get tested!

Yes guys, just a little story with a more serious tone today. Because summer is in the country, hormones are flying around, and sultry summer loves are always lurking. Of course, that's great, but summer is also the period when STIs are most common. Many “casual contacts” are perfectly fine, but unfortunately, not everyone does that with a condom. And an STI, that's really not fun.

I sometimes hear people say: “oh come on, you take a pill and then you're done” and in a way that's true, but first you have to know that you even have an STI and that's where it often goes wrong. Because testing is supposedly expensive and complicated and, oh well, the ostrich strategy is just easier. Chlamydia is the most common STI. And even though it can indeed be treated (if you catch it in time) with a simple pill, those who don't know they have chlamydia pass it on time and time again. Ultimately, even 'innocent chlamydia' carries the risk of infertility. We're talking about relatively harmless STIs now, but there's also the chance of contracting HIV and that's not a simple pill and poof, done.Testing is not difficult or complicated at all. In fact, it has been nationally determined that everyone under 25 can get tested and treated for free. And this is completely anonymous. Your name is written down, but as a lady from the GGD told me this morning on the phone, ‘you could also provide a made-up name.’ In short, your parents, boyfriend, girlfriend, or anyone else: no one ever has to find out. People over 25 must report to their general practitioner (who also performs the test). The costs for this depend on your GP, so no general statements can be made about that.

So, and now I'm going to give a little lecturing finger to say that you really must use a condom, and to say that if something does go wrong, you should get tested as soon as possible. That's it for this message from Teacher and Doctor Rasker.

Yes guys, just a little story with a more serious tone today. Because summer is in the country, hormones are flying around, and sultry summer loves are always...