FAQs

s.a.m health was designed to fit your needs & life style, and to easily integrate sexual health into your everyday life. In four simple steps you can use our offer for regular, discreet and uncomplicated testing for the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

1. Online registration at www.samhealth.de

• You register once with your telephone number and delivery address.

• You choose a s.a.m health partner checkpoint for your initial consultation.

• You receive an SMS with the contact details of the selected s.a.m health partner checkpoint.

• You make an appointment for an initial consultation with a medical specialist. This consultation lasts only 15 minutes and can take place over the phone or in person.

2. Initial consultation by telephone or in person

• During a conversation with a medical specialist, you will have the opportunity to address questions about sexual health. He/she will assess your personal risk and explain to you how to collect the samples at home.

• Together with the medical specialist, you decide on the test frequency that is right for you - every three, six or twelve months.

• After the consultation, you will receive a payment link via SMS, which you can use to complete your order. Once the payment has been completed, your test kit will be sent to your selected address. All other test kits are ordered by SMS. The registration process is only necessary once.

3. Sample collection at home

• The s.a.m health test kit contains instructions and all materials you need for sample collection at home (a micro container for blood from your fingertip, swabs and a urine container if necessary).

• A prepaid return envelope is included in the testkit, so that you can send your self-collected samples conveniently to our laboratory.

4. Notification of results via telephone within 7 days (after sample receipt in our laboratory)

• If all tests are negative (= no infection), we will inform you via SMS.

• If a laboratory test result indicates the presence of an infection, you will be asked by SMS to call your s.a.m health partner checkpoint. A medical specialist will explain the laboratory result and talk to you about the treatment options. This conversation can take place in person if you prefer. All infections tested at s.a.m health are easily treatable.

s.a.m health is suitable for anyone who wants to be tested regularly, easily and discreetly for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

To be able to use s.a.m health, you have to:

• have a German mobile phone number.

• Specify a postal address or "DHL Packstation" in Germany.

• receive initial advice from one of the s.a.m health partners (by phone or in person).

• be at least 18 years old.

• agree to our general terms and conditions (AGB).

With our HIV screening test HIV can be ruled out with certainty as early as 6 weeks after a possible HIV infection. Since our screening test not only detects HIV antibodies but also has the capacity to detect p24 virus antigen (a viral marker that is detectable about 14 days after infection), HIV can be ruled out much more quickly with our laboratory test than with the rapid diagnostic test (6 weeks instead of 3 months).

You need to be at least 18 years old to register for s.a.m health.

However, if you are under the age of 18 and need special advice on sexual health, you should contact one of our s.a.m partners  

In Germany, it is currently still obligatory to have a one-to-one conversation with a medical professional before your s.a.m health subscription starts. This can be by phone or at your s.a.m health partner’s clinic. This has the benefit of allowing you to discuss any questions you may have. All other test kits will then be conveniently sent to you by post.

s.a.m health is a subscription-based test service with a reminder function every 3, 6 or 12 months. s.a.m health is therefore not intended for ad hoc orders. The reminder interval can be selected, choose from every 3, 6 or 12 months, and you do not have to accept the test kits. So you can always choose whether you need a test kit or not. If you want to take a one-off test, it is best to ask for a test consultation at your nearest checkpoint or health department. You can find locations here: https://www.aidshilfe.de/adressen?f-q=All&f-region=All&f-type=12.

• If you have had a specific HIV risk in the past 3 days (e.g. unprotected anal sex with a person with an unknown HIV status). The doctor will then decide with you whether your possible risk of infection can be reduced with PEP medication. (PEP=post-exposure prophylaxis).

• If you are showing signs of illness

• If you think you might be pregnant.

You don't need a smartphone to use s.a.m health. You just need a phone which can receive SMS and access the internet. You can use a laptop or PC with an active internet connection to register for the s.a.m health subscription on the s.a.m health website. You will then receive SMS from s.a.m health with links for setting appointments and making online payments, but you can access these through a browser on your laptop or PC.

