Gonorrhea treatment is now a single injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone — not the oral pills or drug combinations once used. The bacterium has grown resistant to nearly every older option, so curr
Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are both viral liver infections, but they differ in how they spread, how long they last, and whether they're curable. Hepatitis A spreads mainly through contaminated food o
Hepatitis B during pregnancy is highly manageable, and with the right steps your baby is very likely to stay infection-free. Every pregnancy is screened for the virus, and a baby born to an infected p
The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all adults aged 19–59, and for adults 60 and older who have risk factors. The newer two-dose series (Heplisav-B) can be completed in about a month, while old
The hepatitis B vaccine is a safe, highly effective shot series that teaches your immune system to block the hepatitis B virus (HBV) before it can infect your liver. ACIP recommends it for all adults
Hepatitis B has a long window: HBsAg, the marker of active infection, usually becomes detectable within several weeks of exposure, but symptoms average about 90 days out (range 60–150 days) CDC. For a
The hepatitis C window period is the gap between exposure and when a test can reliably detect infection. An HCV RNA (viral) test can find the virus within a couple of weeks, while the standard antibod
An STD test result reflects your status only up to the point of your last possible exposure, minus the window period before infections become detectable. A negative is never permanent: any unprotected
An indeterminate (or equivocal) STD result means the lab couldn't sort your sample cleanly into positive or negative — it landed in a gray zone. It isn't a diagnosis and it isn't an all-clear. The usu
Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a relative of smallpox. It spreads mainly through close skin-to-skin contact — including sex — and causes a painful or itchy rash that often appe
NGU sometimes quiets down on its own, but "symptoms fade" is not the same as "infection cured." The organisms behind it — most often chlamydia or Mycoplasma genitalium — can persist silently, keep spr
PID and pregnancy collide in two ways: pelvic inflammatory disease can scar the fallopian tubes, which raises the risk of an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy and can cause infertility, and the scarring compo
After treatment for nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), wait until both you and any partners have finished the full course of antibiotics and have no symptoms before having sex again. CDC guidance points
Spermicidal condoms don't prevent STDs any better than plain condoms — and the spermicide they use, nonoxynol-9 (N-9), can actually raise your HIV risk by irritating delicate genital tissue. A regular
After receptive anal sex, the test that actually catches infection at the site of exposure is a rectal NAAT — a small swab of the rectum for chlamydia and gonorrhea — plus a blood draw for HIV and syp
If you've cheated or been cheated on and feel fine, you can — and should — still get tested. Many STIs cause no symptoms, so how you feel tells you nothing about your status. Wait until the right wind
STD testing for trans and nonbinary people works the same way it does for anyone — it should be based on the body parts you have and how you have sex, not on the gender on your chart. A urine sample o
Yes, almost always. Curing or controlling an STI requires prescription medicine — a specific antibiotic, antiparasitic, or antiviral matched to the infection. No over-the-counter product or home remed
Most STIs can be treated safely during pregnancy, but the safe drug depends on the infection: penicillin remains the standard for syphilis (with desensitization if you're allergic), while doxycycline
Yes — you can get tested and treated for an STI without telling your partner, because your medical care is confidential and no law forces you to disclose. But treating yourself in secret often backfir
Yes — testing after a new partner is one of the most reliable ways to know your status, because many STIs cause no symptoms and how you feel tells you nothing. A practical cadence is to test with each
Condoms break for a handful of preventable reasons: trapped air in the tip, oil-based lubricant breaking down the latex, the wrong fit, heat or age weakening the material, and putting one on after sex
Yes, you can get herpes from kissing — but it's almost always oral herpes (HSV-1), not the genital type people usually worry about. The virus passes through contact with saliva or a cold sore on the l
Untreated chlamydia in women can climb from the cervix into the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) — and the inflammation that follows can scar the tubes,