Trichomoniasis is also called Trich for short. It’s a common Sexually transmitted infection caused by Parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis that affects both men and women. Millions of people get Trich every year. The parasite spreads easily during vaginal, oral, or anal sex without a condom. The parasite is carried in sexual fluids, like semen, pre cum, and vaginal fluids.
Most people with trichomoniasis don’t have any symptoms and feel totally fine, so they might not even know they have it. When it does cause symptoms, the most common one is vaginitis. Vaginitis is when your vulva or vagina is irritated. Trich can also infect your urethra (the tube you pee out of). Signs of Trich include irritation and itching, smelly discharge, and painful or frequent peeing.
Other infections can feel like Trich, so the only way to know what’s going on is to see a nurse or doctor. The good news is Trich is easily cured with medicine. You can help prevent Trich by using condoms every time you have sex.
HOW YOU CAN GET INFECTED
Trich is often passed during vaginal sex. It’s also spread by vulva-to-vulva contact, sharing sex toys, and touching your own or your partner’s genitals if you have infected fluids on your hand. Trich can easily infect the vulva, vagina, penis, and urethra, but it usually doesn’t infect other body parts (like the mouth or anus). Trichomoniasis isn’t spread through casual contact, so you can’t get it from sharing food or drinks, kissing, hugging, holding hands, coughing, sneezing, or sitting on toilet seats. Many people with trich don’t have any symptoms, but they can still spread the infection to others.
SYMPTOMS
The Tricky thing about Trich is that a large number of infected people up to 75% never have symptoms. You may infect others before you know you have the disease. In fact, men rarely show any signs of infection. When symptoms occur, they tend to appear within five to 28 days after exposure. You may experience;
- Thin (or sometimes foamy) white, yellow or greenish vaginal discharge that has a bad odor.
- White discharge from the penis.
- Genital redness, itching, or irritation.
- Burning or painful urination.
- Burning after ejaculation.
- Pain or discomfort during intercourse.
- Discomfort over the lower stomach area.
COMPLICATIONS
Trichomoniasis can affect pregnancy, especially when left untreated, it increases the risk of premature labor and low birth weight. Untreated Trich increases your risk of becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) if you’re exposed to the virus. Untreated HIV can lead to AIDS. Women who have Trich and HIV are more likely to pass both diseases on to their partners. It is also associated with an increased risk of cervical or prostate cancer.
TREATMENT
Without treatment, Trich can last for months or even years. It doesn’t go away on its own. When you’re infected, you can give the STD to your sexual partners. So a proper diagnosis is needed. Your healthcare provider may prescribe the right medication. It’s possible to get Trich multiple times. Approximately one in five people who are treated for Trich become infected again within three months. To prevent reinfection, you and your sexual partners should take anti-infective medications at the same time. After finishing treatment, you should wait a week before having sex to give the medication time to work and for symptoms to go away.
PREVENTION
If you’re sexually active, you can take these steps to protect yourself against getting or spreading Trich and other STDs;
- Use condoms.
- Get tested routinely for Trich and other STDs.
- Get treated if you have Trich or other STDs.
- Tell your sexual partners if you have Trich so they can get tested and treated.
- If possible, maintain one sexual partner.
- Limit your number of sexual partners.
- Avoiding sex for a week after treatment for Trich
- Not using a douche, as this can affect the healthy bacteria in the vagina
- Limiting or avoiding the use of recreational drugs and alcohol, as these increase the risk of unsafe sex