With Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen), awareness genuinely changes the outcome. Because this bacterium is increasingly resistant to the old single-dose azithromycin, getting it right now means a specific
Everlywell and STDcheck solve the same problem two opposite ways. Everlywell mails a kit to your door for at-home collection, with results in about a week. STDcheck sends you to a Quest or Labcorp lab
Herpes can't be cured, but two antiviral strategies control it well: episodic therapy means taking pills only when an outbreak starts to shorten it, while daily suppressive therapy means taking a low
Wait until the test can actually detect the infection. For chlamydia and gonorrhea, a urine or swab test is generally reliable about two weeks after exposure. HIV depends on the test used — roughly 10
Truvada and Descovy are both daily PrEP pills that prevent HIV, but the key difference is who they're approved for: Truvada covers anyone at risk through sex or injection drug use, while Descovy is ap
Chlamydia reinfection means catching Chlamydia trachomatis again after you were cured — not a treatment that failed. It usually happens because an untreated partner passes the bacteria back, often wit
Herpes testing is most accurate when you have an active sore: a clinician swabs the lesion and runs a type-specific NAAT or culture to confirm HSV-1 or HSV-2. Without symptoms, a type-specific blood (
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medicine that HIV-negative people take before possible exposure to prevent infection. It comes as a daily pill or an injection given by a clinician, and when taken a
Yes, you can get tested for STDs without insurance — and often for free. Public health departments, Title X clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and Planned Parenthood all offer free or slidin
Yes — FDA-cleared at-home STD tests are highly accurate when you test after the window period closes. Home kits for chlamydia and gonorrhea use the same NAAT technology as clinical labs, with sensitiv
At-home and lab STD testing use the same core science, so a well-collected at-home kit can be accurate — the real differences are timing, confirmation, and which infections each handles well. Lab draw
Chlamydia during pregnancy is common, treatable, and worth taking seriously. Left untreated, it can be passed to your baby at birth and raises the risk of complications, but a safe course of antibioti
Used correctly and every single time, condoms are highly effective at preventing STDs spread through genital fluids — HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. They offer less protection against
Gardasil and Gardasil 9 are both HPV vaccines, but they cover different numbers of strains. The original Gardasil protected against four HPV types (6, 11, 16, 18). Gardasil 9 adds five more cancer-cau
Genital herpes usually shows up as a tight cluster of small blisters that burn or sting, break open into raw sores, then crust over and heal in a week or more — and tend to come back in the same spot.
Razor burn shows up within a day of shaving as a patch of diffuse redness and tiny irritation bumps that fade in a day or two. Genital herpes tends to start as a tight cluster of small blisters that b
Most people start feeling better within a few days of starting STI treatment, but "feeling better" isn't the same as cured. Bacterial infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea clear once the antibiotic
STD testing works by checking a sample of your body for the infection: a urine cup or a self-collected swab detects chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis, while a blood draw screens for HIV, syphil
To tell a potential partner you have an STD, pick a calm, private moment before things get physical, lead with your own plan instead of an accusation, and keep it simple and factual. Say what you have
Yes — you can give hepatitis C to someone else, but only by getting your blood into their bloodstream. The virus lives in blood, so the real risk is sharing needles or drug-injection equipment. It doe
Mycoplasma genitalium spreads almost entirely through sexual contact — vaginal and anal sex that brings genital mucous membranes and fluids together. It's a true STI, not something you catch from toil
Mpox symptoms center on a rash that looks like pimples or blisters — often painful or itchy — that can show up on the genitals, anus, mouth, hands, feet, or face. Since 2022, many people get just one
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) can cost you nothing out of pocket. Most insurance plans cover it with no copay, and for the uninsured, manufacturer programs, federal initiatives, and clinic-based ass
If your PrEP doesn't seem to be working, the usual reason isn't the drug — it's how it's being used. PrEP cuts HIV risk from sex by about 99% only when taken as prescribed and after it's had time to r