About this topic
Trichomoniasis is also called trich. It is an infection you can catch during sex. This means it is a sexually-transmitted disease (STD). It is caused by a germ. The infection easily passes from person to person during vaginal sex. During sex, trich most often infects the vagina in women and the urethra in men. ‚
Men with trich may not notice any signs. Some men may have a mild irritation in the penis. They may feel a slight burning after passing urine and have a mild discharge. Women may have a frothy, smelly, yellow, green discharge from their vagina. They may also have pain with sex and passing urine. Some women have pain in the lower belly. ‚
Trichomoniasis can be treated by antibiotics. It is important that you take the antibiotics the right way and finish your treatment. If it is not treated, trich may be passed on to sex partners. You can have trich more than one time. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Tell your sex partner(s) or those whom you had sex with in the past 3 to 6 months to get tested. They may need treatment as well.
- Avoid sharing sex toys. If you share toys, clean them and cover them with condom before use.
- Heat may be used to help lower your belly pain. Put a heating pad on your belly for no more than 20 minutes at a time. Never go to sleep with a heating pad on as this can cause burns.
- Change your underwear if it gets soaked by the discharge from your vagina or penis.
- When you get your period while you have trich, use pads and change them right away when they get soaked. Stay away from tampons.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor may want you to be tested again 1 to 3 months after treatment to make sure that the infection is fully gone.
What drugs may be needed?
Your doctor will order drugs to treat the infection. Be sure to take all your drugs as ordered. It is important that you take them the right way and finish your treatment. Do not share your drugs with anyone. ‚
Will physical activity be limited?
- Physical activity may not be limited.
- Do not have sex until you have finished the treatment and the doctor has told you it is safe to do so.
What problems could happen?
- Pain while having sex
- Higher risk for getting HIV
- You can get infected again
- Low birth weight for a baby whose mother has the infection while pregnant
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- The only guaranteed way to keep from getting or passing on a sexually-transmitted infection is to not have sex with anyone. This infection may be spread even if you do not have any signs of illness.
- Avoid contact with any sex partner known to have the infection.
- If you have sex, use latex condoms to lower spread of infection.
- If you are pregnant, get tested and get prompt treatment for trichomoniasis infection. This will help avoid passing it to your baby.
- Avoid having many sex partners. Be in a long-term relationship with one person who has been tested and is known to have no infection.
- Get a regular check-up for STDs.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of a very bad reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; seizures; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat. Go to the ER right away.
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, very bad sore throat, pain with passing urine, mouth sores, a wound that will not heal, or anal itching or pain.
- Penis or vaginal discharge is seen
- Soreness or bleeding from your genitals
- Pain during sex
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you what I can do to help avoid passing the infection to others.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have discharge from my penis or vagina, soreness or bleeding in my genitals, or pain during sex.
Where can I learn more?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‚
http://www.cdc.gov/std/trichomonas/default.htm ‚
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/std/trichomoniasis.html ‚
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ‚
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/trichomoniasis/Pages/default.aspx ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