Sexual Health STDs 4 Things You Should Do If You Think You Have an STI Step-by-Step Guide to Protecting Yourself and Others By Elizabeth Boskey, PhD Elizabeth Boskey, PhD Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Elizabeth Boskey, PhD, MPH, CHES, is a social worker, adjunct lecturer, and expert writer in the field of sexually transmitted diseases. Learn about our editorial process Updated on March 22, 2022 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Anita Sadaty, MD Medically reviewed by Anita Sadaty, MD Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Anita Sadaty, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist at North Shore University Hospital and founder of Redefining Health Medical. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common. There are an estimated 26 million new infections in the United States each year. Almost half of these occur in people between the ages of 15 and 24. If you think you might have an STI, it is important to take steps to protect yourself and others. Because STIs don't always cause symptoms, testing is the only way to know if you have an STI. Knowing your status is the first step toward getting treatment and can help you avoid passing the infection on to others. This article looks at four things you should do if you think you might have an STI. 1 Start Practicing Safer Sex Rafe Swan / Getty Images If you are in a sexual relationship and you think you might have an STI, it is your responsibility to protect both your partner and yourself from further infections. Ideally, this means talking to your partner about your concerns, getting tested, and abstaining from sex until you know your status. If this isn't feasible for you, you can also start practicing safer sex if you haven't been doing so already. Safer sex isn't foolproof. Diseases like herpes simplex virus (HSV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), for example, are spread through skin-to-skin contact. This means a barrier method like a condom may not cover all infected areas. Generally speaking, though, using a barrier will reduce your risk of passing along an infection. Start practicing safer sex even if you think you have already exposed your partner to an STI. Not every disease is transmitted every time you have sex. It's never too late to start being safer. 4 Questions to Ask a Partner Before Sex 2 Get Tested Rafe Swan / Getty Images You can't be sure you don't have an STI just because you don't have symptoms. Many STI infections are asymptomatic. The best way to know if you are infected is to get tested. It's much better to know for sure if you have an STI than to think you might have one. To find out, you will need to visit a healthcare provider, a public agency, or a clinic. When you go, you should: Tell your healthcare provider why you think you have an STI. For example, if you were contacted by a former partner who has symptoms, explain this to your healthcare provider. Tell your healthcare provider when you think you might have been exposed to the STI. If you have previously been tested, tell your healthcare provider the date of your last test. Make sure to confirm what they are going to test you for. The Best At-Home STD Tests Certain STI tests may take several weeks or more to return results. It is also important to remember that there is usually a short "window period" between the time you were exposed and the time you will test positive if you are infected. This means you may have to wait before you get your test. If you are tested prematurely within the so-called window period, it is possible that an STI test might return a false negative result. Some STIs like HIV are detected through an antibody test. If you've been exposed to one of these diseases, your healthcare provider may ask you to come back for a repeat test after a month or more. With HIV, for example, even the newest tests require you to wait at least 15 to 20 days after a suspected exposure. This is because it takes time for antibodies to build up in your blood. How Long Should I Wait to Get an STD Test? 3 Start and Complete Treatment Mmdi / Getty Images If you are diagnosed with a bacterial STI, it is important to complete your full prescribed treatment. This is true even if you feel better before it is finished. Not taking all of your antibiotics increases your risk of developing an antibiotic-resistant infection. Antibiotic-resistant infections are much harder to treat. Antibiotic resistance rates are rising rapidly in North America. Today, six previously recommended antibiotics are resistant to gonorrhea. These include: SulfonamidesPenicillinsTetracyclinesMacrolidesFluoroquinolonesEarly-generation cephalosporins If you are in a sexual relationship, it is a good idea to stop having sex until both you and your partner have completed treatment. Otherwise, you risk passing the infection back and forth. If you are diagnosed with an incurable viral STI like HIV, HPV, or HSV, talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to manage your infection. You will need to consider how to manage your condition and also lower your risk of passing it on to others. You can still have an active sex life if you have one of these infections. For the sake of your body and your relationship, though, you need to make sure your infection is carefully managed. How Different STDs Are Treated 4 Talk to Your Partners About Your Diagnosis Cultura/Chad Springer / Getty Images If you're diagnosed with an STI, let your current partners know they may have been exposed. It's also a good idea to reach out to recent partners even if you're no longer having sex with them. Talking to former partners can be difficult. If you don't feel like you can raise the subject with them in person, consider using an online service. These services let you send an anonymous email to your former partners that inform them they may have an STI. Some STIs are notifiable. This means testing providers are required by law to inform your partners that they may be infected. This is done privately, without including your name. CDC Nationally Notifiable STIs In the United States, the seven notifiable STIs are: Chlamydia (confirmed cases) Chancroid (confirmed and probable cases) Gonorrhea (confirmed and probable cases) Hepatitis B (confirmed acute cases as well as confirmed and probable chronic cases) Hepatitis C (acute, past, and present cases) HIV (confirmed cases and possible perinatal exposures) Syphilis An acute infection is a new infection that that the body is able to clear. A chronic infection is one that persists for longer than six months. 10 Reason Why People Avoid Disclosing Their STDs Summary If you think you might have an STI, it is important to take steps to get diagnosed and treated and to avoid passing it on. Have a frank conversation with your partner and either avoid sexual contact or practice safer sex until you've been diagnosed. Start treatment as soon as you can and complete the full course of prescribed medication. It is also important to contact any past partners so they can be tested and treated, too. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 6 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Kreisel KM, Spicknall IH, Gargano JW, et al. Sexually transmitted infections among US women and men: prevalence and incidence estimates, 2018. Sex Transm Dis. 2021;48(4):208-14. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001355 Workowski KA, Bachmann LH, Chan PA, et al. Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021. 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