STI symptoms are tricky things. Can you feel it if you have an STI? Can you see it? The honest answer is, only sometimes. You might get no STI symptoms, while someone else could have the same STI and suffer with lots. Two different STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, can also have similar symptoms.
Confused yet? Don’t be – we’ve got you!
How do I know if I have an STI?
Some people won’t notice any STI symptoms. They may not feel any different. Yet, all the while, they might have an STI. And without the right STI treatment, it could cause long-term health problems – like issues with getting or staying pregnant.
When do STI symptoms start?
STI symptoms can sometimes show up a few days after infection. At other times they won’t appear for years, if at all. That’s why STI testing is so important, even if you feel A-OK.
All STIs have an incubation period. This is the time between when you are infected (for example, by having unprotected sex) and when symptoms might first start, if they start at all. You need to wait until this incubation period is over to get an accurate test result, whether you have symptoms or not.
At UNeed2Know we suggest you wait 14 days to test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis. You need to wait 28 days to check for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, gardnerella, mycoplasma, ureaplasma, and herpes 1 and 2.
5 common symptoms of an STI
While STI symptoms vary, these are the major ones to watch out for, across the board:
- unusual* discharge or bleeding from the penis, anus or vagina
*Unsure what “unusual” means?
For a man, any discharge from the penis is a sign that something is wrong, although it doesn’t always mean you’ve got an STI.
When it comes to female discharge, it just means something that’s not normal for you. That might mean your vaginal discharge is a strange colour, or that it has an unfamiliar smell.
- abnormal vaginal bleeding – you might bleed between periods, or after sex
- pain or a burning feeling when you pee
- warts, lumps, blisters or sores around your genitals or anus
- itching or a rash around your genitals or anus
Worried you might have an STI? Here’s our complete STI symptoms checker:
CHLAMYDIA
Chlamydia is common, especially among younger people. But it can hide in plain sight. A high percentage of people will get no chlamydia symptoms at all. However, here’s what to look out for:
- unusual discharge from the penis, vagina or anus
- pain when you pee
For women:
- unusual vaginal bleeding
- painful sex
- tummy or pelvic pain
For men:
- burning or itching in the urethra (the tube that takes pee out of the body)
- pain in the testicles
GONORRHOEA
After chlamydia, gonorrhoea is the second most common STI in the UK that’s caused by bacteria. It can be symptomless, especially in women. However, symptoms can include:
- unusual discharge from the penis, vagina or anus, which usually has a strong or unpleasant smell
- pain when you pee
For women:
- unusual vaginal bleeding, and heavier periods
- lower tummy pain
For men:
- tender testicles
- swelling of the foreskin
TRICHOMONIASIS
It’s less widely known in the UK, but health experts say it’s the most common curable STI in the world.
Right now, there’s a shortage of the substance needed to test for trichomoniasis in the UK, so it can be hard to get a test on the NHS. But they might decide to treat you based on your symptoms.
Again, you may not get any symptoms with trichomoniasis, but common ones include:
- pain when you pee
For women:
- The “classic” vaginal discharge with this STI is frothy and yellow-green. You may get way more of it than normal, and it might smell fishy.
- pain during sex
- soreness, itchiness and swelling around your vagina and sometimes your upper legs
For men:
- pain when you ejaculate
- needing to pee way more than normal
- soreness, itchiness and swelling around the tip of the penis or the foreskin, or discharge from the area
HIV
Thanks to medical advances, HIV is now a treatable long-term disease. But it can lead to serious illness, AIDS and death if it isn’t treated.
Most people who get HIV will have a short flu-like illness between two to six weeks after they are infected. After that it can take up to a decade for more symptoms to show, once damage has been done to the immune system.
Later symptoms can include:
- getting a lot of infections
- losing lots of weight without trying to
- long-lasting diarrhoea
- skin problems (such as rashes or fungal infections)
- night sweats
- major illnesses
SYPHILIS
Syphilis can be dangerous if left untreated. Its symptoms are often mild and hard to detect. When they do show up, they can include:
- A single sore on your penis, your vagina or around your anus. This sore is the major syphilis symptom, but you might get other sores in your mouth, on your hands or on your bottom.
- patchy hair loss (including in your eyebrows or your beard, if you have one)
- swollen glands
- feeling exhausted or like you might have the flu
- white patches in your mouth
- a non-itchy rash on the palms of your hands or the soles of your feet
- white or grey warts (usually on your genitals or around your anus)
A syphilis sore can sometimes get better on its own, but if you’re not treated then the infection will stay in your body and can cause severe issues in the future. So, never ignore symptoms, even if they come and go.
HEPATITIS B
Hepatitis B is a liver infection, which can be spread via unprotected sex. It can develop into a much more serious long-term condition called chronic hepatitis. Most people will only be infected with hep B for a short while, and won’t really get any symptoms.
For those who get them, the symptoms can include:
- a fever
- tummy pain
- nausea or being sick
- yellowing of the skin, or of the whites of the eyes
- tiredness
- bumpy, itchy skin patches
GARDNERELLA (BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS)
You might know this one best as bacterial vaginosis, aka BV. It’s not really an STI (although it’s more common in sexually active women). So, why are we including it here?
Well, it’s not only very common, but it can increase your risk of getting an STI. If you have a male partner, they won’t need treatment, but BV can spread between female partners.
- The main symptom of BV is unusual vaginal discharge. It may turn a greyish shade, or look more watery. Some people also notice an intense fishy smell, which can get stronger after you’ve had sex.
But many women won’t notice any symptoms at all.
MYCOPLASMA GENITALIUM
Most people with mycoplasma genitalium have no symptoms. The infection usually causes no harm, but it can sometimes cause unpleasant symptoms.
When symptoms occur, they can include:
- pain when you pee
For women:
- bleeding after sex and painful bleeding between periods
- lower tummy pain
For men:
- penile discharge
- an irritated, sore feeling in the tip of your penis
UREAPLASMA
This bacterial infection isn’t often tested for in the UK. It doesn’t cause any problems for most people, but it can help to trigger both BV and urethritis (an inflammation of the tube that carries pee from the bladder and out of the body).
Symptoms include:
- pain when you pee
- unusual discharge in both men and women
For men:
- an irritated penis
HERPES 1 & 2
There are two types of herpes virus, and both are very common.
Herpes 1 is the virus that causes cold sores around the mouth. It can be spread from the mouth to the genitals through oral sex, causing genital herpes.
Herpes 2 is an STI that causes genital herpes. The virus is spread by kissing, or unprotected sex of any kind (even oral sex). You can pass on the virus through genital-to-genital contact, so it doesn’t matter if you don’t have penetrative sex.
Some people get no symptoms for months, or even years, after they’re infected. Others will get painful flare-ups, with lulls in between.
The first time you get a herpes 2 outbreak tends to be the worst and the most painful. But you can have a first outbreak with no symptoms, then a flare-up years later.
Herpes 2 symptoms include:
- little blisters that turn into red, open sores on your genitals, bottom, anus or upper legs
- pain when you pee
- a burning, itching or tingling feeling around your genitals
For women:
- unusual vaginal discharge
If you’re sexually active, you need to be wary of STIs. The best way to keep yourself safe is to use condoms and get tested often.
But not all STIs show symptoms. STI home testing kits can help to find an infection, so you can get the treatment you need.
With Uneed2know’s home testing kits, you can take charge of your sexual health and help protect yourself from STIs.
SOURCES
[All last accessed 11 October 2022]
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