Most people with chlamydia — up to 50% of men and up to 70% of women — have no symptoms, even though they can still pass the infection on to others. Those who develop symptoms usually do so within 1 – 3 weeks after exposure, though chlamydia symptoms can occur from a few days to months after infection. Symptoms of chlamydia can include:
- Painful or swollen testicles
- Pain or burning when you pee
- Pain when you have sex
- Pain or discharge from your back passage (if you have a rectal chlamydia)
- Pain in your throat (if you have pharyngeal chlamydia, though usually this is asymptomatic)
- Pain or redness in your eye (if you have conjunctival chlamydia)
- Unusual vaginal bleeding (e.g. after sex, between periods)
- Unusual discharge from your vagina (e.g. more than usual) or penis (e.g. white, watery)
Many people with gonorrhoea — up to 50% of women and 10% of men — have no symptoms, even though they can still pass the infection on to others. Those who develop symptoms usually do so within the first 2 weeks after exposure (men usually develop symptoms in 2-5 days, and women in 2-10 days), though gonorrhea symptoms can occur at any time, from days to months after infection. Symptoms of gonorrhea can include:
- Painful or swollen testicles
- Pain or difficulty when you pee
- Pain when you have sex
- Itching or discharge (e.g. blood or mucus) from your back passage (if you have rectal gonorrhea)
- Pain in your throat (if you have pharyngeal gonorrhea, which is usually asymptomatic)
- Pain or redness in your eye (if you have conjunctival gonorrhoea)
- Unusual vaginal bleeding (e.g. during sex, between periods, heavier periods)
- Unusual discharge from your vagina (e.g. more than usual, and which could be green or yellow) or penis (e.g. which could be white, yellow, or green)
Many people with trichomoniasis — up to 70% of men and women — have no symptoms, even though they can still pass the infection on to others. Those who develop symptoms usually do so within the first 4 weeks after exposure, though trichomoniasis symptoms can anywhere from days to months after infection. Symptoms of trichomoniasis can include:
- Pain in your lower abdomen
- Pain, swelling, and/or redness around of the tip of your penis (glans)
- Pain when you pee, or peeing more often than usual
- Pain when you have sex
- Pain when you ejaculate
- Pain, itching, and/or redness around the vagina
- Unusual discharge from your vagina (e.g. often frothy and yellow, though it may be green, thin or thick, sometimes with an unpleasant smell) or penis (e.g. often thin and white)
Many people with HBV have no symptoms and may not know they are infected, though they can still pass the infection on to others.
If you get HBV symptoms, they will typically occur between 60 and 150 days after infection. Those who do develop symptoms often experience a flu-like illness, including vomiting and diarrhoea, abdominal pain, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin/eyes) about 2-3 months after exposure. approximately 90% of adults are able to clear the HBV infection and have no ongoing health problems after about 3-6 months. During the acute stage of the HBV infection (i.e. the first 6 months), people are infectious and can spread the disease to others, whether or not they have symptoms. After the first 6 months, those who clear the acute HBV infection are usually immune for life.
However, approximately 10% of people with HBV go on to develop it chronically. People with chronic HBV are still infectious. Chronic HBV can cause severe liver damage (e.g. cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer).
Some people with HIV have no symptoms and may not know they are infected, even though they can still pass the infection to others.
In the early stages of HIV infection, not all individuals develop symptoms. Those who do often present with a flu-like illness about 2 to 6 weeks after infection. After this time, HIV symptoms may not return until months or years later, although the virus is still actively destroying the immune system. Symptoms of HIV can include:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue and muscle aches
- Unintentional weight loss
- Recurrent infections
- Night sweats
- Skin rashes
Some people with syphilis have no symptoms, though they can still pass the infection on to others. The symptoms of syphilis depend on the stage, and all 4 stages of syphilis can be infectious.
- Primary syphilis: the first symptoms often develop 2-4 weeks after initial infection.
- Small, painless ulcer at the site of infection (penis, vagina, anal area, mouth, lips, fingers), which may go unnoticed
- Swollen glands in the neck, armpits, or groin
- Secondary syphilis: these symptoms develop within 6 months of infection, and can come and go for several months before disappearing.
- Blotchy red rash that can appear anywhere on the body, but is most often on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet; these symptoms may disappear while the infection continues
- Small skin growths (like warts) on the vulva or around the anus
- White patches in the mouth
- Swollen glands in the neck, armpits, or groin
- Flu-like symptoms (i.e. fatigue, headaches, joint pains, fever)
- Patchy hair loss
- Latent (hidden) syphilis: this period can be from 1 to 20 years after infection. During this time the person may have no symptoms, or they may have relapses of secondary syphilis symptoms
- Tertiary (late) syphilis: this period can be anywhere from 1 to 45 years after infection, and can cause a variety of symptoms.
- Skin and bone lesions
- Cardiovascular problems, such as heart failure, heart murmurs, angina, aneurysms, or strokes
- Neurological problems, such as dementia, psychosis, lightning pains, numbness, loss of coordination, vision problems, or blindness
