Sexual health
Everything on STDs and STIs in one place: conditions, testing, prevention, tools and the latest guides.
STD Conditions
The most reported STIs and the ones people search most. See every condition we cover in the full list below.
Chlamydia trachomatis
Chlamydia is the most reported STI in the United States, 1.65 million cases in 2023, and most were invisible.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Gonorrhea is the second most reported STI in the United States, and it's in a race against our antibiotics.
Treponema pallidum
Syphilis moves through stages: a painless sore, a distinctive rash, years of silence, and then, untreated, irreversible damage to the heart, brain, and eyes.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1/HIV-2)
HIV is manageable now, but only if you know your status.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2)
Genital herpes is one of the most common, and most misunderstood, STIs in the world.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a double-stranded DNA virus; 200+ types; ~40 infect the anogenital tract
HPV (human papillomavirus) is the most common STI in the United States: about 43 million Americans had an active infection in 2018, with an estimated 13 million new infections a year.
Screening & testing
Each guide covers how that infection is tested, the right time to test after exposure, what it costs, and where to go.
Free tools
Free, private, CDC-grounded. Every one runs in your browser, nothing you enter is saved or shared.
From the library
The newest guide from the library, plus a hand-picked spread on testing, prevention and everyday sexual health.
STD Treatment & Care · The latest
Mostly yes - alcohol doesn't interfere with the antibiotics used for chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis. The real exception is metronidazole and tinidazole (for trichomoniasis and BV), which react badl
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Every guide, grouped by what you need: symptoms, testing, treatment, prevention, relationships and real stories.
The trend
Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are the three reportable STIs the CDC tracks nationally. The picture is mixed, not a single rising line, which is exactly why screening, not headlines, is what protects you.
Between 2020 and 2023 in the U.S., chlamydia has risen from 476.7 to 492.2 per 100,000 (3%), gonorrhea has fallen from 204.5 to 179.5 per 100,000 (12%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 12.6 to 15.8 per 100,000 (25%).
The 2020 dip reflects reduced pandemic-era screening, not lower transmission. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus.
Good to Know
The questions people actually ask about testing, windows, symptoms, cost and privacy, each answered straight.
Anyone sexually active can benefit from routine STI screening. The CDC recommends at least annual chlamydia and gonorrhea testing for sexually active women under 25 and older women with risk factors, an HIV test at least once for everyone 13–64, and testing every 3–6 months for people with new or multiple partners.
Yes. Most STIs are silent, especially early on. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV and others frequently cause no symptoms at all, which is exactly why testing, not how you feel, is the only reliable way to know.
It depends on the infection's window period. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are usually detectable within about a week; HIV within 2–4 weeks on a 4th-gen test; syphilis and hepatitis can take longer. Use the test-window calculator for your exposure date.
The bacterial and parasitic STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis) are cured with a short course of medicine. The viral ones (HIV, herpes, HPV, hepatitis B) aren't cured but are very manageable with treatment, and several are vaccine-preventable.
You can order a private lab panel online, use an at-home kit, or visit a free or low-cost clinic, often without seeing a doctor. The finder matches you to options near you with a cost estimate, and confidential-testing rules vary by state.
It ranges from free (many public clinics and community health centers) to roughly $50–$200 for a private multi-test panel, depending on where you test and your insurance. The cost tool breaks down each option and the $0 pathways.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.
Medically Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines →
Data & references