We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process. Show If you’re sexually active, being knowledgeable about STDs is an important part of your sexual health. If you’ve recently been exposed to an STD after having sex without a condom or other barrier method, you may have questions such as, how long does it take for an STD to show up on a test? Or, how long after exposure will STD symptoms begin to appear? In this article, we’ll review the incubation periods for common STDs, the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, and recommendations for testing and retesting. When you first contract an STD, your body needs time to recognize and produce antibodies to the disease. During this time period, known as the incubation period, you may not experience any symptoms. If you test for an STD too early and the incubation period is not over yet, you may test negative for the disease even if you do have it. In addition, even after the incubation period has passed, there are some STDs that can take months or years to produce symptoms. Since most STD tests use antibodies (not symptoms) as a marker of disease status, having symptoms is not necessarily a reliable marker of infection. That’s why it’s important to test for any STDs you think you may have encountered — even if you don’t have symptoms. Every STD has its own incubation period. For some STDs, the body begins to produce antibodies and symptoms in as little as a few days. For others, it can take weeks or months for symptoms to appear. Here are the ranges of incubation periods for some of the most common STDs. The expanded STD incubation and testing chart below includes test type and retesting recommendations. After the incubation period has passed, most STDs can be diagnosed via antibody-specific blood tests. Some STDs are also accompanied by lesions and can be diagnosed via swab, culture, or urine tests as well. While retesting is recommended for bacterial STDs, some STDs are lifelong viral infections. In the case of a lifelong viral infection, a blood test will always detect the STD, even after treatment has been successful. Therefore, retesting would only be necessary if you wanted to reconfirm an original diagnosis. In some cases, an STD may be asymptomatic (not show symptoms) because it’s latent, or lying dormant in your body. Latent STDs can cause someone to remain undiagnosed until symptoms begin to appear. This may put them at risk for long-term complications. Chlamydia, hepatitis C, HIV, HSV (herpes simplex virus), and syphilis can all have periods of latency. The best way to ensure that dormant STDs receive the proper diagnosis and treatment is regular STD screening. The CDC recommends that all sexually active adults with new or multiple sexual partners receive at least yearly testing for most STDs, especially chlamydia and gonorrhea. It’s also recommended that people who have sex without a condom or other barrier method receive STD testing more frequently. If you think you may have an STD, it’s important to stop engaging in sexual activity and seek treatment. Early detection and treatment of STDs plays an important role in stopping the transmission of STDs between yourself, your sexual partners, and their sexual partners. In some cases, it can even save your life. Some of the potential risks of untreated STDs include:
Taking care of your sexual health is important. Not everyone will voluntarily disclose their STD status to you. You can take control of your sexual health by asking questions, screening new sexual partners, and having open and honest discussions about sexually transmitted diseases. Early diagnosis and treatment of STDs is important for taking care of your sexual health. While it’s important not to test too early for STDs, knowing the incubation period of the most common infections can help you determine when to seek medical help. If you test positive for an STD, whether bacterial, viral, or parasitic, receiving treatment can help to reduce the risk of long-term health complications. LetsGetChecked It depends on which sexually transmitted infection (STI) you have. Symptoms can develop within a few days or weeks, but sometimes they do not appear until months or even years later. Often there are few or no symptoms and you may not know you have an STI. If there's any chance you have an STI, go to a sexual health clinic or GP for a free and confidential check-up. Symptoms usually appear after 1 to 3 weeks but can start much later. Symptoms include: About 50% of men and 70% of women who are infected do not have any symptoms. Find out more about
chlamydia. Genital herpesSymptoms can appear after 4 to 7 days but might not start until months or years later. Symptoms include:
Most people do not have any symptoms when first infected. Find out more about genital herpes. Genital wartsIf genital warts appear, symptoms could start from 3 weeks to many months or even years after contact with the virus that causes them. Symptoms include:
Most people with the virus that causes genital warts do not develop obvious warts. Find out more about genital warts. GonorrhoeaSymptoms usually appear within 2 weeks of being infected but could start much later. They include:
About 10% of men and 50% of women who are infected do not have any symptoms. Find out more about gonorrhoea. Pubic liceIt can take several weeks before any symptoms of pubic lice appear. Symptoms are the same for men and women, and include:
Find out more about pubic lice ScabiesSymptoms of scabies can take up to 6 weeks to appear if you have never had them before. It may only take up to 4 days if you have had scabies before. Symptoms include:
Find out more about scabies. SyphilisSymptoms usually appear after 2 to 3 weeks but could start earlier or much later. They include:
Symptoms are often not obvious and may come and go. Find out more about syphilis. TrichomoniasisSymptoms usually appear within 4 weeks but could start months later. They include:
About 50% of men and women who are infected do not have any symptoms. Find out more about trichomoniasis. HIVThe first symptoms may appear after 2 to 6 weeks. They can include:
Not everyone gets these symptoms, but in people who do they usually last 1 to 2 weeks. After the symptoms disappear, you may not have any further symptoms for many years, even though the infection remains in your body. Find out more about HIV. Further information:
Page last reviewed: 22 November 2019 How long after exposure to chlamydia can you pass it on?The "window period" for the chlamydia and gonorrhea NAAT test is unknown. It may range from ~5 days up to 2 weeks. If patients have a known exposure, they should be tested and treated. If there was a risk exposure, they should be tested at time of visit.
Can you pass an STD during incubation period?While infected people are most likely to spread the disease while they have symptoms—genital warts and cold sores—they can also transmit the disease while they're asymptomatic.
Can you spread chlamydia before symptoms?Chlamydia doesn't usually cause any symptoms. So you may not realize that you have it. People with chlamydia who have no symptoms can still pass the disease to others. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner.
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Are you contagious during incubation period of chlamydia
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