Which medical home tests can you buy?

The popularity of medical home tests is growing by the day

Technological and medical developments are moving fast. Our awareness of lifestyle and health is increasing. There is a huge amount of information online and we’re often better informed than the average salesperson. And sometimes even better than our GP – or at least, that’s what we think. When it comes to our health, we often first look up medical information ourselves about possible conditions, complaints or minor ailments. If we suspect that something is wrong with our body, we immediately search for symptoms online and like to read articles, information and reviews from others. The popularity of medical self tests or home tests is growing by the day. But what kinds of home tests can you buy and for which diseases, conditions or allergies can you get a home or self test? We’ve put them together in a handy overview.

Types of home tests

You can buy various types of home tests at the pharmacy, via mail order companies, online and at drugstores. See for example the following sites: Drogisterij.net , DeOnlineDrogist.nl Testalize.me and Diabetesmagazijn.nl.

And by now there are many more than you might think at first glance.

Categories of home tests

There are 4 categories of home tests.

1. Measuring devices

These are mostly electronic devices that measure your condition or health status. The best known is the thermometer, but there are now also blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors, digital alcohol testers and pulse oximeters.

2. Preventive health tests

These are tests that tell you something about your current state of health and the potential risk that you may develop a certain disease. For example, there is a lifestyle test in which blood levels of 10 different substances are measured with a drop of blood, such as blood sugar and cholesterol. There are also genetic home tests, which look at DNA from cheek swab cells to give information about your risk of certain conditions.

3. Diagnostic tests

With these tests you use saliva, urine, blood or certain swabs to check whether you have a specific disease, such as an STI (a sexually transmitted infection), a gluten allergy or Pfeiffer’s disease (glandular fever).

4. Informative tests

This category includes other various home tests such as the pregnancy test, ovulation test, male fertility test and paternity test.

Prices vary widely. You can find a simple pregnancy test from as little as around 10 Euro, but there are also expensive heart monitors of about 240 Euro. Most tests, however, cost around 20 to 30 Euro.

For which conditions, diseases or allergies are (diagnostic) home tests available?

As mentioned, the number and variety of home tests is growing very quickly. We’ve listed all available self tests in a handy overview. If you notice any home tests missing, we’d love to hear from you. 

