Can an STD lay dormant for 20 years?

There are STDs that can lie dormant and you can continue to be asymptomatic for years. The most important STD to test for in this regard is HIV, which can lie dormant for many years. Anyone who has ever had unprotected sex should consider getting this blood test.
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How long can some STDs stay dormant?

The time from exposure to when symptoms appear can range from a few days to as long as six months. In addition, some STIs may not cause symptoms at all. That means you may be infected but be unaware of it.
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Can chlamydia lay dormant for 20 years?

Although some symptoms can appear within weeks of contact, there have been reports of chlamydia remaining dormant for over twenty years.
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Can you have an STD for years and not know it?

Symptoms can develop within a few days or weeks, but sometimes they do not appear until months or even years later. Often there are few or no symptoms and you may not know you have an STI. If there's any chance you have an STI, go to a sexual health clinic or GP for a free and confidential check-up.
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Can you have an STD for 20 years?

Yes. It is possible to contract a sexually transmitted infection and not have any symptoms. People can live with an STI for many years without knowing they are infected.
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Lung Cancer Can Stay Dormant For 20 Years Before Flaring Up



Can you have chlamydia for 10 years?

How long can you have chlamydia for? An untreated chlamydia infection can persist for several years. Although this goes for both men and women, it is believed that men are less likely to carry the bacteria for several years. If you remain infected for a long time you have an increased risk of complications.
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Can gonorrhea go undetected for years?

If gonorrhea remains undetected and undiagnosed for a long period of time, the infection is likely to spread and affect other parts of the body. Patients who have carried the infection for a long time are at risk of complications and may begin to experience gonorrhea symptoms months or even years after infection.
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What STD stays in the body for life?

Some viral STDs stay with you for life, such as herpes and HIV. Others, such as hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV), can be prevented with vaccines but cannot be cured.
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Can STDs lie dormant?

In some cases, an STD may be asymptomatic (not show symptoms) because it's latent, or lying dormant in your body. Latent STDs can cause someone to remain undiagnosed until symptoms begin to appear. This may put them at risk for long-term complications.
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What STD can you have without knowing?

If it's been a while since your last screening, you should take note of these symptomless STDs.
  • Chlamydia. Thomas BarwickGetty Images. ...
  • Gonorrhea. Tom WernerGetty Images. ...
  • HIV. Hero ImagesGetty Images. ...
  • Genital Herpes. Jose Luis PelaezGetty Images. ...
  • Trichomoniasis. Jose Luis Pelaez IncGetty Images. ...
  • HPV. ...
  • Hepatitis B.
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Can chlamydia come back after 15 years?

Thankfully, it's also curable. But new research suggests that for some people, curing chlamydia doesn't prevent reinfection, even if they're not exposed to it again. Apparently the disease can live inside your gut, and reinfect you out of the blue.
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How many years can chlamydia go undetected?

The majority of people who have chlamydia don't experience any symptoms at all. And even if you do have symptoms, they may not show up for anywhere from 1 week to 3 or more months after the infection's been transmitted to you through sexual intercourse.
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How long can you have undetected chlamydia?

Most people who have chlamydia don't notice any symptoms.

If you do get symptoms, these usually appear between 1 and 3 weeks after having unprotected sex with an infected person. For some people they don't develop until many months later. Sometimes the symptoms can disappear after a few days.
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Can I have trichomoniasis for 10 years?

Without treatment, trich can last for months or even years. It doesn't go away on its own. The entire time you're infected, you can give the STD to your sexual partners.
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Which STD has active and dormant stages?

Syphilis. Syphilis is a bacterial infection that begins as a painless sore on your genitals, rectum, or mouth. The infection can remain in your body for years in a dormant stage and become active again at any time.
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Can chlamydia be treated after 3 years?

Nope! Chlamydia is easily cured with antibiotics. Chlamydia is a bacterial infection (like strep throat or an ear infection), which means that once you've been treated and tested negative for it (to make sure the antibiotics worked), it's gone.
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Why do I have chlamydia and my partner doesn t?

If you had a partner before him for oral, vaginal or anal sex, that could be who you got it from and your current partner managed not to contract it from you (now or yet), or contracted it so recently that he isn't testing positive yet.
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What are the 4 incurable STDs?

The other 4 are viral infections which are incurable: hepatitis B, herpes simplex virus (HSV or herpes), HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV). STIs are spread predominantly by sexual contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex.
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What happens if you leave STD untreated?

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as they are also referred to, often have no symptoms. However, if left untreated there can be serious consequences including blindness and other neurologic manifestations, infertility, mother-to-child transmission or birth defects.
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Which STD stays in the body after symptoms are treated?

chlamydia. HIV. trichomoniasis. human papillomavirus (HPV)
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How long can gonorrhea remain asymptomatic?

A diagnosis of gonorrhea was made in 63 patients, indicating an infection rate of 47% after exposure. Forty-three percent of the patients with gonorrhea were asymptomatic. The duration of the asymptomatic period ranged from 3 to 154 days. The epidemiologic importance of this hidden infectious reservoir is stressed.
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How did I get gonorrhea if my partner doesn't have it?

However, you can catch it without penetration, for example if your genitals touch those of an infected partner. You can also catch it when you share sex toys without cleaning them properly or covering them with a condom. It is possible for babies to get infected during birth if the mother carries gonorrhea bacteria.
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What are four signs symptoms of gonorrhea?

Symptoms of gonorrhea
  • greater frequency or urgency of urination.
  • a pus-like discharge or drip from your penis (this discharge could be yellow, white, beige, or greenish)
  • discoloration and swelling at the penis opening.
  • testicular swelling or pain.
  • itching and soreness in your anus.
  • rectal bleeding or discharge.
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Can you have chlamydia for 5 years without knowing?

Chlamydia often has no symptoms, but it can cause serious health problems, even without symptoms. If symptoms occur, they may not appear until several weeks after having sex with a partner who has chlamydia.
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Can you have chlamydia for years and test negative?

This is because the bacteria needs enough time to multiply within your body in order for it to reach a detectable level when taking a chlamydia test. For chlamydia this is often 14 days. If you test before that 14 days is over, you may test negative, but you could still pass the bacteria on following your test.
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