STD symptoms can show up anywhere from as soon as the next day to several months after exposure, depending on the type of STD. For example:
- Herpes symptoms can appear as soon as 1 day after exposure but usually show up in 2-20 days.
- Gonorrhea symptoms typically appear within 2-5 days, but in some cases up to 30 days.
- Chlamydia symptoms may take 1-3 weeks to appear but can remain dormant for months or years.
- Syphilis symptoms generally take 1-3 weeks to develop but may take up to 3 months.
- HIV symptoms often appear 2-6 weeks after infection but can take longer or be asymptomatic.
- Trichomoniasis symptoms usually show within 1-4 weeks.
It's important to note that many STDs can be asymptomatic or have delayed symptoms, so testing is crucial even if no symptoms are present. Generally, testing is recommended a few weeks after potential exposure to detect most infections accurately.
