Is it possible to have a sexually transmitted infection and not know about it as you’re not showing symptoms?
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Is it possible to have a sexually transmitted infection and not know about it as you’re not showing symptoms?
When you first contract an STI/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 STI 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 STIs and STDs that can take months or years to produce symptoms.
Since most STD tests use antibodies and 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.
If you’re sexually active, getting a sexually transmitted infection is a real possibility. Some STIs, like HIV and syphilis, are typically known for being symptomatic, so an infected person will show signs of infection. But there are a few out there that are actually known for being asymptomatic, which means you wouldn’t know you have the STI until it’s spread or led to other side effects. 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 confidential check-up.