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Epididymitis/epididymo-orchitis caused by std?

Hi I just saw an urologist today and I would appreciate any help thanks.

So basically after my cryotherapy on penis, I masturbated for a few times in the last 2.5 weeks. And I've had painful frenulum(which is gone after taking antibiotics) and blood in semen during or the day after the masturbation. And when I masturbated 3 days ago, my penis suddenly became painful. On the next day, I had sharp pain that comes and goes in my urethra in the shaft area (not the tip). Also I got some slight pain on my right side of waist, leg and pubic area.

Right now, I have constant pain in my right side of waist mainly and dull pain in my right side of scrotum/testicle(after I saw the doctor, maybe it is because I kept thinking about it?). The pain in penis has gone down a lot. The urologist told me to have urine + sperm test and STD test. I only had the former test at his place because it was super expensive for std test. I went elsewhere to have the full screen of std test instead.

The diagnosis on the doctor's note is epididymitis/epididymo-orchitis. The urologist said my right side of scrotum was bit inflamed. Coincidently, my cryotherapy wound over there was bit inflamed too. He also said the pain could be caused by STDs. My last potential std exposure I could think of is more than 2.5 weeks ago, which is unprotected oral + protected vaginal. I never had any discharge.. probably without painful urination too.

So,
1. What kind of std can cause the weird symptoms that I am having?
2. If my STD test that was taken elsewhere comes back negative, can I confidenty tell my doctor that whatever pain and inflammation I have is not caused by STDs?
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Avatar universal
1. What kind of std can cause the weird symptoms that I am having?
Some STIs like chlamydia and gono can cause epididymitis but thats kinda happens longer term

2. If my STD test that was taken elsewhere comes back negative, can I confidenty tell my doctor that whatever pain and inflammation I have is not caused by STDs?
Yes. The ones that would cause this can be tested for now.

However, I have had epididymo-orchitis and it was not caused by an STI so bear that in mind!
Helpful - 0
15 Comments
Thanks for the reply. To my knowledge gone always cause large amount of discharge and I didn't have unprotected vaginal or anal so no chlamydia so I don't think I have it, but my urologist disagreed. What do you think?

So are Epididymitis, epididymo-orchitis, Orchitis basically the same thing? Can it come and go at its own randomly? I am in my 20s so I don't really know what can cause all these pain all over my body...
Oral is very low risk so I wouldnt have thought it was connected.

Epididymitis is the inflammation of the epididymis. This is a tube at the back of the testicle.
Orchitis is the inflammation of the testicle(s)

Put both of them together and you have epididymo-orchitis :)

He should have given you some antibiotics to clear it up but dont test whilst you are on antibiotics!
Oh and STIs dont always cause symptoms which is why they spread but you would not have got it from protected sex. Only risk from yours would have been oral which isnt that common in itself from a single exposure.
I had unprotected oral on a regular basis but haven't been tested for gono/chlaymdia for more than 2 years... I always thought there would be obvious symptoms if I had gone/chlaymdia/ngu  and would clear up on its own within a few months..

I already took the STD test before I took the first dose of the antibiotics given by the urologist so no worries! Just hope it isn't STD related if it is I would have to find another doctor since I took the Std test at another place.
STIs do not clear up on their own im afraid! Best bet now if wait for the results and then go from there :)
Thanks! But if I understand correctly from this article it says gonorrhoea usually goes away on its own?
https://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Does-Chlamydia-and-Gonorhea-cure-itself-over-time/show/1539505
That's true that some infections do clear. Some don't. You should always treat, though, if you have one.

Men get symptoms more often than women do, but a good number don't get symptoms of STDs.
If that's the case then I regret cheaping out and only tested for hiv & syphilis for the past 3 years... Hope nothing too serious..
You are far, far more likely to get chlamydia and gonorrhea in your lifetime than HIV or syphilis. If you are only having unprotected oral, you won't get HIV.

Syphilis is uncommon in most developed countries, and HIV isn't transmitted by oral sex. Less than 1% of the world's population has HIV.

Are you in the US? UK? Canada? Other developed nation? Get the gonorrhea and chlamydia tests before you get the HIV and syphilis test.

In the US, in 2020 - yes, a pandemic year, but the most recent year stats are available -

Chlamydia - 1,579,885 cases reported

Gonorrhea - 677,769 cases reported

Syphilis - 133,945 cases of all stages of syphilis were reported

https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2020/default.htm

HIV data from 2020 has been delayed due to reporting issues because of covid, but in 2019, an estimated 34,800 new HIV infections occurred in the United States.  (https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics)

I don't mean to minimize any of it. You should try to prevent ALL of it. But for testing? Test for gonorrhea and chlamydia.

Thanks for the detailed info. I've always thought I would've developed symptoms so there's no need for testing. Anyway, as I just had a full screen std check up, if I really had untreated gonorrhoea/ chlamydia and it had already developed complications like spreading to other body parts, the test could detect it and show positive result right?
It would yes.
Good to know. I will include urine test to my routine check up from now on..
Don't know why it only shows 11 comments while there are 12
My std test results came back and they are all negative. While the urine test included testing Chlamydia Trachomatis & Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, it also tested several items such as Mycoplasma Genitalium as well. How can I be sure that NGU has been thoroughly?
Have you had a urine culture or dipstick test? If you have, and there were no white blood cells found, then you don't have NGU.

As of writing this, I see that there are 14 comments, and I see all 14. Mine will make 15.
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