Table. Example Posts From Reddit r/STD.
| Example Posta | Crowd-Diagnosisb | Second Opinionb | No. of Replies | Time to First Reply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “My previous girlfriend had high-risk HPV. My doc told me that guys have nothing to worry about and everyone has it. But, the internet says it gives women cancer. Do I need to tell future partners? I’m terrified I could pass this along to a future girlfriend.” | 5 | 1 hour 50 minutes | ||
| “Help! What is this? In the past month I have developed these papules on my butt close to my vagina. Normally my skin is very clear. Can anyone help identify this? Is this herpes?!” | ✓ | 2 | 5 hours 38 minutes | |
| “Is this ingrown hairs or genital warts? I went to the doc a few days ago and he said it’s genital warts. I’m floored because I always use condoms. I recently shaved so the doctor could be wrong and they’re ingrown hairs? Here’s a pic. I’d appreciate a second opinion. If it is warts, I may try apple cider vinegar first.” | ✓ | ✓ | 12 | 12 minutes |
| “I went to the clinic to get tested. I’m really scared because they said my results showed ‘HIV-1 Confirmation.’ I have to go back and get another test but I’m wondering is the doc wrong, do you think I have HIV?” | ✓ | ✓ | 3 | 52 minutes |
Abbreviations: HPV, human papillomavirus; STD, sexually transmitted disease.
a
Each post was edited for length and to omit content that might make the poster identifiable.
b
A check mark indicates the post was labeled as requesting a crowd-diagnosis or as requesting a second opinion after obtaining a prior diagnosis from a health care professional.