- If you are a sex worker, you can get an STI.
- You are more likely to catch an STI if you don’t use a condom.
- Get yourself tested for STIs twice a year for free
- Do you have an STI? Tell people you have had sex with
- It is often better to take a break from work until the STI is gone.
Types of STIs
As a sex worker, you have sex with different people. In that case, you can get an STI. Especially if you don’t use a condom. These are the most common STIs in the Netherlands:
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Warts on your vagina, penis or anus
- Herpes
- Syphilis
- HIV
- Hepatitis B
- Lice
- Scabies
- Trichomoniasis
Other things you can catch:
Do an STI test
Do you think you have an STI? Do an STI test at the GGD or your doctor. Do this at least twice a year, even if you have no symptoms.
Treatment
Was the test positive for an STI? In that case, you will get medicine. Or the doctor will give you a prescription so you can pick up your medicine from the drug store.
Are you in a relationship? Or are there one or more people you often have sex with? In that case, it’s a good idea for them to get an STI test too. Sometimes you are given medicine immediately if you have an STI.
A lot of STIs go away if you take medicine. The medicine can be pills or a shot in your bottom.
Some STIs cannot be cured. Often, there are medicines that can relieve your symptoms or make them go away.
You can read more about STIs and medicines at soaaids.nl (Dutch only)
Tell clients that you have an STI
Do you have an STI? Tell your clients and other people you have had sex with. They can also get tested and treated. Ask your doctor or nurse who you should tell. They can help you to tell the people via SMS. You won’t have to say your name.
Working with an STI
Do you have an STI? In that case, it would be better to not have sex for a while:
- This will allow your body to recover
- The STI has to be gone first. That way, you can’t give it to other people
This applies to sex with your clients and your own partner if you have one.
How long you have to wait depends on the STI you have. Click on the links to the STI pages above to find out when you can start working again. And what you can do with clients when you have an STI.
Don’t get an STI
Protect yourself against STIs during work and outside of work. That way, you will stay healthy and can continue to work:
- Use condoms
- Take PrEP against HIV
- Get three free hepatitis B vaccinations
Condoms
Using a condom will reduce your risk of getting an STI. They protect you during vaginal and anal sex. Also use them during blow jobs, licking pussy and rimming. You can buy condoms in all sort of shops or order them online.
Read about which condoms are good and safe
What if your client wants a blow job without a condom?
It’s always best to you use a condom, also when giving a blow job. Are you really unable to use a condom and still want to give this client a blow job? If so, protect yourself as well as possible:
- Make sure you don’t get any sperm in your mouth
- Don’t take the penis too far into your mouth
- Get an STI test twice a year. Then you will know soon whether you have an STI or not
Want to know more? Watch the video about blow jobs and STIs
Vaccination against hepatitis B
As a sex worker, you sometimes come into contact with a client's semen, vaginal fluid, or blood. This can cause you to contract hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a liver disease that can make you very ill if you do not take medication.
Is sex your work? Then you can get 3 free injections against hepatitis B from the GGD. This is called a vaccination. It will prevent you from contracting the disease.
Read more about hepatitis B vaccination
PrEP: a pill against HIV
PrEP is a pill that keeps you from getting HIV. You take the pill every day or only if you have sex. Do you have sex often? In that case, it’s best to take the medicine at the same time every day.
You need a prescription from your doctor or the health department (GGD) to get the medicine. You usually have to pay at least a part of the costs of PrEP yourself.
Mpox
- Mpox is a virus that you can get if you are very close to someone who has it. During sex, for example.
- Men who have sex with men are particularly susceptible to this virus.
- Mpox can cause symptoms.
- Condoms can reduce the risk of serious symptoms.
You can get vaccinated against Mpox. Read more about this on this page.
HPV vaccine
HPV can cause various types of cancer:
- Cervical cancer: this is the most common. Every year, more than 600 women develop cervical cancer. More than 200 women die from it.
- Penile cancer
- Anal cancer
- Throat cancer
HPV can also cause genital warts.
The HPV vaccine reduces your chances of getting HPV. This means you are less likely to develop these types of cancer.
You can get vaccinated against HPV. You often have to pay for this yourself. Ask your doctor for this vaccine. Or ask at the GGD. Or take a look at this page.
Have you had sex without a condom?
Have you had sex without a condom or PrEP? And do you think you might have HIV? You might need PEP. These are medicines that you can take after sex so you won’t get HIV. Call the municipal health service (GGD) or the hospital immediately after sex.
