Symptoms usually appear after 1 to 3 weeks but can start much later. Symptoms include:

• discharge from the vagina or penis
• pain when peeing
• vaginal bleeding between periods or after sex
• pelvic pain in women
• testicular pain in men
• About 50% of men and 70% of women who are infected do not have any symptoms.

If you think you may have a sexually transmitted infection (STI), go to your GP or local sexual health or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic.

Most STIs can be successfully treated, but it's important to get any symptoms checked as soon as possible.

Read about visiting an STI clinic.

Yes, if you use them responsibly and keep them clean - otherwise, sex toys can pass on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and infections passed on through the blood (blood-borne infections).

You can avoid STIs by:

• keeping sex toys clean – wash them after each use
• covering penetrative sex toys, such as vibrators, with a new condom each time they're used
• not sharing sex toys
• having a different set of sex toys for each partner

Sexual health clinics offer a range of services, including:

• testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• advice and information about sexual health
• free condoms
• contraception - including emergency contraception, such as the emergency contraceptive pill
• pregnancy testing
• HIV testing - including rapid tests that give results in about 30 minutes and counselling for people who are HIV-positive
• PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) - medication that can help prevent people from developing HIV if they've been exposed to it
• hepatitis B vaccination
• advice about abortion
• help for people who have been sexually assaulted
• if necessary, a referral to a specialist
• Sexual health clinics may also be called genitourinary medicine (GUM) or sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Not all clinics offer every service. Check with the individual clinic to see what's available.