Complications (1)
- Infertility
Definition (1)
- Infectious diseases
Prevention (2)
- Female condom
- Condoms
Risk factors (1)
- Teens and sex: Protecting your teen's sexual health
Symptoms (1)
- STD symptoms: Common STDs and their symptoms
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- STD testing: What's right for you?
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STD symptoms: Common STDs and their symptoms
Learn about common and possible STD symptoms and how serious they might be.
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have sex, you may also have an STD, along with subtle or noticeable STD symptoms. Straight or gay, married or single, you're vulnerable to STDs and STD symptoms, whether you engage in oral, anal or vaginal sex.
Although condoms are highly effective for reducing transmission of STDs, no method is foolproof. This is particularly true with certain STDs, such as genital warts and genital herpes.
STD symptoms aren't always obvious. If you think you're experiencing STD symptoms, see a doctor. Some STD symptoms can be treated easily and eliminated, but others require more involved and long-term treatment.
Either way, it's essential to be evaluated, and — if diagnosed with an STD — get treated. It's also essential to inform any partners so that they can be evaluated and treated. If untreated, STDs can increase your risk of acquiring another STD such as HIV. This happens because an STD can stimulate an immune response in the genital area or cause sores, either of which might make HIV transmission more likely. Some untreated STDs can also lead to infertility.
STDs often asymptomatic
You could have an STD and be asymptomatic — without any signs or symptoms. In fact, this happens with a lot of STDs. Even though you have no symptoms, you're still at risk of passing the infection along to your sex partners. That's why it's important to visit your doctor on a regular basis for STD screening, so you can identify a potential infection and get treated for it before passing it along to someone else.
Chlamydia symptoms
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection of your genital tract. Chlamydia may be difficult for you to detect because early-stage infections often cause few or no signs and symptoms. When they do occur, they usually start one to three weeks after you've been exposed to chlamydia. Even when signs and symptoms do occur, they're often mild and passing, making them easy to overlook.
Signs and symptoms may include:
- Painful urination
- Lower abdominal pain
- Vaginal discharge in women
- Discharge from the penis in men
- Pain during sexual intercourse in women
- Testicular pain in men
Gonorrhea symptoms
Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection of your genital tract. The first gonorrhea symptoms generally appear within two to 10 days after exposure. However, some people may be infected for months before signs or symptoms occur. Signs and symptoms of gonorrhea may include:
- Thick, cloudy or bloody discharge from the penis or vagina
- Pain or burning sensation when urinating
- Frequent urination
- Pain during sexual intercourse
Trichomoniasis symptoms
Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by a microscopic, one-celled parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. This organism spreads during sexual intercourse with someone who already has the infection. The organism usually infects the urinary tract in men, but often causes no symptoms in men. Trichomoniasis typically infects the vagina in women and may cause these signs and symptoms:
- Greenish yellow, possibly frothy vaginal discharge
- Strong vaginal odor
- Vaginal itching or irritation
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Painful urination
- Light vaginal bleeding
HIV symptoms
HIV is an infection with the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV interferes with your body's ability to effectively fight off viruses, bacteria and fungi that cause disease, and it can lead to AIDS, a chronic, life-threatening disease.
When first infected with HIV, you may have no symptoms at all. Some people develop a flu-like illness, usually two to six weeks after being infected. Early HIV signs and symptoms may include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Swollen lymph glands
- Rash
- Fatigue
These early signs and symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for those of another viral infection. During this period, you are very infectious. More persistent or severe symptoms of HIV infection may not appear for 10 years or more after the initial infection.
As the virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, you may develop mild infections or chronic signs and symptoms such as:
- Swollen lymph nodes — often one of the first signs of HIV infection
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Cough and shortness of breath
Signs and symptoms of later stage HIV infection include:
- Persistent, unexplained fatigue
- Soaking night sweats
- Shaking chills or fever higher than 100.4 F (38 C) for several weeks
- Swelling of lymph nodes for more than three months
- Chronic diarrhea
- Persistent headaches
(1 of 2)
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- Chlamydia fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Chlamydia/STDFact-Chlamydia.htm. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
- Gonorrhea fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Gonorrhea/STDFact-gonorrhea.htm. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
- Fauci AS, et al. Human immunodeficiency virus disease: AIDS and related disorders. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=2904810. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
- Zolopa AR, et al. HIV infection & AIDS. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010. 49th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=16766. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
- Leone P. Genital herpes. In: Klausner JD, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=3025329. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
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- Genital herpes fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
- Genital HPV infection fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
- Frenkl T, et al. Sexually transmitted diseases. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/176099790-2/0/1445/14.html?tocnode=54300313&fromURL=14.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..50013-3_876. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
- Jain MK, et al. Acute and chronic hepatitis. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy 2009. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookPage&isbn=978-1-4160-5974-5&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-5974-5..00135-0. Accessed Dec. 18, 2009.
- Trichomoniasis fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/STD/Trichomonas/STDFact-Trichomoniasis.htm. Accessed Jan. 5, 2009.
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