Trichomonas Concern

[pancho1]

I am a heterosexual male that has a steady female partner (over 6 years).  A little over 3 months ago I had protected (condom, no known slippage) with another woman.  I feel awful about it and it won't happen again.  Approximately a week after the sexual encounter I started feeling a slight burn after urination/ejaculation and my urethra became slightly tender from mid way to the tip of my penis.  I was tested for gonorrhea/chlamydia via both a urine sample and a penile swab and it came up negative.  The strange thing is it comes and goes.  I'll have the strange sensations for 3 weeks and then it will go away for 1 week (seems to correspond with less sexual activity).  I've also noticed that my urine seems to have a stronger odor than before, but I'm not sure.  I have no discharge at all.



Not related to this issue, but possibly important, I have been tested clean for the full range of STDs (HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, herpes 1/2).



1) Does this sound like trichomonas?  My health care provider seemed to think that my penis would constantly hurt severely if I had trich.



2) If I have trichomonas, would it be likely that I passed it on to my parter with 2 unprotected vaginal sexual encounters?  She hasn't shown any symptoms.



3) My partner and I are going to start trying to have a baby soon.  Once she gets pregnant, is it standard procedure to test for trichomonas during her first exam?  Would the pregnancy be at risk if she has it?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

There is no particular reason to suspect trichomonas, which you could not have acquired anyway when wearing a condom.  There is no chance you have trich or any other urethral infection that you acquired during your extramarital exposure.  That includes chlamydia, which is much more common (and more serious) than trich.  Your provider is wrong about the symptoms, though.  Most trich in men causes no symptoms at all, including the ones you describe.



1) No, it doesn't sound like trich.  2,3) Since you cannot have it, the questions about transmission and pregnancy risk are irrelevant.



Just about any routine gynecologic exam would pick up trich, whether a woman is pregnant or not.  Trich generally doesn't cause any problems with pregnancy.



Your symptoms are classical for anxiety over your infidelity, nothing more.  If you haven't been checked for common STDs like chlamydia, do that.  But if the results are negative, just ignore the symptoms and they probably will fade with time.



Good luck--  HHH, MD

[HHH,MD]

I misread your opening paragraph.  Disregard my comments about chlamydia and questioning why trich is on your mind; sorry!  But it doesn't change my main opinion and advice:  you could not have acquired a urethral infection and there is no reason to assume trich.  Your symptoms do not suggest infection.



See my response to stressedout9999, immediately after yours.  The comments about unexplained genital symptoms probably apply to you as well as to him.



HHH, MD

[nervous1helpneeded]

Pancho...Your story is kinda close to mine and I was very concerned that I HAD to have picked up something. I will tell you that the Dr. is 100% correct about how anxiety can cause your strange feelings. I thought for sure I had Herpes and Trich because "all the web sites pointed to EXACTLY what I had!". Of course after I tested negative for all of this, my symptoms began to fade with time as I forgot about them, and started moving on with my life. The only reason I came back to this site is to share my story with others to  let you know there are some of us that were exactly where you are today, and eventually it all works out and you will be fine. Not that everyone who posts here will be "cleared", but the ones of us who have no clinical reasons to suspect STD's, have been cleared by Dr's, etc..we eventually move on and everything will be ok.....I know you feel horrible about what you did...move on though and just don't do it again....maybe this happened for a reason to remind you not to slip up like that again!

[solarablue]

WELL I AN BEING TREATED FOR TRIC AND I WAS LOOKING ON THE INTERNET TO SEE WHAT IS WAS MY CONCERN IS THAT IT SAID SOMETHING ABOUT HIV GOT ME REAL NERVOUS SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN IT ACCOSIATES TRIV WITH HIV PLEASE EXPLAIN

[spunkygirl54]

A related discussion, symptoms was started.