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STDs (Expert Forum)
NSU QUESTIONS
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
Welcome to the STD Forum, which is intended only for questions and support pertaining to sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV/AIDS, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus, genital warts, trichomonas, other vaginal infections, nongonoccal urethritis (NGU), cervicitis, molluscum contagiosum, chancroid, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). All questions will be answered by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. or Edward W Hook, MD.
NSU QUESTIONS
by Enjay1, Jun 26, 2009 08:57AM
Hi,I am a 27 year old male from the UK. Thank you for your help.
Before seeing my girlfriend, I had various unprotected exposures.
I started seeing my girlfriend around Aug 2006. This was her first sexual encounter of any kind. We had unprotected vaginal sex, unprotected anal sex, unprotected analingus and unprotected oral sex (giving and receiving) We Consistently did all this from Aug 2006 to March 2009 (and also consistently after each of the following events)
Jan/Feb 2007 got checked out at sexual health clinic as I was worried I'd picked up something from a previous partner and given it to my girlfriend. I was diagnosed as having NSU. (Not caused by Chlamydia or Gonorrhea) I took antibiotics, but my girlfriend was never treated for it.
July 2008 - Had genital to genital contact with another girl. No penetration but was very wet contact. Contact with my penis on her anus too.
Dec 2008 - Got checked out at Sexual Health Clinic and had NSU (Not caused by Chlamydia or Gonorrhea.) I was given antibiotics for it but my girlfriend again wasn't treated.
Around March 2009, my girlfriend went to a Sexual Health Clinic in New York (where she now lives.) She told them I had NSU and she was given antibiotics to take. (I don't know which ones.) Done nothing sexual since.
Questions:
1 Assuming I passed on something to my girlfriend back when we first started going out, she would have had it for about 3 years. Anything else she should do or get checked? Dangers?
2 I have read about Mycoplasma Genitalium, A risk? Would the treatment she got have cured this?
3 Due to us having unprotected anal sex consistently during our relationship, I'm worried i've passed something on to her anus. She was never asked about this when she went to get the antibiotics. Would the antibiotics she was given have cured anything that she might have picked up in her anus? (such as Mycoplasma Genitalium or anything else?)
I just want to make sure my girlfriend is 100% safe. Thanks so much.
Before seeing my girlfriend, I had various unprotected exposures.
I started seeing my girlfriend around Aug 2006. This was her first sexual encounter of any kind. We had unprotected vaginal sex, unprotected anal sex, unprotected analingus and unprotected oral sex (giving and receiving) We Consistently did all this from Aug 2006 to March 2009 (and also consistently after each of the following events)
Jan/Feb 2007 got checked out at sexual health clinic as I was worried I'd picked up something from a previous partner and given it to my girlfriend. I was diagnosed as having NSU. (Not caused by Chlamydia or Gonorrhea) I took antibiotics, but my girlfriend was never treated for it.
July 2008 - Had genital to genital contact with another girl. No penetration but was very wet contact. Contact with my penis on her anus too.
Dec 2008 - Got checked out at Sexual Health Clinic and had NSU (Not caused by Chlamydia or Gonorrhea.) I was given antibiotics for it but my girlfriend again wasn't treated.
Around March 2009, my girlfriend went to a Sexual Health Clinic in New York (where she now lives.) She told them I had NSU and she was given antibiotics to take. (I don't know which ones.) Done nothing sexual since.
Questions:
1 Assuming I passed on something to my girlfriend back when we first started going out, she would have had it for about 3 years. Anything else she should do or get checked? Dangers?
2 I have read about Mycoplasma Genitalium, A risk? Would the treatment she got have cured this?
3 Due to us having unprotected anal sex consistently during our relationship, I'm worried i've passed something on to her anus. She was never asked about this when she went to get the antibiotics. Would the antibiotics she was given have cured anything that she might have picked up in her anus? (such as Mycoplasma Genitalium or anything else?)
I just want to make sure my girlfriend is 100% safe. Thanks so much.
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jun 27, 2009 06:48PM
, Jun 27, 2009 06:48PM
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help.
It sounds like you have had recurrent nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) -- same thing as nonspecific urthritis (NSU). (NGU is the usual term in North America, NSU in UK.) Many (most?) cases of recurrent NGU are not due to new infections, but repeat inflammation that may not be due to an infection at all. The exact causes are unknown. However, no harm is known to come from it, either for affected men or their sex partners. So no matter how this turns out, most likely you and your partner have no serious worries.