1. Already on the market for many years and probably the best-known home test is the pregnancy test. Introduced in the 1970s by Predictor, and by now available from several brands. It’s very reliable and easy to use with a little urine.
2. Following on from that came the ovulation test, to determine the exact time of ovulation and thus increase the chance of conception and becoming pregnant, and the male fertility test. Because we want to have children later in life and therefore more often have problems conceiving, these tools have turned out to fill a real gap in the market.
3. Syphilis, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis. Despite the importance of safe sex, there are still regular STI infections among young people. With these STI home tests you can use a drop of blood (from a finger prick) or a swab with a cotton bud to check whether you have an STI. At the GGD clinics in the Netherlands you can also get tested anonymously and free of charge, and be treated immediately if necessary. 
4. Candida is a vaginal yeast infection that often occurs in women. It’s not really an STI, but it can be passed to a partner through sexual contact. Important indications are redness and itching of the vagina or the glans. The self test is done by taking a vaginal swab with a cotton bud.
5. Chlamydia. One of the STIs that, despite increased condom use, continues to occur just as often and is an important cause of infertility in women. In women, the infection usually has no symptoms, meaning they can carry it for longer and adhesions in the fallopian tubes can develop. With the home test you take a swab, but its reliability is much lower than that of a laboratory blood test. HIV: In the Netherlands there is only one HIV home test on the market, and it doesn’t have a CE mark. That means it may not legally be sold in the Netherlands, but this is bypassed via abroad and you can simply order it online. A drop of blood is used to test for HIV antibodies, and the result only says something about your status 3 months ago. Retesting a negative result and confirming a positive one is actually always necessary.
6. HPV: This home test for the Human Papilloma Virus, made available by Stichting Humacare, founded by gynaecologists and researchers, is temporarily unavailable due to an investigation by the Health Inspectorate. The reliability of the test is good, but the question is what you can actually do with the result. HPV plays a role in the development of cervical cancer. The test shows whether or not you have the virus. In the vast majority of women, about 80%, the virus disappears from the body by itself. If you do have the virus, vaccination with an HPV vaccine such as Cervarix at that moment is pointless. You can find more information about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine on the website of het Koniningin Wilhemina Fonds Kankerbestrijding and the site Prik en Bescherm.
7. Pfeiffer’s disease, the "kissing disease" or chronic fatigue virus, can be tested at home with a drop of blood from a finger prick.
8. Diabetes: This self test for diabetes (to detect abnormalities in blood sugar levels) also uses a finger prick. This blood sugar test only gives an indication. Our blood sugar level is affected by many factors, and getting tested and monitored by a GP is generally the wiser choice.
9. Cholesterol: Because elevated cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular disease, this is something that’s often checked. The home test uses a drop of blood to determine the total cholesterol level.
10. Allergy test: A drop of blood is used to check whether there is a high level of immunoglobulin E antibodies. The level of these antibodies is often elevated in allergic reactions.
11. Bladder and urinary tract test: The urine is checked for the amount of protein, nitrite, red and white blood cells, which can indicate a bladder infection or urinary tract infection.
12. Drug test: The most commonly used drugs, such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine, speed, XTC and crystal meth, can still be detected in urine for several days after use. There are separate tests for individual drugs, but there are also multi tests in which the most common ones are combined.
13. Blood type test: Most people don’t even know their blood type. With a finger prick you can quickly find out whether you have blood type A, B or O and whether you have a rhesus factor. The test includes a blood type card, which you can use as a codicil.
14. Menopause test: The menopause simply means the permanent end of menstruation. The "change" or premenopause is the run-up to this. The test is actually a premenopause test. The level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is measured in urine. Whether the result is positive or negative, a visit to your GP is still recommended.
15. Free radical test: Free radicals are released during every normal metabolic process in the body. They play a role in (cell) ageing. But external factors such as air pollution, smoking and illness can also cause more free radicals to be released. This test measures the level of free radicals via urine. You can then decide to adjust your lifestyle or diet, or to take extra antioxidants.
16. Prostate test: The PSA level (Prostate-Specific Antigen) in the blood is measured. A positive test result doesn’t automatically mean you have prostate cancer – the level can also be elevated with benign prostate enlargement. A negative result also doesn’t mean you definitely don’t have prostate cancer. In short, when it comes to high-risk tests such as cancer tests, the rule of thumb really is: go to your GP! Don’t keep walking around with doubts.
17. Paternity test, relationship test or twin test : A swab with a cotton bud is taken from the cheek mucosa, and DNA is extracted from these cheek cells. The DNA of both people is compared, and the reliability of current tests is now so high that you can demonstrate kinship with almost 100% certainty. There are even companies that offer testing on tissues like handkerchiefs, cigarette butts, hair roots and chewing gum. There are several providers online and prices vary enormously, from 250 to 750 Euro. Legally valid tests generally cost around 600 or 700 Euro.
18. Malaria test: Not yet available in the Netherlands, but you can order it abroad online. There are kits that test for 4 different types of malaria using a drop of blood from a finger prick. However, the different types of malaria require different types of medication. If you’ve travelled and develop symptoms after returning home, it’s better to see a doctor.
19. Alcohol test: These are breath tests. From as little as 3 Euro you can get a disposable test, and for around 10 Euro you can already buy a digital alcohol home tester.
20. Bowel cancer: With the bowel test or FOB test (Fecal Occult Blood) it’s checked whether there is "hidden" blood in your stool, meaning an amount of blood so small that you can’t see it. If the test is positive this doesn’t automatically mean you have bowel cancer; inflammations of the bowel and polyps can also cause blood in the stool. Again, a visit to the GP is recommended after this test. The company MiraTes launched this test with a CE mark, but still ran into problems with the Health Care Inspectorate, demanded and won a rectification through legal proceedings, yet their website is now for sale and their products are barely available online.
21. Stomach ulcer: With a finger prick and a drop of blood you can test for the presence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which causes inflammation of the stomach lining and can therefore lead to a stomach ulcer. If you take this test because you have complaints and it’s negative, you could still have another problem. A positive test can also still occur after antibiotic treatment for a previous infection. Incidentally, about 50% of people carry this bacterium without any problems or symptoms.