Last Updated on June 4, 2020 by Nancy Carteron, MD, FACR
If you think you may have contracted an STD (a sexually transmitted infection or disease), this guide will help you walk through the steps of learning about what you might have been exposed to, researching symptoms, looking at pictures, and getting tested to be sure.
This is a compilation post, so we’ll be updating it as new posts are written that relate to what you should look into if you think you’ve been exposed to an STI/STD.
You can always ask questions in the comments section below or post in the forum for additional information as well.
What You Need to Know
- STD vs. STI – what’s the difference?
- Your risk of infection based on specific sexual activities
- STI statistics
- Comprehensive STI List
- Can You Get an STD from a Toilet or Shower?
- Safer Sex Myths
- Difference Between: HIV/AIDS, HSV1/HSV2, HIV/HCV
- What is My Risk of Contracting Herpes?
Symptoms of STIs/STDs
- Normal genital variations commonly mistaken for an STI
- STI/STD Symptoms – Overview Page
- Pictures of STIs – displaying common visual symptoms
- STI Briefs
- Detailed Symptoms by STI: Chancroid, Chlamydia, CMV, Genital Warts, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis, Herpes, HIV, HPV, Intestinal Parasites, LGV, Molluscum, Mono, Mycoplasma, PID, Pubic Lice, Scabies, Syphilis, Trich, Vaginitis
- STI In-Depths
- The Most Common STI Symptoms
- Early HIV Symptoms
STI/STD Testing
- Should You Get STI Testing Done?
- STI/STD Testing – Resources and Personal Experiences
- When to get tested for STIs – based on when you were exposed
- Fast, Affordable & Private STI Testing
- Free or Income-Based STI Testing Globally
- What it’s like to get tested for STIs
- A counselor’s perspective on STI testing
- Hotlines – to answer your questions about symptoms and testing
- How to get tested in the UK
- Testing for Hepatitis C – Diagnostic & Evaluative
Was this post helpful and something you bookmarked? Was there something missing from our list you weren’t able to find? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
mumba
Am a young man aged 35yrs. Last month i started experiencing stomaches and after a week i observed some rash on my penis and went to the hospital,i was given acyclovir and the rash disappeared. Now the problem is i’ve started experiencing stomaches and my taste in the mouth has gone sour. What could be the problem?
Jenelle Marie
Hi Mumba –
It sounds like you might have been diagnosed with HSV due to having a prescription for acyclovir and a rash. That being said, most STD symptoms mimic those of a variety of other issues, so, just a stomach ache alone really doesn’t help narrow down what you’re experiencing now.
I’d suggest returning to the physician and also getting a comprehensive STD test taken – in case you’re experiencing symptoms from an additional STD; they’ll know which tests to give you based on your explanation. Make sure to let them know you’re worried it might be a sexually transmitted infection as well. That way they will know to check for that too.
Jay
Hi, i have no idea whats going on. i got a red ddot and looks like a puncture wound around the area of where my bladder turns into the sack. now i thought it was a pimple so i squeezed it trying to pop it but only blood came out and some puss. i dont understand tho ive been with the same girl for years, no anal sex always a condom. and i dont wanna go show it because im scared of what the answer might be..
Jenelle Marie
Hi Jay –
Unfortunately, you should go in and have the red dot checked out, despite being worried about what the answer might be. It very well could be an infection, or it could be something benign, but the only way to know for sure is to have it checked out. Interestingly, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been with your current partner or if you’ve only been with one partner. It’s very common for people to have infections for years without knowing or without getting tested and to contract infections after only participating in partnered sexual activities once.
Know, though, if it is an infection, you are risking your partner’s health and you are jeopardizing your own, because STDs (most of them, anyways) don’t go away on their own, they are all transmittable to others, and unless you get a proper diagnosis and treatment, it could lead to more severe complications and long-term problems.
A lot of people are scared of the results, and that’s why they don’t get tested. They think, “I’d rather not know, and what I don’t know won’t hurt me.” However, that’s incredibly irresponsible, and that mindset risks the lives/health of the person afraid to get tested and their partners.
The good news is no diagnosis is the end of the world or has to mean the end of healthy sex life, and that’s what we’re here to help you with. Should you receive a positive diagnosis, come back, as we write a lot about STD? What Now?
Whatever you do, though, know that you should go see a clinician and get tested, because you can’t even begin to have a healthy sex life if you’re not being proactive about your sexual health and getting tested.
PS – Don’t continue to squeeze, pop, or touch the red dot in question, because if it’s an infection, you could be spreading it to other locations or making it worse.
Thanks so much for your comment!