My second general comment is that the UK genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, run by the NHS, are very high quality. Whether you were treated in a GUM clinic or some other sexual health clinic, most likely you can rely on their evaluation or advice. To the specific questions:
1) Although it makes sense for your partner to be treated as a precaution, for the reasons above it is unlikely there is anything else to be done. I don't recommend any additional testing.
2) M. genitalium causes some cases of NGU. Unfortunately, there are no routine diagnostic tests for it outside research settings. If your GUM/SHC provider recommends it, perhaps treatment for both of you would be in order, if your previous antibiotics didn't cover it. In general, the group of antibiotics called macrolides -- e.g. azithromycin -- are effective against MG; doxycycline and other tetraycycline antibiotics are not.
3) Rectal infection with M. genitalium has not been studied, but likely isn't a problem. I'm inclined to doubt your anal sex is related to your recurrent NGU symptoms. But here again, it would not hurt to ask this question of your GUM/SHC clinician.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
It sounds like you have had recurrent nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) -- same thing as nonspecific urthritis (NSU). (NGU is the usual term in North America, NSU in UK.) Many (most?) cases of recurrent NGU are not due to new infections, but repeat inflammation that may not be due to an infection at all. The exact causes are unknown. However, no harm is known to come from it, either for affected men or their sex partners. So no matter how this turns out, most likely you and your partner have no serious worries.
My second general comment is that the UK genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, run by the NHS, are very high quality. Whether you were treated in a GUM clinic or some other sexual health clinic, most likely you can rely on their evaluation or advice. To the specific questions:
1) Although it makes sense for your partner to be treated as a precaution, for the reasons above it is unlikely there is anything else to be done. I don't recommend any additional testing.
2) M. genitalium causes some cases of NGU. Unfortunately, there are no routine diagnostic tests for it outside research settings. If your GUM/SHC provider recommends it, perhaps treatment for both of you would be in order, if your previous antibiotics didn't cover it. In general, the group of antibiotics called macrolides -- e.g. azithromycin -- are effective against MG; doxycycline and other tetraycycline antibiotics are not.
3) Rectal infection with M. genitalium has not been studied, but likely isn't a problem. I'm inclined to doubt your anal sex is related to your recurrent NGU symptoms. But here again, it would not hurt to ask this question of your GUM/SHC clinician.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
1 Before I went to get checked out in December 2008 I was having the following symptoms:
Discharge from penis, testicular pain, stingy when urinating, cloudy urine, frequent urination.
Even just now, I get pain in my penis and its stingy when I urinate.
Does this make a difference to anything at all? Should my girlfriend be checked out for anything?
2 Also, Would it make any difference to my girlfriends health if I told her about the girl in July 2008? If she knew about that and my symptoms, would she get checked for anything else?
3 Should I check what antibiotics she took to check it covered for Mycoplasma Genitalium?
4 Should I advise my girlfriend to have a rectal exam incase she's been infected with anything at all, in her anus?
Just want to make sure I do everything right so my girlfriend's 100% safe. Thanks so much for your time. It's hugely appreciated.
1 I have always had a bad habit of biting the skin around my fingers until the point where they bleed very badly. I always have fresh, bleeding cuts on my fingers. (terrible habit which I want to stop) The thing is, I am worrried i've picked up an STD through the bleeding cuts in my fingers from fingering girls (vaginal and anally) and then passed on that STD to my girlfriend by fingering her vagina, anus and mouth also. Not sure if she was checked out when she went to get treated but I'm actually worried I've passed on something to her shortly before she went to get treatment, meaning that any test she might have got would have showed up negative as not enough time was left between exposure and testing. Should I tell my girlfriend about my exposure with the other girl in July incase I caught something in my bleeding, cut fingers through fingering the girl in the vagina and anus and then passed it on to my girlfriend by fingering her in the vagina and anus? (and sometimes my finger in my girlfriends mouth) Would telling her make any difference? Would she go and get checked out again? I've heard Gonorrhea aswell as other STDs can be passed on through bleeding cuts on fingers. I remember some of my fingers being infected at various times (sore, red and ***** etc.) - could this be an STD at all? Such as Gonorrhea or anything else? Is my girlfriend at risk of any of this? Should my girlfriend be informed of anything?
2 is it ok to drink alcohol after treatment with Azithromycin?
3 I vigorously masturbated about 30 mins after I took the treatment for Azithromycin. Will this affect it at all?
Thanks so much for your time and patience - I appreciate it so much. Thanks.
That's all for this thread.