Aa
Red meatus - stress or STD?
32 year old white male. Jan 27th had protected (used condom at all times) oral & vaginal sex with a white girl in a massage parlour in the southwest of the UK. She was menstruating at the time. Some of her fluids were in my pubic hair but not on my penis & the condom was taken off carefully (don’t believe it failed).
27th of Feb noticed tip of my penis (meatus) slightly red. Due to anxiety got frequent urination. Do not have burning sensation when peeing but starting flow painful / difficult. Do not have tender glands or swollen or painful testicles. Also had no discharge from my penis. March 3rd had a urine test done at docs for chlamydia & that was negative (was sent off for culture). March 4th I went to the GUM clinic. They took two urine samples (start & mid flow) after not urinating for 3 hours & also a swab from my urethra. They did a microscope examination of urine & swab & that showed no white blood cells or anything else abnormal. They also did cultures on the swab + urine & they phoned me up & said I did not have chlamydia, gonorrhea or NGU. They said they did not test for Trichomoniasis as they couldn't do this on a man (apparently Tich rare in UK). They did do a visual exam at the time & said they saw no signs of any warts, lesions or anything else abnormal (except the red meatus). I also bought & took a 1000mg Azithromycin as a precaution (18th March).I also took fluconazol & cream for thrush for a week which made no difference at all. Started to get back ache & perineal pain. Currently 2 weeks into 4 week course of Ciprofloxin (500mg x2 daily) for Prostatitis. Perineal & back pain gone 1 week into treatment. ½ way through a 1 week course of Metronidazole 400mg x2 daily. Meatus still slightly red.
What is causing the red meatus?
Wifes (had unprotected sex with her throughout) last period was abnormally heavy (IUD fitted 5 yrs ago), she has been on a weeks antibiotics & complains of white but slightly yellow discharge now – have I given her something?
27th of Feb noticed tip of my penis (meatus) slightly red. Due to anxiety got frequent urination. Do not have burning sensation when peeing but starting flow painful / difficult. Do not have tender glands or swollen or painful testicles. Also had no discharge from my penis. March 3rd had a urine test done at docs for chlamydia & that was negative (was sent off for culture). March 4th I went to the GUM clinic. They took two urine samples (start & mid flow) after not urinating for 3 hours & also a swab from my urethra. They did a microscope examination of urine & swab & that showed no white blood cells or anything else abnormal. They also did cultures on the swab + urine & they phoned me up & said I did not have chlamydia, gonorrhea or NGU. They said they did not test for Trichomoniasis as they couldn't do this on a man (apparently Tich rare in UK). They did do a visual exam at the time & said they saw no signs of any warts, lesions or anything else abnormal (except the red meatus). I also bought & took a 1000mg Azithromycin as a precaution (18th March).I also took fluconazol & cream for thrush for a week which made no difference at all. Started to get back ache & perineal pain. Currently 2 weeks into 4 week course of Ciprofloxin (500mg x2 daily) for Prostatitis. Perineal & back pain gone 1 week into treatment. ½ way through a 1 week course of Metronidazole 400mg x2 daily. Meatus still slightly red.
What is causing the red meatus?
Wifes (had unprotected sex with her throughout) last period was abnormally heavy (IUD fitted 5 yrs ago), she has been on a weeks antibiotics & complains of white but slightly yellow discharge now – have I given her something?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I'm sorry, this forum has nothing more to offer you. These are questions for the GUM clinic and/or your wife's health care provider. As I said, you have no STD and that is the only topic of this forum.
Hi doc,
sorry to continue this thread but there have been some developments.
My wife took canestan pessary and pill for her suspected thrush on Sat. She still has discharge. We had protected sex on Sat AM and she said it was uncomfortable. Today she says she has lower abdomen pain, some blood coming out her vagina (not her period) and her pee is painful when contacting her sore vulva. When we had sex I noticed a thick scant (not runny / frothy / abundant) discharge from her but did not notice a foul smell. She is booked into docs next Tuesday but said she may go earlier as the abdominal pain is keeping her awake. Seeing as Trich is the only thing I was not tested for, could that cause all her symptoms? I'm going to check if the GUM clinic tested for mycoplasma genitalium too as I'm not sure, again could this be a cause?
