What is sexual health like in The Hague? Most Hagenezen and Hagenaars come into contact with sex and possibly STIs, but do not know much about this. Therefore, in this blog we tell you the most important things about the most common STIs in The Hague, to make you more aware about your sexual health and to break taboos.

We will delve into the current situation in The Hague, the different STIs and their consequences, and STI prevention, testing and treatment.

Current situation in The Hague

We are currently seeing an increase in STI testing and STI infections in The Hague. More than half of the STI tests are done by homosexual men, a third by women and the rest by heterosexual men. Most people who do STI testing have a Dutch background, but we also see many Antillean/Aruban, Surinamese, Sub-Saharan/African, Moroccan and Turkish backgrounds.

Bij meer dan 1 op de 5 soa-consulten worden er soa-besmettingen gevonden. Vooral chlamydia is populair onder de heteroseksuele jongvolwassenen tot 25 jaar, terwijl gonorroe vaker wordt gevonden onder de homoseksuelen. Gonorroe wordt vaker gevonden bij de homoseksuelen. Daarnaast zien we syfilis en hiv weinig; 1.8% van de gevonden soa-besmettingen in Den Haag is syfilis en 0.2% is hiv.

Risk factors and prevention

There are several factors that increase the chances of contracting an STI. You are most at risk if you have unprotected sex, as the microorganisms then have free rein to travel through your mucous membranes.

Many people do not know this or deliberately choose not to use a condom (possibly due to drinking or drug use). In addition, if you have multiple sex partners, engage in paid sex, or have sex with people from a country where STIs are more prevalent, you are more likely to contract STIs.

Be aware of this when you are going to have sex with someone and determine for yourself if your chances of contracting an STI are high to protect yourself in time. This can be done with a condom or dental flap.

The most common STIs in The Hague

In The Hague (and the rest of the Netherlands), chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most popular STIs. These bacterial STIs can cause symptoms such as a burning pain when urinating, itching and pus from the penis or vagina. Note that many people experience no symptoms at all! You then only find out with testing. If not treated, it can lead to serious health problems, such as reduced fertility in women, inflammation of the balls in men and pelvic inflammatory disease. These STIs are treated with antibiotics.

Herpes and HPV

Herpes and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) are viral infections that are also common. 70% of people carry the herpes virus, but only a small proportion of these people notice it. You then experience painful blisters that go away on their own, but may also know to come back when your immune system is weakened.

Herpes cannot be cured, but you do have treatments that relieve the symptoms. HPV has several types that can give different symptoms. For example, there are types that can give cancer (cervical cancer in women and penile cancer in men), as well as types that are more harmless (genital warts).

80% of people will come into contact with HPV at some point in their lives, but as with herpes, not everyone will notice. Also with HPV, there are no treatments that will cure you of HPV; the body eventually does this on its own. There are treatments for genital warts, but they can come back after treatment.

How common is sylphilis and HIV in The Hague?

Finally, it is good to know that syphilis and HIV are not common in The Hague, but it is important to know what it is. S

yphilis is a bacterial infection that has different symptoms depending on which stage you are in. The first stage often begins with a painless ulcer, which goes away on its own.

If left untreated, you move to the second stage, which can cause skin rashes and flu-like symptoms. These also pass on their own, but the infection is still active.

Finally, you enter the latent stage, where you have no symptoms, and finally the third stage, which has serious effects on your heart, brain, nerves and other organs. This is life-threatening and you want to avoid it by treating syphilis with penicillin as early as possible.

HIV is a viral infection that weakens your own immune system and makes it harder for you to fight against other diseases and infections. Like syphilis, it has several stages: it starts with an acute infection, where you can get severe flu symptoms, but you may also not notice anything. If left untreated, you get a chronic infection, where the virus damages your body and your immune system deteriorates. The final stage is AIDS, where your immune system is so weakened that you have a high risk of other infections and cancer. You cannot be cured of HIV, but you can suppress the virus with antiretroviral therapy. With this treatment, you can live to be 100 like anyone else.

Where can you do STI testing in The Hague and what are the pros and cons?

• GGD Haaglanden - At the GGD, high-risk groups can get tested for an STI. The testing is free. The waiting times are very long and also often longer than at the family doctor or at a private clinic. The results are often after 2-5 working days.
• General Practitioner - You can often go to the doctor the same day or within a few days. However, you are not anonymous and you also pay for the STD test, which can be quite expensive. For an HIV test alone you can spend 50-200 euros. Also, your own family doctor is also your family doctor and can make you feel very uncomfortable. The results also often take 2-5 business days to come back.
• Onedayclinic - Is a private clinic specializing in STI care. Testing and treatment can be anonymous, everything can be done in 1 appointment, Onedayclinic is the only clinic recognized by STI AIDS Netherlands. The results of the regular STI test are available in 1-3 working days and there is an option for a rapid test in which the results are available after 90 minutes. You will be helped by a BIG registered professional. You can get an STI test the same day, in the evening or on Saturday.

Be aware of the risks of STIs and the importance of prevention and early detection. By testing regularly, practicing safe sex and communicating openly, you can help reduce STIs in The Hague and throughout the Netherlands. Test not only for yourself, but also for others: Better safe than sorry!