Urgent symptoms

Topics to discuss

• A possible HIV exposure in the last 72 hours (emergency prevention medicine called PEP may be needed)
• Sexual assault: emergency rooms provide care, testing, and prevention medicine
• Severe pelvic, belly, or testicle pain, especially with fever
• A new rash with fever, joint pain, or feeling very ill
• Severe pain or fainting when you could be pregnant
• If any of these happen, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Choosing the next step

Use the warning signs above to decide when emergency help is needed. This page cannot check your symptoms or tell you that it is safe to wait. If symptoms are severe, sudden, or getting worse quickly, seek urgent medical help. A routine appointment request is not an emergency service, and a message may not be read right away.

For a life-threatening emergency, call 911. Do not drive yourself if you feel faint, confused, or unable to travel safely. If possible, have someone stay with you while help arrives. Bring your medicine list and allergy information if they are easy to reach, but do not delay emergency care to collect records.

Sources

• Sexually Transmitted Infections — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Chlamydia and Gonorrhea: Screening — U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
• Prevention of HIV Infection: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis — U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
• HIV — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Urethritis and Cervicitis — STI Treatment Guidelines — CDC