what could it be?

[brokedown]

I would like to know if its possible for this to happen if a infected person touches/strokes the penis of a uninfected person (12 days from contact to symptom);

Two days ago i woke up in the middle of the night with the feeling that my bladder was full and a little burning sensation, i cant remember the last time something like this happened to me before.I went to urinate but barely anything came out and with little pressure.
During the day i had a few glasses of water to drink with the hopes of clearing out my system.When i went to urinate,again only a little bit came out, five minutes later i had to go again and the same thing happened, this happened a total of 3 times in 15 minutes.Never do i remember anything like this happening to me before.What could be wrong?,Could this be the begining of hsv2??

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

You have a bacterial urinary tract infection, or UTI--i.e., a bladder infection. You don't say your age or sex, but your symptoms suggest you are a young woman, probably in your teens or 20s.

This has nothing to do with the sexual exposure you describe.  Almost every woman gets a UTI at one time or another.   Sometimes it is triggered by sex--not an STD, but during sex bacteria in the genital area can be massaged into the urinary opening.  But sex often has nothing to do with it.

You need to see or call a health care provider today; without prompt treatment with antibiotics, once in a while the infection goes up the urinary system to infect the kidneys.  That's called pyelonephritis and is much more serious.  At the bladder infection stage, though, treatment is easy--usually 3 days of antibiotic.  Until then, drink LOTS of fluids; you'll have less pain if you are passing lots of dilute urine.

Gonorrhea or chlamydia sometimes can cause identical symptoms.  So if you have had intercourse within the last few months, make sure your health care provider tests your urine for these STDs.  I don't think that's what you have; just being safe.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[brokedown]

Im male, in my  20's, Does that change anything?.I dont really have much pain,just a weak flow of passage and im going to the bathroom more frequently.Can a herpes infection ever cause difficulty urinating as some web sites say?
What are the chances im infected with hsv2 from what i've mentioned? what should i do?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Oops--sorry to make assumptions (but such problems are less common in men than women).  Your symptoms sound like a urine flow obstruction is likely.  At your age, likely possibilties still include bacterial infection (despite your sex), in particular an infection involving the prostate gland; or urethral stricture, i.e. narrowing of the urine passage from scarring.  Urethral strictures can be due to past infection (for example, past gonorrhea that was neglected for a couple of weeks before it was treated).

Herpes is unlikely.  Herpes lesions sometimes occur in the urine passage, but the main symptom is pain, which usually is very severe.  Also, intraurethral herpes usually is accompanied by visible, external lesions.

You need to see a health care provider promptly for a urinalysis and physical examination.  If it's a bacterial infection, the same complications that can occur in women (mainly kidney infection) are even more common in men; and the back pressure from impaired urine flow can damage the kidneys even without infection.

Good luck--  HHH, MD