STD Symptoms
Common Symptoms for Men and Women
educating yourself about the symptoms of STDs can be life-saving. While each STD has its own set of symptoms, many STDs produce similar symptoms.
It is also important to remember that STDs aren’t gender specific, both men and women can become infected. However, even when men and women are infected with the same disease, their symptoms may manifest differently. Below are lists of common symptoms for men and women to help you out as you begin to learn about specific STDs and their accompanying symptoms.
Symptoms of Chlamydia in Men
The following symptoms may not be as common as those listed above, but should not be ignored.
- Swelling of the testicles
- Rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding after anal sex
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Chronic flu-like symptoms
- Swelling around the joints
- Swelling of the epididymis
- Swelling of the urethra
- Testicle pain
Symptoms of Chlamydia in Women
Though less common than those listed above, here are other common symptoms to watch for:
- Rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding after anal sex
- Spotting or bleeding between menstrual cycles
- Fever
- Pelvic pain
- Nausea
- Sore throat
- Painless ulcers on the vagina
- Pain in the lower back
- Swelling around the joints
Monogamous Relationships and STDs
Developing STD symptoms when you’ve been in a monogamous relationship can lead to additional pain on top what you may already be experiencing. You may have questions such as “how, “why”, or “when” and might experience feelings of betrayal and concern about your relationship. Keep in mind that infidelity is one way that STDs could have be brought to your relationship, but there are also other ways to consider.
If you or your partner were in a relationship previous to your current relationship, you or your partner could have infected while in their previous relationship. Since some STDs are asymptomatic, the infected individual may not have known they were infected and were unaware they were spreading the STD to you.
Sometimes outbreaks are delayed. It is possible that while you were in a relationship with another partner you became infected by it and it has taken some time for the symptoms to appear. To best protect yourself, and your partner, we recommended STD testing before any sexual activity begins in the relationship.
Are you experiencing some of the STD symptoms we listed earlier? To learn more about a certain STD and its symptoms, click on the links below. Self-diagnosis can be quite difficult when it comes to STDs, only a doctor can give an accurate diagnosis. However, we strongly believe that learning about sexually transmitted diseases can help ease worries and will help you make informed decisions about moving towards improved health.