STI symptoms in women

Sexually-transmitted infections include a range of conditions caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites that are spread through sexual contact with an infected person. Sexual contact includes vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Some kinds of STIs may also be transmitted through touch or by sharing sex toys.

If you notice any new female STI symptoms, it’s important to get tested as soon as possible. Untreated STIs can lead to very significant long-term health effects, including fertility issues. They can also lead to painful conditions like pelvic inflammatory disease.

STIs can be treated by using medication such as antiviral drugs or antibiotics. You can also get vaccinated to prevent certain complications, like getting a hepatitis B vaccine, or the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.

The symptoms of STIs in women can vary from one condition to the next. It’s also important to be aware that some women don’t get any symptoms. Or, they may only get mild, non-specific symptoms that could easily be mistaken for other conditions. This is why it’s important to use an STI test if you’ve recently had unprotected sex, regardless of whether you have symptoms or not.

Some of the more common signs and symptoms of STIs in women include:

• a rash or an itchy feeling around your vagina or bottom
• unusual vaginal discharge
• vaginal bleeding
• genital warts on your vagina (fleshy bumps on the skin)
• blisters or ulcers on your genital area
• pelvic pain
• abdominal pain (pain in your tummy)
• pain during sex
• pain or a burning sensation when you pee
• you might also feel flu-like symptoms such as a fever, aching muscles, and fatigue with certain STIs

Not all STIs will give you the same symptoms and sometimes you’ll have no symptoms at all. You should get tested for an STI if you’ve had unprotected sex or are sexually active. Having an open conversation with your partner about testing for STIs will help to ensure protection for both of you.

Here are some examples of common STIs and their symptoms in women. Please keep in mind that these symptom lists are not exhaustive.

Chlamydia symptoms in women

Common symptoms of chlamydia in women include:

• pain when urinating
• abnormal discharge from the vagina or anus
• pain in your stomach
• pain or bleeding when having sex
• bleeding in between periods

Gonorrhea symptoms in women

Common symptoms of gonorrhea in women include:

• vaginal discharge that may look green or yellow in colour
• vaginal discharge that can look thin and watery
• pain when peeing (urinating)
• pain or tenderness in the pelvic area or lower tummy (lower abdomen)
• bleeding between periods
• pain during sex
• itching in your rectum
• sore throat

Genital herpes symptoms in females

Common symptoms of genital herpes in women include:

• tingling in the labia, vagina, anus, bottom, or thighs
• red bumps which form blisters
• blisters which form ulcers (deep skin wounds)
• difficulty peeing or pain when peeing

HIV symptoms for women

A couple of weeks after being infected with HIV you may feel like you’ve got the flu for around a week. After you recover, the HIV virus will stay in your body. The virus can then damage parts of your immune system without you being aware. A weakened immune system caused by HIV is called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It can take years between being infected with HIV and getting AIDS.

Trichomoniasis (‘trich’) STI symptoms in women

Trichomoniasis is an STI caused by a parasite. Symptoms of trichomoniasis in women include:

• vaginal discharge, which can be thick, thin, frothy, or yellow-green
• more discharge than usual, which may also have a fishy smell
• soreness, swelling, and itching around the vagina, including sometimes the inner thighs
• pain or discomfort when urinating or having sex

The signs and symptoms of an STI in women include pain when peeing, vaginal discharge, and soreness around the vagina. However, there are many other STI symptoms in women too, and they vary depending on the type of STI. Also, many women have no STI symptoms.

Remember, it’s not possible to tell if you have an STI just by looking. You need to do a test to find out if you have an STI.

What is the most common STI in women?

According to government data for England, the most common STI for women is chlamydia. In 2023 (the most recent year with available data), 97,871 women were diagnosed with chlamydia for the first time. The second most common STI affecting women in 2023 was gonorrhoea, which was diagnosed in 21,563 women. The third most common STI in females was genital herpes, which affected 16,340 women for the first time in 2023.

The fourth most common STI affecting women in 2023 was genital warts, with 9,919 women recorded as having their first episode that year. Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), but it’s important to mention that HPV doesn’t always cause warts to appear, and often people pass it on without ever getting symptoms.

Though most HPV strains are harmless, some types of HPV (including types 16 and 18) can cause cervical abnormalities and even cancer in some cases, which can also lead to fertility issues. It’s important to attend regular cervical screenings (known as ‘smear tests’) which can help to catch HPV early. If you’re aged 25 to 64, the NHS will invite you for a screening every few years. You can also get vaccinated against high-risk HPV strains to reduce your risk of cervical cancer.

Depending on the type of STI, you can start to see STI symptoms within 1 to 3 weeks after you’ve caught an infection. Symptoms can appear earlier or later depending on the type of STI.

Some STIs, like herpes simplex virus (which causes genital herpes and cold sores), can stay dormant in your body and hide from your immune system. A trigger, such as stress, can cause the STI symptoms to start. This might happen weeks or months after the initial infection.

How soon should you get tested after unprotected sex?

Some STIs have an incubation period. The incubation period is the time it takes from when you became infected to when you start to see STI symptoms appear.

Getting tested before the incubation period is over means you can get a false negative result. However, if you’re experiencing symptoms, you should still get tested as soon as possible and get another test some time later to be certain.

If you don’t have any symptoms, you should wait 1 to 2 weeks before getting tested.

Leaving an STI untreated can lead to further health problems. It also increases your chances of passing the STI on to future sexual partners.

All STIs are caused by tiny organisms:

• bacteria – like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, bacterial vaginosis (BV), or syphilis
• viruses – like genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), or HIV
• parasites – like trichomoniasis, pubic lice, or scabies

When left untreated, these tiny organisms can spread to other parts of your body and cause problems. Some possible complications of STIs in women include:

• pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• infertility
• complications in pregnant women
• chronic pelvic pain
• specific types of cancer, like cervical cancer which is associated with HPV (human papillomavirus)

These complications can be avoidable if you get tested as soon as possible so that you can start the right treatment.

If you test positive for an STI, you should make sure you’re tested for HIV too. HIV is an STI caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. If you have some other types of STI, you may also be more likely to get HIV, as having open sores on your skin can allow the virus to more easily enter your body.

HIV is treatable by taking regular antiretroviral medication, but these are more effective if you get diagnosed with HIV early.

If you’ve had unprotected sex, it’s possible that you might have been exposed to an STI. It’s important to get tested to avoid any possible complications. You can request a home STI test kit from ZAVA.

Some STIs may not show symptoms for weeks or even months after having unprotected sex. If you ever experience symptoms such as pain when you pee, itching or having sores around your genitals, you should get tested.

Unprotected sex means having sex without a condom. While condoms can protect you against many STIs, they are not 100% reliable. Also, some STIs can be passed through close skin contact or oral contact.

Whether you’ve noticed possible STI symptoms, or you’ve recently had unprotected sex, it’s really helpful to get tested as soon as possible. You can get tested at your local sexual health clinic, GP, or you can also order STI test kits from online pharmacies like ZAVA to take from the comfort of your home. We post you an STI kit, you take a sample and send it back to us, and you then get your results within 72 hours.

Doing an STI test can help put your mind at ease. If the test comes back positive, you will also be able to begin a treatment plan.