SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES - SYMPTOMS

Orange County Health Department
Central Health Clinic
832 W. Central Blvd., Orlando, FL 32805
407.836.2650

 

CHLAMYDIA: Chlamydia affects women and men. Most women and some men have no symptoms. Symptoms show up 7-28 days after having sex.

• WOMEN:
  • Discharge from the vagina
  • Bleeding from the vagina between periods
  • Burning or pain when you urinate (pee)
  • Pain in abdomen, sometimes with fever and nausea
• MEN:
  • Watery, white drip from the penis
  • Burning or pain when you urinate
  • Need to urinate (pee) more often
  • Swollen or tender testicle
  *If not treated: you can give chlamydia to your sexual partner(s); it can lead to more serious infection; reproductive organs can be damaged; women, and possibly men, may no longer be able to have children; and a mother can give it to her baby during childbirth.

GENITAL WARTS (HPV): Symptoms show up 1-8 months after contact with HPV, the virus that causes genital warts. Symptoms may be small, bumpy warts on the sex organs and anus or itching or burning around the sex organs. After warts go away, the virus sometimes stays in the body, and the warts can come back.

*If not treated, you can give genital warts to your sexual partner(s). Warts may go away without treatment, remain unchanged, or grow and spread. A mother with warts can give them to her baby during childbirth.

GONORRHEA: Symptoms show up 0-21 days after having sex. Most women and men have NO symptoms.

• WOMEN:
  • Thick yellow or white discharge from the vagina
  • Burning or pain when you urinate (pee) or have a bowel movement
  • Abnormal periods of bleeding between periods
• MEN:
  • Thick yellow or white drip from the penis
  • Burning or pain when you urinate or have a bowel movement
  • Need to urinate (pee) more often

*If not treated, you can give gonorrhea to your sexual partner(s). It can lead to more serious infections. Reproductive organs can be damaged. Both men and women may no longer be able to have children. A mother can give it to her baby during childbirth, and can cause heart trouble, skin disease, arthritis and blindness.

HEPATITIS B: Symptoms show up 1-9 months after contact with the Hepatitis B virus. Many people have no symptoms or mild symptoms. Others may have flu-like feelings that don't go away, tiredness, jaundice (yellow skin), dark urine, or light-colored bowel movements.

*If not treated, you can give Hepatitis B to your sexual partner(s) or someone you share a needle with. Some people recover completely. Some people cannot be cured. Symptoms may go away, but they can still give Hepatitis B to others.  It can cause permanent liver damage, and a mother can give it to her baby during childbirth.

HERPES: Symptoms show up 1-30 days or longer after having sex. Some people have no symptoms. Some people may have flu-like symptoms, small, painful blisters on the sex organs or mouth, or itching or burning before the blisters appear. Blisters last 1-3 weeks. Blisters go away, but you still have herpes. Blisters can come back.

*You can give Herpes to your sexual partner(s). Herpes cannot be cured. A mother with herpes can give it to her baby during childbirth.

HIV/AIDS: Visit the HIV/AIDS site for more information.

SYPHILIS: 1st stage (Primary Syphilis) - a person reaches the first stage of syphilis 10-90 days after contact with an infected person, average 3 weeks. A painless, reddish-brown sore or sores appear usually on the mouth, sex organs, breasts or fingers. Sore lasts 1-5 weeks, average 3 weeks, and goes away even without treatment. Without treatment, you still have syphilis. Syphilis can be given to your sex partner(s) during this time.

• 2nd stage (Secondary Syphilis) - Symptoms show up from 0-10 weeks, average 4 weeks, after the primary sore heals. Symptoms last 2-6 weeks, average 4 weeks. Symptoms vary from person to person, but generally include one or more of the following: generalized body rash, hair loss, spots on the hands and feet, sores on the face or body, moist wart-like growths in the vaginal area, flu-like symptoms. Symptoms will go away without treatment, but without treatment, you still have syphilis. Syphilis can be given to your sex partner(s) during this time.
• Early Latent Syphilis- When a person has had syphilis for less than a year, does not have symptoms, and has not been treated.
• Late Latent Syphilis- When a person has had untreated syphilis for more than a year

* If not treated, a mother can give syphilis to her baby during pregnancy or have a miscarriage. Syphilis can cause heart disease, brain damage, blindness, and death.