Sometimes having asexually transmitted infection (STI) doesn’t feel like anything. Other times you’ll have uncomfortable symptoms or visible sores. The truth is that sexually transmitted infections are stealthy. Far too often, people have no idea that they have one. But STIs can cause serious problems, like infertility and cancer.
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There is a good reason why so many people want to know what it feels like to have an STI. They want to be sure that they can tell if they have one. That’s true even for people who consistently practice safer sex. Their STI risk may be relatively low, but it’s still possible for an infection to sneak in under the radar.
The truth is that it usually requires a trip to the doctor to feel relatively sure about whether or not you have an STI. Sometimes it is obvious, but more often, it’s not. Furthermore, there is a wide variety of STIs out there, and each of them has its own symptoms.
Some Common STI Symptoms
What does it feel like to have an STI? The list of possible symptoms is pretty diverse. However, here are the most common symptoms you might experience:
Bacterial vaginosisis often considered to be a sexually associated disease rather than a sexually transmitted one.
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Other STI Symptoms You May Experience
Even the broad list of symptoms above isn’t complete. Other STI symptoms can include sore throats, body aches, eye problems, and neurologic symptoms. Furthermore, a list of symptoms doesn’t really answer the question of what an STI feels like.
Quite often, having an STI feels like nothing at all. People can be living with an STI and have no symptoms for years.Depending on anything other thanregular screeningto determine whether or not you have an STI is simply unreliable.
That’s why if you do experience genital pain, recurring sores, discharge, or other symptoms, it’s always a good idea to get them checked out. Whether a disease is sexually transmitted or not has nothing to do with how important it is for you to take care of it.
Finally, most people who ask what an STI feels like usually ask because they know they are at risk. They know this because they have had unprotected sex (also called “condomless” sex) with one or more partners whose STI status they are uncertain of. That on its own is a good reason to get tested. There is no other effective way to stay on top of your sexual health.
The Best At-Home STI Tests
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Condom fact sheet in brief.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or sexually transmitted infections (STIs)?
Keaveney S, Sadlier C, O’Dea S, Delamere S, Bergin C.High prevalence of asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections in HIV-infected men who have sex with men: a stimulus to improve screening.Int J STD AIDS.2014;25(10):7587-7561. doi:10.1177/0956462414521165
Menon-Johansson AS, McClean H, Carne CA, et al.Improved sexual history taking in the 2012 BASHH asymptomatic screening re-audit.Int J STD AIDS. 2014;25(5):360-362. doi:10.1177/0956462413504555.Sonkar SC, Wasnik K, Kumar A, Mittal P, Saluja D.Comparative analysis of syndromic and PCR-based diagnostic assay reveals misdiagnosis/ overtreatment for trichomoniasis based on subjective judgment in symptomatic patients.Infect Dis Poverty.2016;5:42. doi:10.1186/s40249-016-0133-x
Menon-Johansson AS, McClean H, Carne CA, et al.Improved sexual history taking in the 2012 BASHH asymptomatic screening re-audit.Int J STD AIDS. 2014;25(5):360-362. doi:10.1177/0956462413504555.
Sonkar SC, Wasnik K, Kumar A, Mittal P, Saluja D.Comparative analysis of syndromic and PCR-based diagnostic assay reveals misdiagnosis/ overtreatment for trichomoniasis based on subjective judgment in symptomatic patients.Infect Dis Poverty.2016;5:42. doi:10.1186/s40249-016-0133-x
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