Last Updated on June 4, 2020 by Nancy Carteron, MD, FACR
STD Symptoms – Pubic Lice
People do not usually notice symptoms until having pubic lice for anywhere from 5 days up to several weeks.
Some people will not have any symptoms, or may not notice the lice or eggs at all.
Sometimes pubic lice will be found during a routine genital or medical examination even if a doctor or nurse isn’t looking for them.
Almost anyone with pubic lice will have itching in the area covered by pubic hair (it often gets worse at night). This itching may start soon after getting infected with lice, or it may not start for up to 4 weeks after contact.
Pubic lice symptoms are the same for both men and women. They might include:
- Black powdery droppings from the lice in underwear
- Brown eggs on pubic or other body hair
- Feeling run-down
- Intense itching in the genitals or anus
- Irritability
- Irritation and inflammation in the affected area, sometimes caused by scratching
- Mild fever
- Skin reaction that is bluish-gray in color
- Sores (lesions) in the genital area due to bites and scratching
- Very tiny specks of blood on the skin
One might see the lice, eggs or droppings, or a partner might notice them. Some people see pubic lice move, but they are tiny and difficult to see, and they keep still in the light.
They pubic lice may be:
- Whitish-gray or rust colored
- Seen with crab eggs, or nits, attached to the base of the hair (close to where it comes out of the body). Nits are small, oval-shaped and pearl-like in color.
Pubic lice are usually found in the pubic area. However, they can also be found in the armpits, eyelashes, beard/mustache and other course hair. Sometimes, though rarely, they are found in the hair on a person’s head.
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Did this help you identify your STD Symptoms? Do you still have questions about your STD symptoms or would you like to share how your symptoms were similar/different? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
