trichomoniasis

[shbw]

I am very confused.  I am a married woman but I had an affair outside the marriage.  That man is married also.  I have been diagnosised with trichomoniasis.  My husband swears up and down he has not had an affair.  The married man I had an affair with, has admitted to an affair but it was a few years ago.  

My dr. will most likely prescribe for my husband because regardless he probably got from me.  The other man I told to go to the dr.  Here is the thing, could that man have carried it for years or passed it back and forth to his wife?  Is it something a man can have for awhile?  It is unlilkely that his wife has had an affair because she is disabled and barely leaves the house.  

My question again is does the man I am having affair with have to have aquired it recently or could he have had it a year or more?  I have only slept with him a 6 times in the last two months.  

The other thing does a condom prevent transmittion?

I have urged him to be tested but am not sure how accurate test is and really to be effective his wife MUST be treated.  I am not sure if he will come clean to her.  

Thank you.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Thaks DNA tests have only redently become available and as they have they have diagnosed many more infections than we were aware of before.  This, in turn has raised questions which are still not fully answered about how long trich can be present before casuing symptoms.  I agree that you will probably never know whom this came form or how long it has been there.  The important thing for the health of you, your husband and your other partner is that you are all treated.  EWH

[shbw]

It was a DNA test?  I think by the way.  My other partner is going today to the dr.  My husband and I were treated.  I had symptoms but it was at first confused with yeast infection or maybe both going on at the same time?  I had not odor, just itching and burning and lots of discharge.  The discharge was clear and odorless and tatesless.  But it got to the point were it would be literally dripping down my leg.  

I was tested for everything, DNA testing it looks like over $1350 in tests!!  but I am glad it was easily treated and well everything should be ok.  It just remains to be seen whether my other partner has it or if the dr. just treats him.  I believe him that it has been several years since another partner, but I just know someone is probably not telling the truth. I don't know if I will ever know who that is.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Sorry, I forgot to answer that question. the answer is yes, as long as condoms are worn throughout the encounter and do not break, they would prevent acquistion or transmission of trich.  EWH

[shbw]

Thank you.  I am going to try to get everyone to get treated and try not to worry who gave what to who when.

I just developed these symptoms, but I did many years ago 15-20 have many reoccurrant yeast infections that I could not get rid of.  no one ever tested for STD.

Not sure what test they used, it was my gyno and I am fairly sure it was accurate?

Anyway, just one more thing, after the medicine will a condom help prevent this?  I think this man will get treated but just not sure if he will tell his wife.


Thanks for your help.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome back to our Forum.  I reviewed our exchange back in July.  Let me first say that if there is a possibility of trich, the right thing is for you, your husband, your other partner and his partner(s) to be treated.   Your other partner should certainly be treated however, no matter whether he is symptomatic or not.  Sometimes diagnosis of trich is a bit challenging.  Do you know how this diagnosis was made?  

Although trich has been around for a long, long time there is still much that is being learned.  Trich is the most common STD among women over age 30 and there are many questions still remaining about how long it can persist if untreated, both in men and in women.  Further, the infection can be present without symptoms (you do not mention whether you had any or not) in both women and men. We sometimes make the diagnosis in older (like in their 60's or even 70's) women who tell us they have not been sexually active for years.  This will likely become more common in the coming years because in the past few years new, far more sensitive tests for trich have become available which are more sensitive for diagnosis than older methods (this is part of the reason I asked you  how your diagnosis was made).

I hope these comments are helpful.  EWH