Beyond the risk of pregnancy, casual sex without a condom can open you up to a whole new (and not very pleasant) world of sexually transmitted diseases .

Despite this, only 15% of Brits bought condoms last year, with the UK ranking 33rd out of 36 countries in a Durex study. Yikes.

But even if you are wrapping up, or are in a committed relationship, regular testing is still important, as some infections take a while to show up and half of UK adults don’t recognise telltale signs they may be infected.

Find out how long you need to wait to get tested for the most common STIs below – and get familiar with the symptoms too.

Chlamydia

There were 168,889 chlamydia diagnoses across the country in 2024, so it’s imperative that you get checkout for it.

Dr Hana Patel, GP and consultan

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