Credit card and Giropay payments are accepted.

If your bank isn't part of Giropay please ask if a Mastercard or VISA is included in your checking account.

With s.a.m health, you can get tested for HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia.

The first s.a.m health test kit costs €75.

• After this, pay for each test kit individually - € 59/kit (online payment for each purchase with a credit or debit card).

• Recurring payment with a credit card - €59/kit.

Consultation, laboratory analysis, packaging and postage are included in the price for our test kits. Shipping costs, such as postage to your preferred address and the lab are also included. No further costs will apply and you will not have to prepay any shipments. Statutory VAT is included in the price.

Generally, you will receive the test kit at the address you specified within five days of ordering it.

If your test kit has not arrived within five working days after payment, please contact us as soon as possible. Send us an SMS to +49 1573 5994380.

Yes, but the test results may be more accurate if you wait for the flow to ease.

Yes. It is even more important to test for chlamydia during pregnancy because the infection can be transmitted to the baby during childbirth. The cotton swab is inserted only into the lower part of the vagina and does not affect the baby. The test is just as accurate as it is when you are not pregnant.

Your s.a.m health test kit will be delivered by Deutsche Post to the address of your choice (or "DHL Packstation").

The packaging is discreet and there is no mention of either Deutsche Aidshilfe or s.a.m health. The sender is given as SAM, Gebäude A, Aufg. 1, Ringbahnstr. 16-20, 12099 Berlin.

Standard delivery is used, so there is no need for a signature and the envelope will pass through any standard letterbox.

No, s.a.m health can only offer tests for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. If you want to be tested for hepatitis A, B or C, we recommend that you contact a checkpoint or a doctor.

With s.a.m health you can get yourself tested for the four most important sexually transmitted infections: HIV, syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia.

HIV and syphilis can be detected in the blood, while chlamydia and gonorrhoea can be found in the throat, anus, ureters and primary sex organs (such as the penis or vagina) and can be tested via corresponding sampling. The test kits are compiled according to your information about your genitals and sex partners.

Depending on the test kit, you will receive:

For testing for HIV and syphilis

• blood sample kit

For tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea, one or more of these components to suit you and your sex life:

• urine sample kit

• throat swab kit

• rectal swab kit

• vaginal swab kit

More about home sampling for STI tests in our s.a.m health testing instructions.

We understand that some people do not want to give a blood sample. In our experience, however, almost everyone finds it easy to take the blood sample. If you don't send back a blood sample, then, unfortunately, we can't test for syphilis or HIV. Don't forget that all of your results are confidential and won't be shared with anyone.

A short video tutorial shows you how to take blood from your fingertip easily.

Please use the enclosed prepaid envelope to send your samples to Labor Lademannbogen, Lademannbogen 61, 22339 Hamburg.

If all tests are negative (negative = no infection), we will inform you by SMS. If the test result is positive, you will receive an SMS asking you to contact your s.a.m health checkpoint by phone to speak to a qualified specialist about the results and treatment options. You can also book an in-person consultation with your s.a.m health partner. All infections tested at s.a.m health are easy to treat.

You will usually receive your results within one week of our receiving the samples in our laboratory.

If you lose your mobile phone after using a s.a.m health test kit, please contact us as soon as possible. Send an email to sam@dah.aidshilfe.de or an SMS to +49 1573 5994380

All infections tested at s.a.m health are easy to treat. If a test result is positive, you will receive an SMS from your s.a.m health checkpoint partner asking you to call them. A consultant will explain the treatment options and can help you locate a health care provider near you.

If the HIV screening test detects specific antibodies or the virus component p24, we refer to a "reactive" test result. This test result needs to be confirmed with further tests.

Since "false positive" results can also occur in rare cases, an HIV confirmation test is carried out automatically in this case. Generally, the blood sample you send in to the laboratory is sufficient for this additional HIV test. Only when the result of the confirmation test is available you will receive an SMS asking you to contact your checkpoint. A consultant will then explain the test result to you. In case the confirmation test result turned out positive, he/she will answer your questions and help you to locate HIV treatment services near you.

