People at high risk of certain STIsTrusted Source should ask for a retest, even after a negative result.
People at high risk of certain STIsTrusted Source should ask for a retest, even after a negative result. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend annual HIV testing for people at risk, such as those whose partners have HIV or people who share needles.
STI testing table
The testing window for common STIs is as follows:
Type of STI Pathogen type Testing window Type of test When to retest after treatment
HIV virus 10–33 days for a nucleic acid test.
18–45 days for an antigen/antibody test.
23–90 days for an antibody test Blood or saliva test. Blood nucleic acid test gives earliest results None
Chlamydia bacteria 1–2 weeks Blood or urine sample, or swab of the throat, rectum, cervix, or vagina 3 months
Trichomonas protozoa (parasite) 1 week to 1 month Swab of rectum, penis, or vagina 2 weeks
Syphilis bacteria Within 3 weeks after sores appear. Sores appear usually 1 week after exposure Blood test 6 and 12 months
Gonorrhea bacteria 5 days to 2 weeks Blood or urine test. Swab of the anus, urethra, cervix, or throat Test 2 weeks after treatment, or 2 weeks later after exposure if the first test is negative
Herpes virus 1–4 months Blood test or swab of a sore None
HPV virus 3 weeks to a few months Pap smear in females only — no approved test for males None
Hepatitis virus 3–6 weeks for hepatitis B. 2–6 weeks for hepatitis C Blood test Retest 6 months later
HIV A nucleic acid test analyzes a blood sample for HIV. It can indicate a positive result 10–33 days after exposure. The antigen/antibody test, also a blood test, Kolkata model escort service looks for HIV antibodies. It also looks for an antigen that the body produces before antibodies appear. It can get results 18–45 days after exposure.
The antibody test uses a blood or saliva sample to look for HIV antibodies. It takes the longest to get a reliable result, at 23–90 days after exposure. A person can be confident they do not have HIV if they get a negative test during the window period and have no subsequent contact with someone who could have the virus.
Chlamydia
A doctor can test for chlamydia by swabbing the vagina, cervix, rectum, or throat, or by taking a urine sample. If symptoms appear, they usually present within 7–21 days of exposure. A test can normally detect chlamydia within 1–2 weeks of exposure.
Gonorrhea
A doctor can test for gonorrheaTrusted Source with a urine sample. In some cases, they may also swab the urethra, anus, throat, or cervix to get a more reliable result.
Most testsTrusted Source can detect the infection within 5 days to 2 weeks of exposure. If a test is negative shortly after exposure, a doctor may recommend retesting 2 weeks later, particularly if a person has symptoms.
Gonorrhea symptoms usually appear from 1 day to 2 weeks after exposure.
Herpes
Herpes symptoms usually appear quickly. On average, they present 4 days after exposure, and the typical range is 2–12 days. In some cases, however, symptoms can be so mild that a person does not notice them.
A blood test can confirm a herpes diagnosis. The test may be positive within a month, and by 4 months, blood testing finds most cases.
HPV
While it is possibleTrusted Source for males to pass human papillomavirus (HPV) on to a partner, the CDC have not approved a male test. Instead, doctors may test for symptoms of the relatively rare cancers that HPV can cause, including penile cancer.
In females, HPV rarely causes symptoms. If there are indications, they could appear months or years later. The most reliable test is a Pap smear, which involves swabbing the cervix. This can detect HPV 3 weeks to a few months after exposure.
Hepatitis
In some cases, hepatitis B and C may not cause any obvious symptoms for years. If they do appear, hepatitis B usually produces signs within 6 weeks to 6 months. Hepatitis C symptoms may appear as early as 2–6 weeks, but can sometimes take as long as 6 months.
