Lab test or rapid test: two very different things
With a lab home test you take your own sample — urine, a vaginal swab, or a swab from your throat or anus — and post it to a medical laboratory. There it goes through the same PCR test your GP and the GGD use; Soa Aids Nederland calls such tests "just as reliable as a test at the GP or GGD". Rapid tests you read yourself at home, like the ones sold at drugstores, are not: the RIVM guideline puts the sensitivity of chlamydia rapid tests at only 17 to 64%, so many infections are missed. Soa Aids Nederland and Thuisarts therefore advise against them.
How reliable is taking the sample yourself?
Surprisingly reliable. For women, a deep vaginal swab you take yourself is even the first choice in the RIVM guidelines for chlamydia and gonorrhoea: more sensitive than urine, and at least as good as a swab taken by a doctor. For men, first-void urine is the standard. A review found that self-taken vaginal swabs pick up about 92% of the chlamydia infections a clinician-taken sample finds. Throat and anal swabs have been studied less, with somewhat lower figures. The biggest mistake usually isn’t in the lab but in the choice: testing at the wrong site, for the wrong STI or too early.
Test at the right site
An STI sits where you had sex. If you had oral or anal sex, chlamydia and gonorrhoea can also be in your throat or anus — and a urine test alone will miss them. For men who have sex with men and for sex workers, the guidelines advise always testing throat and anus for gonorrhoea as well. Note: with most home tests one kit covers one sampling site, and each extra site is an extra kit. At SoaStudentArts you can choose a 3-in-1 kit that tests urine or vagina, throat and anus in one go.
Blood tests: finger-prick or collection point
HIV, syphilis and hepatitis need blood. At Soapoli-online you do that at home with a finger-prick sample you post to the lab; in a Dutch study such a self-taken drop of blood gave the same HIV result as blood from the arm. Soapolinoord has your blood drawn at a collection point in Groningen or Leeuwarden. SoaStudentArts and Testalize don’t do blood tests; for those you go to your GP or the GGD. Soa Aids Nederland notes that you often don’t need a blood test — but for men who have sex with men, a test for HIV and syphilis always belongs in the package.
HIV self-test: the exception
There is one rapid test that is reliable: the HIV self-test. You prick your finger and read the result after about fifteen minutes; such a test costs €25 to €40 at a pharmacy or online. The catch: it only measures antibodies and is fully reliable only after three months. If your risk was recent, a lab test at your GP or the GGD is better. And always have a positive self-test confirmed by your GP or the GGD.
When should you test?
A home test only makes sense once the infection is detectable. For chlamydia and gonorrhoea that is about two weeks after the risk; for HIV and syphilis it takes longer. Test earlier and the result may be falsely negative. Our article on the window period lists when you can test for each STI.
When not to test at home
- You have symptoms, such as discharge, burning when you pee or a sore — then you want a doctor to take a look.
- A partner has warned you about an STI.
- The condom broke during anal sex between men: call your GP or the GGD about PEP within 72 hours.
- The sex was against your will: go to the Centrum Seksueel Geweld (Sexual Assault Centre).
In those cases you can often get tested free of charge at the GGD. In several regions, men who have sex with men can also request a free test online through the GGD’s Testlab.
The providers side by side
- Soapoli-online — all STIs, including blood via a finger-prick. Chlamydia or gonorrhoea €41.90, both €58.45 per sampling site. Treatment for chlamydia or trichomonas €20, including posted medication.
- SoaStudentArts — chlamydia and gonorrhoea only, from €39.95; both at three sites €64.95. You collect medication at the pharmacy.
- Soapolinoord — individual tests from €25.50 to €30, plus a €12.50 service fee per order (and €4.50 shipping). Blood draw at a collection point in Groningen or Leeuwarden.
- Testalize.me — chlamydia and gonorrhoea €48.95 per sampling site, no blood tests. Remote treatment for chlamydia is included in the price, but is not anonymous.
Soapoli-online, SoaStudentArts and Soapolinoord are on Soa Aids Nederland’s list of recommended home tests. To see the total price for your situation — including sampling sites and any treatment — use the decision helper.
How to choose
- Choose a kit you post to a certified laboratory, not a rapid test you read yourself (the HIV self-test excepted).
- Test every site where you had sex: urine or vagina, and throat and anus where needed.
- If you need blood tests (HIV, syphilis, hepatitis), pick a provider that offers them — or go to your GP or the GGD.
- Check how treatment works after a positive result: pills can often come by post, but gonorrhoea is always treated with an injection by a doctor.
- Work with the total price: service fees, shipping and extra sampling sites add up.
- Warn your partners after a positive result. Anonymous notification via partnerwaarschuwing.nl works with a code from your GP or the GGD.
This information is general and was compiled with care from public sources, but it does not replace medical advice. For symptoms or doubt, always consult a doctor.
