Sexually transmitted infections are gaining momentum these days. Unfortunately, it is still a hush-hush affair. However, just like any other health issue, sexually transmitted diseases need equal attention. It is very sad to see that even now, people do not take adequate care of their sexual health. However, if you are suffering from any sexually transmitted infection or issues regarding your sexual health, it is time that you pay a visit to the doctor soon.
The diseases or infections that are transferred sexually have different time frames or incubation periods. So, you will barely know when the disease occurred and when it got spread into the body. a very bad habit that people have is to delay the process of treatment. First of all, they fail to acknowledge that they are suffering from a sexually transmitted infection. This is because they find it shameless to come out in the open. And, by the time they reach out for medical assistance, the damage is already done.
While some incubation periods of a sexually transmitted infection may last only for a few days, some others can even last for weeks or months. You will be surprised to know that you can even have no symptoms at all after having a sexually transmitted infection. if you are sexually active and have had sex without any protection or came in contact with a person infected with STD, this blog is for you. in this blog, we will discuss the right time at which the symptoms of STDs occur and how you can handle them. So, without further discussion, let’s get started.
The incubation period for sexually transmitted infection
To understand when and how the symptoms of STIs will occur, you have to have a detailed idea about their incubation period. When you first come in contact with a sexually transmitted infection, you have to give time to your body to recognize the infection and come up with the antibodies for the disease. This period of giving time to your body to detect the infection and produce antibodies is known as the incubation period. One of the interesting features of the incubation period is the lack of any symptoms.
So, we recommend you give your body adequate time to produce the antibodies. Else, testing at an early phase will be of no good and produce a negative report. In certain rare cases, the symptoms and signs of an STD do not come out externally even after two or three months. Not having symptoms does not mean you do not have antibodies in your body. this is where most people go wrong. Unless and until you have found out through a test, you cannot rely on anything else.
How quickly can you undergo the test?
The moment a person has unprotected sex or comes in sexual contact with a person who is already infected with an STD, you start panicking. Every kind of STD has its own incubation period. While for some sexually transmitted infections, the production of the antibodies starts right after a few weeks, while for some others, it can take months. Given below is a list of sexually transmitted infections along with their approximate incubation period.
- The incubation period of chlamydia ranges between 7 to 21 days.
- For genital herpes, this incubation period lies between 2 to 12 days.
- In the case of gonorrhoea, the incubation period is 1 to 14 days.
- It takes 15 to 50 days for hepatitis A and 8 to 22 weeks for hepatitis B.
- The incubation periods for HIV and HPV are 2 to 4 weeks and 1 month to 10 months respectively.
- For oral herpes, the incubation period ranges from 2 to 12 days.
- In the case of syphilis, the incubation period ranges from 3 weeks and can go up to 20 years.
- It takes 5 to 28 days for trichomoniasis to complete the incubation period and produce the antibodies.
Advantages of early detection and treatment
We have always recommended our readers reach out to the doctor as soon as possible. Be it any medical issue, you should take the help of the respective doctor soon. Reaching out to the doctor and starting the treatment early has several benefits. Similarly, when you are infected with an STD, it is necessary to stop all kinds of sexual activities right there and seek medical assistance.
When the STD is detected at an early stage, you can save the life of your partner. Otherwise, he or she would come in contact with a sexually transmitted infection and be at a risk. When you keep sexually transmitted diseases intreated for long, these are the potential risks that you might face:
- Dementia, organ damage, paralysis, and even death when you keep syphilis untreated for a long.
- Untreated HPV can lead to the development of cervical cancer in women.
- When you keep gonorrhoea and chlamydia untreated for a long time, it can lead to infertility in women and pelvic inflammatory disease.
- The bacteria of HIV, STDs and hepatitis B when left untreated results in risks in pregnancy.
When should you go to the doctor?
Knowing the perfect time to reach out to the doctor for medical assistance is a very subjective term. The time in which you need medical assistance varies from one person to another. This is because it is largely dependent on the kind of sexually transmitted disease you have been infected with. So, before going to the doctor, check out the list that has been provided above stating the incubation period.
There is a window period during which you need to have a check-up with the doctor and undergo the test. The time that lies between the first infection and the time during which the test can detect the infection is known as the window period. However, this window period and incubation period lie close by.
Conclusion
Therefore, the time at which you need to undergo the test or the time at which the symptoms of the sexually transmitted disease occur is very subjective as it depends on the kind of STI that one has been infected with. However, if you notice any kind of unusuality, do not hesitate to book a same day std test in London.
