This depends on which STI (sexually transmitted infection) you have. Some STIs cause few or no symptoms, so it’s important to practise safe sex. If you think you might have an STI, go to your GP or a sexual health or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic for a free and confidential check-up.
Below are the symptoms of some STIs. You can find more information about these and other STIs, including treatment, in Health A-Z.
Chlamydia
Around 50% of men and 70-80% of women with chlamydia have no symptoms. Symptoms can appear one to three weeks after infection, many months later, or not until the infection has spread to other parts of your body. Symptoms include pain when passing urine, pelvic pain in women and pain in the testicles in men.
Genital herpes
Many people have no symptoms when they’re first infected with genital herpes. If you do have symptoms when first infected, they usually appear four to seven days after infection. They include painful red blisters around the genital area which burst, leaving open sores. However, symptoms may not appear until months or years after infection.
Genital warts
Genital warts can appear two to three months after infection, but sometimes they take up to a year to appear. The warts may develop anywhere on the genitals or anal area. In women, they can also develop inside the vagina or on the cervix, where they can’t be seen.
Gonorrhoea
Symptoms of gonorrhoea usually appear within two weeks of infection. However, sometimes they don’t appear until many months later or until the infection has spread to other parts of the body. About 50% of women and 10% of men with gonorrhoea have no obvious symptoms but can include green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis.
Pubic lice
Symptoms of public lice can appear one to three weeks after coming into contact with public lice. The most common symptom is itchy spots in the affected area.
Syphilis
The first signs of syphilis can appear 10 days to three months after you first become infected. Symptoms are often mild, so you can pass on the infection without knowing you’ve got it. The most common symptom is the appearance of one or more small painless sores or ulcers, usually on the genitals, but they can also appear around the mouth and anus.
Read the answers to more questions about sexual health.
Further information
