When should a sexually active woman be worried that she may have a sexually transmitted disease/infection (STD/STI)?
If a healthy person is exposed to blood or potentially infectious fluids (saliva, penile, vaginal or anal secretions) from a person infected with an STD/STI, there is a real risk of contracting it.
While some people infected with an STD/STI may be asymptomatic (i.e., have no symptoms), the most common symptoms of STD/STI in women include the following:
- Fever and rashes
- Thick or watery discharge from vagina or anus
- Pain during urination, including itch and vague discomfort inside urethra
- Pain and swelling of lymph nodes
- Blisters, ulcers (painful or painless) or rashes on vulva, anus or around genital/pubic area
- Round, flat or cauliflower-like lumps on vulva, anus or around genital/pubic area
The occurrence of symptoms depends on the type of STD/STI. We list below the most common STDs/STIs and provide an overview of each. The individual STD/STI webpage within our website provides further information. To access these pages, simply click on the hyperlink (in green font)
Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea
- 1st/2nd most common STD/STI in Singapore
- Women commonly complain of pain during urination and vaginal discharge
- Gonorrhoea symptoms may occur 4-6 days after sex. Most infected women will have symptoms
- Chlamydia symptoms may occur 1 to 3 weeks after sex, but up to 80% of infected women have no symptoms after infection
- Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea can be cured with appropriate antibiotics
- 3rd most common STD/STI in Singapore
- Women commonly complain of painless ulcer on the vulva (primary syphilis) or rashes on palms of hands/feet (secondary syphilis)
- Primary syphilis symptoms may occur 10 to 90 days after infection
- Syphilis can be cured with appropriate antibiotics
- Women commonly complain of a group of blisters on the vulva, genital area (or anus), which burst to form painful ulcers
- Herpes symptoms may occur 2 day to 12 days after infection, but most infected women have no symptoms immediately after infection
- Herpes cannot be cured but can be treated with appropriate antiviral medication
- Women commonly complain of fleshy, cauliflower-like growths (1-10mm in size) on the vulva, genital area (or anus)
- Genital warts should be removed promptly because they can increase in number
- Genital warts can be treated with appropriate creams or removed by liquid nitrogen or laser treatment
- Genital warts can be prevented by vaccination with human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. There are 2 vaccines available, Gardasil and Gardasil 9. Gardasil is Medisave claimable (please see our HPV webpage for more details)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Women commonly complain of fever, rashes, swollen lymph nodes and flu-like symptoms
- HIV symptoms occur within 2 to 4 weeks after infection but up to 30% of infected women have no symptoms
- HIV cannot be cured but can be treated with appropriate anti-retroviral medication (ART)
Be responsible. If you are in a new sexual relationship, or have had casual sex, you should screen for STDs. Screening will give you and your partners peace of mind. Moreover, early detection and treatment/management of an STD/STI increases the success of treatment/management, as well as reduces the risk of spreading the infection.
STDs may be treated effectively. Consult our doctors now.