Be Safer, Play Safer: Know Your STIs (Quick Reference Table)

Learn about or refresh your memory about STIs. If you have sex with other people, this information is for you. Take a few minutes to get the basics so you can learn to lookout for STIs.

Disclaimer: This table provides a broad overview of common STIs and their general characteristics. The information should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. For personalized recommendations, diagnosis, and treatment, visit a Sexual Health Clinic / visit a healthcare provider. You can use this table for helping to know if you might have something, but you should always see an expert to confirm it and treat/manage it.

Remember – get tested for STIs. Every 3 months is recommended!

Some are invisible. Detection and treatment sooner helps.

⚠ Some links on this table are broken. Info is correct, but to get more info, please search the name of the STI online and visit a government health website for accurate and reliable information.

If you are able to help out with providing new valid links, let us know.

This table is mobile-friendly: Scroll sideways and up and down to see all information.

STI	Visible?	How it spreads	Common Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention Methods	Curable?	Health Impact (if not cured/managed)	Official Health Info	Links to Photos
HIV/AIDS	No (often no visible symptoms early)	Blood, sex, mother-to-child, shared needles	Early: Flu-like feeling; Later: Weight loss, infections, fatigue	Lifelong medicine (antiretroviral therapy)	Condoms, PrEP, clean needles, regular testing	No (can be controlled, not cured)	High Impact – Weak immune system, needs lifelong care	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC HIV Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=21471)
HPV	Sometimes (warts); often no visible symptoms	Skin-to-skin, sexual contact	Warts in private areas; some types can lead to cancers	No complete cure; can treat warts or cancer if it happens	HPV vaccine, condoms, regular screenings	No (some clear on their own; others stay)	High Impact – Can lead to cancer in some cases	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC HPV Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=19618)
Hepatitis B	Often no visible symptoms; can include yellow skin/eyes	Blood, sex, mother-to-child, shared needles	Tiredness, fever, dark urine, belly pain, possible jaundice	Long-term antivirals if chronic; supportive care if short-term	Hep B vaccine, safe sex, avoid sharing needles	Partially (some recover fully, others have long-term infection)	High Impact – Can cause serious liver damage or cancer	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC HepB Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=21513)
Hepatitis C	Usually no visible symptoms until liver damage	Blood (needles), mother-to-child, rarely sex	Tiredness, joint aches, nausea, yellow skin/eyes (in later stages)	Modern antivirals can cure	Use clean needles, get tested, avoid sharing items with blood	Yes	High Impact – Can lead to severe liver disease or cancer	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC HepC Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=21512)
Syphilis	Yes (painless sore, rash)	Contact with sore, sex, mother-to-child	Early: Single sore; Later: Rash; Much later: Organ damage	Penicillin or other antibiotics	Condoms, early testing, telling partners	Yes (if treated in time)	Moderate Impact – Can become severe (brain/heart problems)	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC Syphilis Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=11910)
Gonorrhea	Often no visible signs; maybe unusual discharge	Sexual contact	People with penises: Painful urination, discharge; People with vulvas (vagina): Discharge, pelvic pain	Antibiotics (ceftriaxone, etc.)	Condoms, regular testing, treat partners quickly	Yes (with correct antibiotics)	Moderate Impact – Can cause pelvic issues, infertility	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC Gonorrhea Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=15360)
Chlamydia	Often no visible signs	Sexual contact	People with vulvas (vagina): Vaginal discharge, pain; People with penises: Burning urination, discharge	Antibiotics (azithromycin or doxycycline)	Condoms, regular checks	Yes	Moderate Impact – Can lead to infertility if ignored	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC Chlamydia Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=19739)
Genital Herpes	Yes (blisters or sores)	Skin-to-skin, sexual contact	Painful blisters, itching, can come back repeatedly	Antiviral meds (acyclovir, etc.)	Condoms, avoid contact during outbreaks	No (virus stays in body)	Moderate Impact – Repeated outbreaks, can affect well-being	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC Herpes Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=11152)
Trichomoniasis	Often no visible signs; may cause irritation	Sexual contact	People with vulvas (vagina): Frothy discharge, itching; People with penises: Mild or no symptoms	Antibiotics (metronidazole or tinidazole)	Condoms, regular testing	Yes (can be cured)	Low Impact – Usually curable; can cause discomfort if untreated	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC Trichomoniasis Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=18646)
Molluscum Contagiosum	Yes (small, pimple-like bumps with a dip)	Skin-to-skin contact (can be sexual)	Painless, pearly bumps; usually harmless	Often goes away on its own; freezing or creams if needed	Avoid touching bumps; keep good hygiene	Yes (usually clears on its own)	Low Impact – Mostly harmless, no long-term issues	WHO 🌍 CDC 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 EU 🇪🇺 Africa 🌍 Australia 🇦🇺 Canada 🇨🇦 Germany 🇩🇪	[CDC Molluscum Images](https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=21842)

What ratings mean on the table

• Health Impact Ratings:
  • High Impact: Infections that can lead to chronic, life-threatening complications (e.g., HIV, chronic hepatitis, high-risk HPV leading to cancers).
  • Moderate Impact: Infections that, if untreated, can cause significant complications (e.g., syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital herpes).
  • Low Impact: Infections that are typically benign or self-limiting (e.g., molluscum contagiosum).
• The Health Impact Ratings are not official, they are only based off the characteristics and typical impact of an STI (our judgement). The higher the impact, the more critical it is you get STI tested and treated sooner – however regardless of the impact level on the table, you should still get STI tested and treated.

Need to get an STI test?

You should every 3 months if you have sex with various different people, or the same but multiple people.

• CDC’s GetTested has a clinic locator for people in the United States. If you live in another country, search for ‘STI testing near me’ online.
• STD Check is good for private testing in the US, but if you can’t afford this or live elsewhere, search ‘STI testing near me’ online or ask your doctor for options.

Further reading

Learn more about how:

• to talk with friends, and sexual partners if you get an STI,
• if you think you or someone has an STI,
• how to check if someone is STI-free,
• and more (press here).

Or visit our Community Resources & Blog for more content on Sexual Health, Wellness, as well as guides and resources for puppy and pet play.

Photo credits and copyright:

• Links to Photos:
  The provided photo links are examples from CDC’s Public Health Image Library (PHIL), which is a resource for educational images related to infectious diseases. Your country’s health department should also have photos and similar information on the relevant STI page.

Additional disclaimers:

Always consult a healthcare professional and visit your country’s health department website for the most current information, recommendations, and knowledge. BadPups makes no guarantee this information remains accurate beyond its publication date, and the people that prepared this table are not health experts. Information was collated from various websites and presented for ease of reading and to provide foundational / a refresh to the general sexual health and wellness education for our target audience.

See something wrong? Report any inaccurate information.

If you are licensed professional healthcare worker and you would like to review this page, get in touch.