Partner tool
How Far Back Should You Tell Partners After an STD?
Telling partners is the single most effective way to stop an STI spreading, and to keep from getting reinfected. Pick your infection and date to see the CDC look-back window, then notify them (anonymously, if you prefer).
Look-back calculator
A starting point based on CDC look-back periods, not medical or legal advice. Your clinician or local health department can confirm the window and help notify partners confidentially.
The windows
CDC partner look-back periods
| Infection | Notify partners from… |
|---|---|
| Chlamydia | the 60 days before symptoms or diagnosis |
| Gonorrhea | the 60 days before symptoms or diagnosis |
| Trichomoniasis | recent partners (about 60 days) + current partners |
| Syphilis: primary | ~3 months + how long you had symptoms |
| Syphilis: secondary | ~6 months + how long you had symptoms |
| Syphilis: early latent | the past 12 months |
| HIV | your most recent negative HIV test |
These are guides, not hard rules. When in doubt, notify a partner even if they fall just outside the window, the goal is that anyone who might be infected gets the chance to test and treat. For syphilis and HIV especially, a health department's partner-services team can pin down the exact window and help with notification.
Telling them
You don't have to do it face to face
Notifying a partner feels hard, but you have options. You can tell them directly, use an anonymous notification tool that sends a message without your name, or ask a health department to do it for you through free, confidential partner services. Many states also allow Expedited Partner Therapy, where your provider gives you medication to pass to a partner for chlamydia or gonorrhea, see the rules for your state.
Sources
Where this comes from
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 →
2 Sources
Data & references
- CDC: STI Treatment Guidelines, 2021 (partner management)https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/
- CDC: Partner Serviceshttps://www.cdc.gov/std-ips/php/about/index.html
EasySTD is an information directory, not a healthcare or legal provider. This tool gives a general look-back window from CDC guidance, it is not medical or legal advice. Confirm your specifics with a clinician or health department.
Good to Know
Partner notification: FAQs
How far back to go, and how to tell them.
How far back should I notify partners for chlamydia or gonorrhea?
The CDC's partner-services look-back window is 60 days: notify every sex partner from the 60 days before your symptoms started or you were diagnosed. If your only partner was more than 60 days ago, notify that most recent partner anyway.
How far back for syphilis?
It depends on the stage. For primary syphilis (a sore), it's about 3 months plus however long you had symptoms; for secondary syphilis (rash and other signs), about 6 months; for early latent syphilis (no symptoms, infected within the past year), a full 12 months. A clinician or health department will confirm your stage and window.
How far back for HIV?
For HIV, the window goes back to your most recent negative HIV test, anyone since then could have been exposed. If you've never tested or don't know, a health department's partner-services team will help you work out who to contact.
Do I have to tell partners myself?
No. You can tell them directly, or use an anonymous service that sends a message on your behalf without revealing your name. Health departments also offer free, confidential partner-services help where a specialist notifies partners for you. What matters is that partners find out so they can get tested and treated.
Why does notifying partners matter so much?
Two reasons. First, an untreated partner can reinfect you, undoing your own treatment. Second, many partners have no symptoms and won't know to test unless someone tells them, so notification is often the only way to break the chain of transmission.
Is this a legal requirement?
Partner notification is strongly recommended by the CDC and public-health authorities, and for some infections health departments follow up, but the everyday act of telling a partner is about care and prevention, not a courtroom. This tool gives you the medical look-back window as a starting point, it isn't legal advice.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.