Syphilis testing uses two different kinds of blood tests. An RPR is a nontreponemal test that measures the body's reaction to tissue damage and can be tracked as a titer, while a treponemal test detec
The secondary syphilis rash is a rough, red or reddish-brown eruption that classically appears on the palms and soles but can spread across the trunk and limbs. It's a sign the infection from Treponem
In 2023 the US primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis rate reached 15.8 per 100,000 CDC AtlasPlus, 2023. Rates vary enormously by state: South Dakota, Washington DC, New Mexico, and Mississippi topped t
The main difference between condom types is the material: latex and polyurethane both block the genital fluids that carry HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis, while lambskin (natural-membran
Condoms and PrEP solve different problems. Condoms are a physical barrier that blocks many STDs — chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV — plus pregnancy. PrEP is a daily pill or shot that stops HIV only
Expedited partner therapy (EPT) is the practice of treating the sex partners of someone diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea by giving the patient a prescription or the medicine itself to hand to the
Group B strep (GBS) and STIs are screened at different times and for different reasons in pregnancy. The GBS swab is a routine late-pregnancy test for a common gut and vaginal bacterium that can be pa
Yes — vaginal dryness after menopause can make catching an STI easier, not harder. As estrogen falls, the vaginal lining thins, dries, and tears more easily during sex, and any tiny break in the tissu
Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) in men usually shows up as a thin, clear or cloudy (mucoid) discharge, burning or pain during urination, and an itchy or tingling feeling inside the tip of the penis. Ma
NGU treatment is a defined course of antibiotics, and current CDC guidance recommends doxycycline taken twice daily for a week over a single dose of azithromycin — the shift reflects better cure rates
PrEP and PEP both prevent HIV, but timing is everything: PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medicine HIV-negative people take before possible exposure on an ongoing basis, while PEP is the emergency o
Receptive anal sex carries the highest per-act HIV risk of any sexual activity — about 138 infections per 10,000 exposures, roughly 1 in 70, from a partner with untreated HIV CDC HIV estimates. The re
STD risk varies sharply by activity. Receptive anal sex carries the highest per-act HIV risk — about 138 per 10,000 exposures — followed by insertive anal, receptive vaginal, then insertive vaginal se
Vaginal itching, burning, and discharge get blamed on yeast more than anything else — but yeast is just one of several causes, and the others can look almost identical. The likeliest culprits are a va
Yes — you can and should get tested for STDs even with no symptoms. Most sexually transmitted infections cause no signs at all, so how you feel doesn't tell you your status; only a test does. A urine
Without insurance, STD testing can cost from nothing to a couple hundred dollars depending on where you go. Health departments, Planned Parenthood, and Title X clinics often test for free or on a slid
STD treatment without insurance is often free or low-cost. Public health departments, Planned Parenthood, and Title X clinics treat most infections on a sliding scale tied to your income, and many STI
Bleeding between periods can be an early sign of a sexually transmitted infection — most often chlamydia or gonorrhea , which inflame the cervix and make it bleed easily, especially after sex. But spo
White spots or patches on the penis are most often not caused by an STI. The two harmless look-alikes — Fordyce spots and pearly penile papules — are normal anatomy. When an infection is the cause, th
The STIs most likely to affect male fertility are chlamydia, gonorrhea, and Mycoplasma genitalium — all bacterial infections that can inflame the urethra and the tube behind the testicle. Each is ofte
To get PEP fast within 72 hours, go straight to an emergency room, urgent care, or any health care provider the same day — every hour matters and the clock starts at the moment of exposure, not when y
PrEP is for any HIV-negative person who has an ongoing chance of HIV exposure — through sex with partners whose status they don't know, with a partner living with HIV, or through sharing injection equ
A vaginal yeast infection and a urinary tract infection feel different at their core: yeast brings external itching, soreness, and a thick white discharge, while a UTI brings internal burning with urg
Sharing your STD status with a partner comes down to four moves: bring it up at a calm, private moment before things get physical; agree to use condoms every time together; get tested — ideally togeth