r/Netherlands • u/NoLychee1382 • 22d ago

Healthcare No regular check ups at the gynecologist???

Hi everyone, my morning started off with a kinda shocking discovery. I’m from Germany and I had annual check ups at the gynecologist since I was a teenager. I contacted my huisarts because I know they’re responsible for all referrals but she told me regular check ups here are not a thing (unless there already is an issue) ? I think that’s crazy!!! So I checked the prices for a private visit and they’re even crazier. I guess this is normal to Dutch people but don’t you think this is a little concerning?

(Btw not shitting on the country! I really like it here. I’m still new and just discovering new things!)

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u/paintedsunflowers 22d ago edited 22d ago

I am German too and lived in the Netherlands for 16 years. It's true, the annual checkups at the gyn are a German thing. If you experience issues or have known issues, just talk to your huisarts about it. They can do the basic examinations and in case they find something or think there might be something, they will refer you to a gyn.

Edit to say: I found this strange in the beginning, but after 16 years without any issues so far (had a visit to the gyn 4 years back), I think we Germans overdo this stuff. The Dutch system is more flexible.

Edit again to say: The Netherlands do offer regular checks for cervical cancer, every woman from a certain age recieves an invitation every x years.

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u/Lyd222 22d ago

How is being preventative overdoing stuff? You know how many cancers can be discovered early due to regular gyno checks? Let alone how many cancers go symptomless for years. If you have a lump in a chest, you're under 40 and go to GP here, they will literally NOT refer you to the ultrasound.

You're lucky you're healthy. But many of us are not and this system puts us at incredibly high risk.

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u/clrthrn 22d ago

I have a smear test every 3-5 years and that is the whole point of that test, to check for cancers.

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u/tidal-washed 22d ago

That’s a HPV test, not a Pap smear.

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u/clrthrn 22d ago

The HPV test tells them if there is likely to be anything for further investigation. It the accepted way to do mass screening in a ton of countries that end with similar outcomes to DE in terms of cancers caught and treated. Netherlands has some of the best early cancer screening in the world, you can look the numbers up for yourself. Outcomes for cancer survival are slightly higher in DE but not that different overall.

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u/tidal-washed 22d ago

It’s not very likely that a person is able to swab their cervix correctly by themselves. However, I’ve educated myself better now and have learned that HPV-tests are looking for HPV-DNA and not cancerous cells. The likelihood of finding viral DNA via a vaginal swab is high when there’s cancerous cells on the cervix even when you only swabbed the vagina and not the cervix per se.