No test is 100% accurate. Some sexually transmitted infections need time to develop before they can be detected by tests.

Our laboratory conforms to strict regulations to ensure that your results are as accurate as possible. If you have concerns about the reliability of your results, please contact your s.a.m health partner to speak to our qualified medical professionals.

In the case of HIV tests, if your result is “reactive”, then further tests are required to confirm the result. False-reactive results are extremely rare (false-reactive results are when the test indicates that it has found HIV antibodies but there is no HIV infection). This can happen if the test is set to be "too cautious" to ensure that a negative result is particularly safe. This leads to some rare non-HIV antibodies being read as HIV antibodies. A confirmation test will, however, uncover this very rare error.

In the event of negative test results, you will receive an SMS confirming that no infection has been detected, taking into account the diagnostic window (time period between a possible infection and its detectability or its certain exclusion). These messages are sent by your partner checkpoint after receiving the lab results and are absolutely trustworthy and reliable.

In case of a reactive HIV or syphilis test or positive results for chlamydia or gonorrhoea, you will receive an SMS with the request to call your partner checkpoint, where your counsellors will go through the results and next steps with you.

By default, you will not receive your results in writing (e.g. Email, PDF). If you still need your results in writing, please discuss this with your counsellor at your s.a.m health partner checkpoint. He*she will decide about it with you on the phone. In the case of reactive or positive test results, we can arrange for a written lab report as a PDF file to be sent by email at your expressed request, i.e. if you need it for your doctor.

However, emails are not compatible with our data security requirements and obligations for medical diagnoses and you must be aware of this risk.

You can find more information on sexually transmitted infections on the website of the German AIDS Federation https://www.aidshilfe.de/.

If you have tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection, you should inform your current partners and all sexual partners you have had within the last 6 months. You could have been infected without knowing it and passed the infection on to other people. It is therefore important that your previous sexual partners are also tested.

If your tests return a positive result, you should go to a doctor to get treatment. Our consultants will discuss the treatment options with you.

To choose the right test kit for you, we only need a few details about your genitals and your sexual partners. This information will always be treated confidentially and will never be passed on to third parties.

Depending on the test kit, you will receive:

For testing for HIV and syphilis:

• blood sample kit

Testing for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, you will receive one or more of these components to suit you and your sex life:

• urine sample kit

• throat swab kit

• rectal swab kit

• vaginal swab kit

If you lose your mobile phone after using a s.a.m health test kit, please contact us as soon as possible. Send an email to sam@dah.aidshilfe.de or an SMS to +49 1573 5994380

Protecting your privacy is a priority for us, nonetheless we cannot process payments anonymously.

When paying with Giropay, Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe e.V. appears on your bank statement as the payment recipient and S.A.M. S.A.M. GIROPAY is displayed as the intended purpose for the transfer in addition to several booking codes.

When paying by credit card, only the booking reference S.A.M. S.A.M.BERLIN DE appears on your credit card statement and no further information about the recipient.

Only our trained medical professionals can see your test results and will never share them with third parties.

Per European data protection regulations, information about sexual orientation and health is subject to the highest level of security. All data is therefore encrypted and stored on a certified (cloud) server. It is only accessible to employees of your s.a.m health partner and the s.a.m health centre (Deutsche Aidshilfe) who need to log into the platform using two-factor authentication. The laboratory has limited access. It can only enter test results using an anonymous code. Only s.a.m health partners and the s.a.m health centre can link the test results to a specific individual.

Under GDPR, you have the right to have your personal data deleted. Simply send an SMS with the message DATA DELETION to +49 1573 5994380.

Our Service will be cancelled and you will receive no further testkits from us.

Please note that we are legally obliged to store certain data (e.g. orders and payment data). These data will be deleted after the statutory retention period has expired.

s.a.m health will generally only communicate with you via SMS. If the SMS cannot be delivered to you, we will contact you by email to check whether your mobile number has changed.