What are symptoms STIs/STDs?

Some STIs will cause very obvious symptoms. Many STIs cause no symptoms or only mild symptoms, so you could not know you have an infection. Most people who have an STI have no symptoms.

A test from your healthcare provider may be the only sure way to tell if you are infected.

If you do have symptoms, they may appear right away, or they might not show up for weeks or even months. They might come and go. Even if the symptoms disappear, you may still have an STI.

Some STI symptoms include the following:

Women

• Any discharge from your vagina that smells or is yellow or green.
• Bleeding between periods.
• Bleeding during or after sex that is not your period.
• Pain during sex.
• Pain in your lower tummy/abdomen.
• Pain when passing urine.
• Itching or burning or pain around your genitals.
• Blisters, sores, spots or lumps around your genitals.

Men

• Any discharge from your penis.
• Pain in your testicles.
• Pain when passing urine.
• Itching or burning or pain around your genitals.
• Blisters, sores, spots or lumps around your genitals.

Not everyone with an STI has symptoms. Get checked if you've had sex with a new partner without using a condom, if you or your sexual partner have had sex with someone else without using a condom, and/or if the person you have sex with has any symptoms.