Do I have an STD?

[mikdallas]

I had unprotected sex about a week ago. About a day or two after I developed a red splotchy and dotted rash that itched on my inner thighs. It got better after about two days but yesterday it started up again and has continued on to today. I noticed I developed the rash both times after wearing a certain pair of jeans so I'm aware that that could be the cause but I still am getting tested next week. In your opinion, do you think I have an STD? If so, do you think it's genital herpes? Do symptoms even show that early? Please help!

[Heather]

The only way to ever find out our STI status is through testing, and we always suggest people get tested regularly, even without concerns like this, so good on you for doing that. Getting tested only when we have something amiss with our bodies is rarely the way to go, especially since most of the time, for most people with most STIs, there aren't any noticeable symptoms in the first place. But you can certainly ask about this then, as well.

That said, this doesn't resemble symptoms for any STIs that I'm aware of, and given the placement and this seemingly being connected to that given pair of pants, sounds more like an allergic reaction of some kind, either to the fabric itself (or how it was treated, especially if they are new and you haven't washed them yet) or to your detergent.

[mikdallas]

Only reason I think it's genital herpes is because I looked up why I had a thigh rash and one of the possible reasons was that you have genital herpes. And I've worn those jeans a million times and use the same detergent so I'm not sure why it would break my legs out, yet it only happened when I wore them.

[Sam W]

Ah, I see. Still, if it's concerning you, the only way to know what's causing the rash is to go to a healthcare provider and have them take a look.