How long after unprotected sex should I get tested for STIs?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Get a baseline test now, then retest on the window clock: chlamydia and gonorrhea by about two weeks, HIV reliable by about six weeks on a lab test, syphilis and older HIV tests up to ninety days. Symptoms override the schedule - discharge, sores, burning, or pelvic pain mean go now. One clock outranks all: HIV PEP after a high-risk exposure must start within 72 hours - that is an ER or clinic today. The CDC treats STI testing as routine maintenance for anyone sexually active.
What to do
- Rule on the 72-hour clock first. High-risk exposure within 3 days: ask about HIV PEP now.
- Baseline now. Establishes status and catches fast-showing infections.
- Retest at the windows. Two weeks for chlamydia and gonorrhea; six weeks and ninety days for the slower ones.
- Skip the window for symptoms. Any symptom means test immediately.
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