Scarleteen

Hi! So basically I wanted to ask you guys how long does it take for std symptoms to show up? And what are the most common ones for oral sex and what’s really the possibility of getting one. And I’ve noticed that my tonsils are like red and has a white spot on it and my tongue is like a light pink/ white color, could an std cause this?

Hi angie,

We can't really diagnose things, because we're not doctors and this is the internet. But there are a whole lot of things that might cause a little bit of discoloration in the mouth or throat, many of which are totally benign and might go away on their own. (Like being dehydrated! Or having a sore throat!)

In terms of STIs, if someone shows symptoms, they can begin to feel them as early as a few days after infection, up to a few weeks. But that number varies from body to body, and immune system to immune system. If you want to learn more about STIs, how exactly they're spread, I highly recommend checking out Can I Get Pregnant, or Get or Pass on an STI From That? or individually in The STI Files.