Syphilis

Syphilis is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is easy to cure in its early stages but can cause serious damage to your health if left untreated. It can be easy to miss the initial symptoms, but can be easily detected at a regular sexual health check up.

This can help if:

• you think you might have syphilis

• you want to know more about syphilis and its symptoms

• you want to know how to detect and treat syphilis.

What is syphilis?

Syphilis is a bacterial STI that has four different phases. Typically, you’ll see the first symptom around 21 days after infection. It might seem a little scary at first, but the good news is, it's easy to treat in the early stages. Using condoms and dental dams (a thin plastic barrier) can prevent syphilis from being passed on. Regular sexual health checks will also help you get an early diagnosis and treatment.

What are the symptoms of syphilis?

There are four stages to syphilis:

• Stage one: You'll get a small sore (called a ‘chancre’) that looks infected at the centre. It might seep liquid or pus. It won't hurt, and it might be in a place where you don't even notice it, such as your inner thigh. It'll stick around for up to six weeks. After it clears up, you still have the infection in your system, even if you don't get any more symptoms.

• Stage two: A couple of months later, you could get a rash, usually on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. You could feel run-down and flu-like. This stage sometimes takes more than a year to develop.

• Stage three: The infection goes quiet. For up to 20 years, you can have no symptoms at all, but still be able to pass the infection on to other people.

• Stage four: The infection will start to affect your brain, liver and other important organs. It can last for a long time, and the long-term effects of syphilis can cause irreversible damage.

It’s important to know that if you treat syphilis early, you won’t go through all the different stages, so head to the doctor as soon as you notice any symptoms. Even if you don’t have any symptoms, it’s a good idea to get a sexual health check whenever you have a new sexual partner.

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Testing for syphilis

Your doctor can check for syphilis with a blood test. If you think you have a chancre, they can also test a sample from the sore for infection. If you’re pregnant, they’ll normally test you for syphilis to make sure you don't pass it on to the baby.

Learn more about how to get a sexual health check, or call Healthline on 1300 65 88 86 to find out the most convenient place for you to have a check-up.

Syphilis treatment: What can I do if I have syphilis?

• Get treated. Syphilis treatment is pretty straightforward in its early stages. Treatment is just a couple of antibiotic injections a few weeks apart. Your doctor will explain the treatment plan to you when you’re diagnosed.

• Tell those who need to know. If you have syphilis, it’s important to contact all your recent sexual partners and let them know they should get tested, too. It probably won’t be the most pleasant conversation you’ve ever had, but it’ll show those partners that you respect them enough to care about their health. Get some tips on how to tell a sexual partner about your STI.

• Avoid spreading it. While treatment is happening, you need to be very careful when having sex that you don’t pass on the infection. Practise safe sex by using condoms and dental dams, and don’t let your partner touch or rub against any sores or rash.

• Re-test. You need to do a follow-up test a couple of months after treatment to make sure the infection is gone. Once you've got a clear follow-up test, you can feel safe about not passing on the infection.

• Practise self-care. Finding out that you have syphilis and then having to potentially tell other people about it can be a lot to deal with. Make sure you take care of yourself by doing something that will make you feel good. This could be watching a comfort movie, doing a hobby or going for a walk. Check out more cheap self-care ideas.

• Get support. Having an STI doesn’t make you ‘dirty’, and it isn’t something you need to be ashamed of. But you may feel judged or isolated. If you’re really struggling with your syphilis diagnosis, talk to your doctor about getting some professional help. They can refer you to a mental health professional, such as a counsellor or psychologist. You can also have an anonymous, one-on-one chat with a trained peer worker through PeerChat.