so we really started there. We
wanted to make sure we catch the biggest risks and
then from there on we really want this to be
a comprehensive sexual health platform and then growing from there
into the future. So we're very excited. So now, of course,
(38:06):
where can our listeners learn more about Laura, Ursula and
my lab Box. To learn more about my lab Box,
order our service and try us out and go to
my lab box dot com. So thanks again to Laura
Ivanova and Ursula Hessan Flow, co founders of my lab Box,
(38:30):
for taking the time to talk to us on a
very busy south By Southwest showroom floor. They were so
kind and so patient. We even had some technical difficulties
and they just you know, they went with it. Let's
be honest, we're being honest about STDs. Be honest, Caroline.
It was more like Caroline difficulties in that I didn't
(38:53):
press the record button, but Laura was so Laura was
so kind. You know, she was like, Okay, I'll just
say ill of that stuff again, because you know, technical
difficulties happen, just like STD. Yes brought it full circle. Um,
and now listeners were curious to hear from you. Have
you had any particularly interesting, positive or negative interesting STD
(39:19):
testing experiences? Do you have any tips on having the
STD conversation with sexual partners? Let us know mom Stuff
at how stuff works dot com is where you can
send your emails. You can also tweet us at mom
Stuff podcast or messages on Facebook, and we've got a
couple of messages to share with you when we come
right back from a quick break. Caroline, it's no news
(39:42):
to our stuff. Mom never told you audience that moms
are so unique. There's no one quite like my mom, Nancy,
and no one quite like your mom, Sally. And because
these women are so unique, we should get them a
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(40:03):
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how about something that's nice and delicious and something that
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(41:31):
Day is right around the corner, so make sure you
order now. And now back to the show. I have
one here from Lana in response to our discussion with
Ashley Doyle and Gina Hellfrik of recruit Her about salary negotiation,
she says, listening to you guys talk reminds me painfully
(41:53):
of my first job out of college. I had interviewed
in a few places, and one Fortune five hundred company
mentioned that their offer was non negotiable. They offer it
to all entry level engineers and you take it or
leave it. I didn't wind up getting the job, but
the idea that their offer was a fair number stuck
in my head. So when I got a similar offer
from the job I ultimately took, I didn't negotiate. I
just assumed it was a fair entry level offer. Well,
(42:15):
one day I was talking to a mechanic on the
shop floor and he made a snide comment about how
much us dumb college kids make just for having a degree,
and he cited a very precise number that was fifteen
thousand dollars a year higher than I was getting naturally,
I laughed. I don't get anything near that. You don't
he said, because that's what Joe got. This is all
past hints, because Joe name changed had recently been fired
(42:37):
for showing up to work drunk. Okay, uh is that
what he told you? He must have been lying. I'm
not surprised, well, he said. We all went out drinking
after they handed out the bonuses, and Joe left his
bonus a word paper in the backseat of my car.
I still didn't believe it, but the mechanic actually produced
the paper. This guy, Joe, who had started the exact
same rotational program at the same time as me, and
(42:58):
who held an equivalent degree, was earning fifteen thousand dollars
more a year. I was stunned. I knew there were
compensation disparities out there in the world somewhere, but I
never thought anything this agreedious would happened to me. And
if we started out with that size gap and our
races were all percentages after that, I would never catch
up with a guy who was so irresponsible that he
had shown up to work drunk. Very shortly after that,
(43:20):
I was interviewing for a new job. Still I couldn't
bring myself to negotiate on my own behalf. When my
future boss asked me what I expected to receive, I
choked out people in my rotational program are receiving and
I gave him Joe's salary. My boss came back with
an offer that was closer to Joe's salary than mine,
and I accepted it. He was so surprised that I
still wonder if I should have continued negotiating. Negotiating his hard,
(43:43):
especially when you desperately want any job except the one
you're currently holding. I hope I do better next time.
And Lana, we hear you. It's hard, and we really
wish you the best of luck. So I've got a
letter here from Alex about our Spilio Salary Secrets episode
as well, and she writes, I just wanted to say
thank you so much for your latest podcast on salary transparency.
(44:05):
I recently received a raise, but it was not the
full amount I was expecting, and at the time I
didn't think to negotiate or pushback, even though I knew
I deserved the full raise. I was too busy being
the quote model worker and didn't want to cause any trouble.
I was so happy to hear you and your guests
speak to the complex struggles women face when assuming the
role of negotiator. After listening to your podcast, I feel
(44:27):
like I have the tools to present my case for
higher pay without too much fear. Oh, Alex, I'm so
thrilled to hear that, and I hope that that conversation
goes well for you. And I got to say, um,
it's not only uh delightful hearing from you all, it's
also encouraging to us to you know, have our own
(44:48):
negotiation conversations in in a stronger kind of way. So
keep your letters coming, friends, mom. Stuff at how stuff
works dot com is our email address and for links
to all of our social media as well as all
of our blogs, videos, and podcasts with our sources. So
you can learn more about STDs and startups. Head on
over to stuff Mom Never Told You dot com. We're
(45:14):
more on this and thousands of other topics. Is it
how stuff works dot com
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