It is a topic that concerns young people a lot: have I contracted an STD? A sexually transmitted disease is not only annoying for you but also for your partner to whom you can transmit this disease. If you know that you have chlamydia or herpes, for example, you can be treated, but this must of course be preceded by a test. Read more about having a free STD test here.

Free STD test

• Where can you have an STD test done?
• When do you belong to a risk group with the right to a free STD test?
• Where can you have a free STD test done?
• Rapid tests
• Ordinary tests
• Anonymous STD self-test for home

Where can you have an STD test done?

You can have an STD test done by your doctor and your doctor can also refer you to a gynecologist or dermatologist if necessary. However, the culture of shame surrounding STDs means that many people prefer to have an STD test carried out anonymously. You can contact a GGD for this . If you belong to a risk group, the test is free for you. If you do not belong to a risk group and you have a test done at your GP or a CASA Nederland clinic, it will be paid for by your health insurance, so it is not anonymous. Your health insurance will reimburse the costs for you, but if you have not yet used up your deductible, the costs will still be charged to you. An annoying additional disadvantage is that if your parents still pay your healthcare costs, the test will be visible to them on the overview of reimbursements that you periodically receive from your health insurance.The most common STDs that can be tested for are the following:

• Chlamydia
• Genital Warts
• Gonorrhea
• Hepatitis B
• Genital herpes
• HIV/AIDS
• Syphilis

Other STDs and genital disorders include Candida, scabies, bacterial vaginosis, pubic lice and trichomonas. All have specific complaints and the GGD employees are well able to estimate which conditions they should test you for.

When do you belong to a risk group with the right to a free STD test?

To be eligible for free testing for the most common STDs, you must meet one of the following requirements:

• You are younger than 25 years old.
• As a man you have intimate contacts with other men (MSM)
• You visit prostitutes.
• You have many changing contacts.
• One of your (former) partners has informed you that he or she has an STD.
• You have complaints that indicate an STD.
• You come from an area where many STDs are detected.

If you do not meet one of the above requirements, you can still visit your doctor, but the test is not anonymous and also not free. However, anyone who looks closely at the above requirements cannot help but conclude that you can always have a free STD test performed because all it takes is your word. The GGD does not check whether you actually have changing contacts or whether your ex has an STD when he tells you this.

Where can you have a free STD test done?

You can have yourself tested at a GGD STD outpatient clinic . By entering your zip code on the SOAAIDS website you can see where the nearest location is to you. Many of the locations are in hospitals or independent GGD buildings. A distinction is made between rapid tests and regular tests.The type of test you receive depends on your complaints and the type of STD that is suspected. The following types of tests are available:

• Urine examination
• Vaginal swab
• Anal swab
• Throat swab
• Physical examination

The examination that men often dread, involving the insertion of a cotton swab into the urethra, is hardly used in the Netherlands anymore because this form of examination can easily be replaced by urine testing.

Rapid tests

In a number of cities you can use an anonymous rapid test, so that you know the result quickly. This only tests for HIV, and therefore not for other STDs. You will have the results within an hour. If the result is positive, we will contact you and not your GP, and the information will not be passed on to the health insurer. The Abbott Determineâ„¢ test is used . A finger prick is done and the collected drop of blood can be used to determine whether you have produced antibodies against HIV. This can be done at the following locations:

Amsterdam

• GGD Amsterdam
• Jan van Goyen Medical Center
• Slotervaart Hospital

Apeldoorn

• GGD Gelre-IJssel

Arnhem

• VGGM
• Mildred-Rutgershuis, Center for Sexual Health

Bergen op Zoom

• GGD West Brabant

Breda

• GGD West Brabant

Den Bosch

• GGD Heart for Brabant

The Hague

• Center for Sexual Health GGD Haaglanden

Deventer

• GGD Gelre-IJssel

Doetinchem

• GGD Gelre-IJssel

Emmen

• Sense Northern Netherlands

Helmond

• GGD Brabant-Zuidoost

Goes

• GGD Zeeland

Groenlo

• GGD Gelre-IJssel

Groningen

• Sense Northern Netherlands

Haarlem

• Kennemergasthuis, location south in Haarlem

Harderwijk

• GGD Gelre-IJssel

Leeuwarden

• Sense Northern Netherlands

Rotterdam

• GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond
• Medical Center Rijnmond-Zuid (Clara location)
• DESC (Diagnostic Expertise & Screening Center)
• Erasmus MC

Tilburg

• GGD Heart for Brabant

Zutphen

• GGD Gelre-IJssel

Zwolle

• GGD Region IJssel-Vecht

Ordinary tests

In many cities you can also have a regular test done. This is certainly possible in the following cities: Alkmaar, Amersfoort, Assen, Eindhoven, Enschede, Geleen, Gouda, Heemskerk, Heerlen, Hoofddorp, Hoorn. Holly. IJmuiden, Leiden, Nieuwegein, Oss, Roermond, Schagen, Spijkenisse, Terneuzen, Tiel, Utrecht, Venlo, Zaandam, Zeist and Zoetermeer.

Anonymous STD self-test for home

It is also possible to take a test at home for a certain number of STDs with an STD Test Package . These self-tests are only possible for chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea and will give you a reliable result within minutes. The big advantage is of course that you can take an STD test anonymously.It is also possible to take an STD test anonymously and from home, which requires laboratory testing. By using a Soapoli-online , Viola or Testing at Home STD test you can also have yourself checked for HIV or Hepatitis B, for example. You do this by taking a finger prick at home according to the instructions and testing the material with send it by post to the laboratory. You enter a unique code linked to your product online and you will receive the results within three working days. All this is completely anonymous and discreet. If you order a test kit through an online pharmacy, it will not be visible on the outside of the package that it is an STD test.

read more

• Do I have an STD? Take a self-test, anonymously and from home