For lesbian and bisexual women, the single most effective STI prevention step is an open conversation with each partner about barriers, testing, and status — done before sex, framed as mutual care, an
U=U means Undetectable equals Untransmittable: a person living with HIV who takes antiretroviral therapy and keeps the virus at an undetectable level cannot pass HIV to a sexual partner. It's a preven
If you don't treat an STD, the infection doesn't just sit still — bacterial and parasitic infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis keep spreading silently and can scar reprod
Some sexually transmitted infections can clear without treatment, but most won't — and waiting is risky. The body sometimes clears certain HPV infections on its own, but bacterial infections like chla
Yes — but only a couple of infections realistically spread through kissing, and the main ones are oral herpes (HSV) and, far less often, syphilis when a sore is present on the lips or mouth. Most STIs
Yes — you can still get an STI even when you use a condom correctly. Condoms cover the penis well, so they protect strongly against fluid-borne infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV. But they
Clear or watery genital discharge is often normal — physiological fluid and ovulation produce thin, clear mucus in healthy people. But the same look can come from early chlamydia , gonorrhea , or tric
Thick, white, cottage-cheese-like discharge is most often a vaginal yeast infection — a fungal overgrowth of Candida , not an STI. True STIs usually look different: bacterial vaginosis runs thin and g
Yes, certain STIs can cause frequent or urgent urination — most often chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis when they inflame the urethra. But the same symptom comes from non-STI causes like a urin
Genital blisters — small, fluid-filled bumps that often break into painful sores — are most commonly caused by genital herpes, the leading STI behind this symptom. But not every blister is an infectio
Green or yellow-green discharge most often points to a sexually transmitted infection — usually gonorrhea or trichomoniasis , and sometimes chlamydia. Non-STI causes like bacterial vaginosis or a yeas
Yes — you can absolutely have hepatitis B or C and feel completely fine. Both infect the liver, both spread through blood and (for hepatitis B) sex, and both are frequently silent. Many people with he
That tingling, itching, or burning before a herpes outbreak is called the prodrome — an early warning the virus is reactivating along a nerve before any blister appears. It usually shows up in the sam
An itchy or uncomfortable anus is far more often a benign skin problem than a sexually transmitted infection. The usual culprits are hemorrhoids, anal fissures, and pinworm. But a handful of STIs — ge
Mpox symptoms usually start within 3 to 17 days of exposure, and almost everyone who gets sick does so within 21 days of contact CDC, signs & symptoms. The illness typically runs 2 to 4 weeks. The hal
A negative STD test with ongoing symptoms usually points to one of a few things: you tested during the window period before the infection was detectable, the right body site wasn't sampled, the cause
Yes — though it's named for the urethra and described mostly in men, the same infections that cause nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) infect women too, where they more often show up as cervicitis or as a
A painful lump in the groin is most often a swollen lymph node reacting to an infection nearby — and a few sexually transmitted infections, chiefly genital herpes and syphilis, can trigger that swelli
A painful genital ulcer usually points to genital herpes or chancroid, while a painless one is the classic sign of primary syphilis. But pain is only the first clue — herpes, syphilis, and chancroid o
A painless sore or ulcer on the penis or vagina is most often the chancre of primary syphilis — a single, firm, round, painless sore at the spot where the bacterium entered. Other causes include minor
Pus or thick, cloudy discharge from the penis is almost always a sign of urethritis — inflammation of the urethra — and the usual culprits are sexually transmitted infections: gonorrhea, chlamydia, or
Penile symptoms — discharge, burning when you pee, sores, itching, or rash — are most often caused by chlamydia, gonorrhea, nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), genital herpes, or syphilis. Non-STI causes
Redness or inflammation on the penis head most often comes from balanitis — irritation of the glans triggered by soap, sweat, or a yeast overgrowth — and far less often from an STI like gonorrhea, chl
Pelvic inflammatory disease often causes no symptoms at all. When it does, the most common signs are lower abdominal or pelvic pain, unusual or bad-smelling discharge, fever, pain or bleeding during s