What’s the difference between a window period and an incubation period?

When you get into the world of sexual health, there are a lot of terms to keep track of. It’s easy to get confused. But Better2Know is here to help!

We often hear our patients get confused about the incubation period and the window period. These two concepts offer different views about how an infection progresses through the body.

Knowing the difference between these two can help you maintain your sexual health and avoid the worst effects of untreated STIs.

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What are STIs?

If you’ve come to this blog, you probably have a decent idea of what a sexually transmitted infection (STI) is. But for those who don’t know, let’s do a quick recap.

Like other infections, STIs spread through certain methods – in this case, it’s through sex. Most STIs are transmitted between people through sexual activity: most often through unprotected vaginal, anal, and oral sex.

However, most infections aren’t limited by the classifications we assign them. Though their main method of transmission is through sex, some of them can spread through other means.

HPV, for example, can spread through physical contact with an infected person’s genitals. Other bloodborne infections like Hepatitis C and HIV can also spread through blood-to-blood contact, like through blood transfusions and sharing needles to inject drugs. And some STIs can be transferred from mother to child through childbirth and breastfeeding.

What is an incubation period?

Now that we know what STIs are and how they spread, we can now focus on how these infections develop after you get them.

The incubation period of an infection is the time between when you get an infection and when you’re likely to develop symptoms.

Most STIs don’t cause symptoms right away. The pathogens that cause them, such as bacteria and viruses, need time to reproduce in your body. Once they have reproduced to a certain degree, they can cause symptoms.

The timeline for when these infections cause symptoms is a fraught issue. The appearance of symptoms will depend on the infection in question and the person who gets it. Infections tend to follow a certain course when they enter a new host.

Let’s take Chlamydia, for example. After the initial infection, many people who get Chlamydia will experience symptoms after two to six weeks. The infected person may experience a variety of symptoms, including unusual genital discharge, excessive pain during sexual intercourse, irritation and burning sensations in the genital area, and lower abdominal pain in women.

With all that said, not all infections follow this progression. Indeed, the vast majority of Chlamydia infections don’t cause any symptoms. If you’re infected with Chlamydia, it’s possible to carry the infection for months and not know you have it.

What is a window period?

The window period is similar to the incubation period in that it tracks the progression of an infection through the body.

However, unlike the incubation period, the window period has nothing to do with the appearance of symptoms and everything to do with testing.

The window period tracks the time between when you get an infection and when you may test positive for that infection on a test. This is a vital difference between the two concepts and is important to keep in mind.

Because of this, the window period has more to do with the sensitivity of the test being used than the progression of the infection itself.

Let’s take HIV as an example. The incubation period for most HIV infections is around 28 days. Most comprehensive HIV tests recommend that you wait around 28 days before getting tested for HIV, but there are tests, like Better2Know’s Early Detection Screen, that can detect the presence of the HIV 1 virus in your blood just 10 days after exposure. This test can be accurate without the presence of any symptoms.

It’s also important to note that, during both the window period and the incubation period, most people who contract STIs are likely to be infectious and can pass on their infections to other sexual partners. This is why it’s important to cease all sexual activity once you suspect you may have been exposed to an STI.

Final thoughts

If you’re still not sure about how and when to get tested, the best thing to do is call Better2Know.

Our dedicated team of Sexual Health Advisors is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

They can talk you through your situation and advise you on when is the best time to get tested. They can even help you choose a sexual health clinic near you and help you book an appointment.

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