I got the results of a free chlamidia test taken on Friday last week today which was negative. Yesterday I noticed I have what looks likea bad case of thrush on my penis. It's not itchy and I'm treating it with canestan cream. It is on my glands and foreskin. How can I tell the difference between thrush and Herpes which is something else I have not been tested for? Again could this cause my wifes symptoms?
I really appreciate your input, I'm beside myself with worry since these new developments.
Thanks
S
sorry to continue this thread but there have been some developments.
My wife took canestan pessary and pill for her suspected thrush on Sat. She still has discharge. We had protected sex on Sat AM and she said it was uncomfortable. Today she says she has lower abdomen pain, some blood coming out her vagina (not her period) and her pee is painful when contacting her sore vulva. When we had sex I noticed a thick scant (not runny / frothy / abundant) discharge from her but did not notice a foul smell. She is booked into docs next Tuesday but said she may go earlier as the abdominal pain is keeping her awake. Seeing as Trich is the only thing I was not tested for, could that cause all her symptoms? I'm going to check if the GUM clinic tested for mycoplasma genitalium too as I'm not sure, again could this be a cause?
I got the results of a free chlamidia test taken on Friday last week today which was negative. Yesterday I noticed I have what looks likea bad case of thrush on my penis. It's not itchy and I'm treating it with canestan cream. It is on my glands and foreskin. How can I tell the difference between thrush and Herpes which is something else I have not been tested for? Again could this cause my wifes symptoms?
I really appreciate your input, I'm beside myself with worry since these new developments.
Thanks
S
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Clearly you have no STD, and that is the only focus of this forum. We are not a site to resolve all unexplained genital symptoms. I'll simply say that when a person suspects his or her own symptoms have an emotional or psychological origin, usually s/he is correct; and that sounds much more likely than the other things you speculate about. Re-read the last paragraph of my reply above.
That will be all for this thread; I will have no further comment. Take care.
That will be all for this thread; I will have no further comment. Take care.
Hi, Many thanks for the welcome & your reply to my posting, much appreciated! To answer your question about medication, I self prescribed the Azithromycin. The Ciprofloxacin was prescribed by my doctor for suspected chronic bacterial prostatitis, he also prescribed me the Metronidazole after I told him I was paranoid that I had Trichmoniasis, though he thought it was unlikely - I think he did it to ease my state of mind. Since being unfaithful my mental state has been poor (v anxious worried I will lose my family if found out) & I did have a week of taking Diazepam to calm me down. After 11 weeks I had a blood test for HIV, Hep B & Syphalis all negative. I forgot to mention I do have strange itching feelings sometimes in my penis, more so when really stressed. I also forgot to mention my wife says her exterior genitals are sore – she thinks she has thrush due to taking lots of antibiotics (All prescribed by docs - Erythromycin 250mg 3days (changed due to no effect), then Amoxicillin 250mg 7 days along with Clarithomycin 250mg 7 days). Also I am 100% sure my wife is faithful to me. I had some further questions which were:
1. Could I have caught something by wiping the end of my penis with a tissue which has got girls fluids from the base of my penis on it?
2. Could an STD be living in my prostate & therefore not show up in the urine tests?
3. I had a urine test (sent to lab NOT dipstick) to check for prostatitis which showed nothing 2 weeks ago would this have shown any STD too?
4. If I had Trich, how long before the meds stop the symptoms & would the dose penetrate the prostate?
5. Could an STD cause my wifes sore throat, chest infection, sinusitis & middle ear infection?
6. Could engine oil / solvents cause the red meatus? (I am a mechanic & sometimes forget to remove my dirty gloves when going to toilet).
7. Would the meds my wife took kill any STDs given to her by me (if I have one)?
8. Should I get another urine test?
9. Could Stress & Anxiety cause all my symptoms?
Thanks Again.
1. Could I have caught something by wiping the end of my penis with a tissue which has got girls fluids from the base of my penis on it?
2. Could an STD be living in my prostate & therefore not show up in the urine tests?
3. I had a urine test (sent to lab NOT dipstick) to check for prostatitis which showed nothing 2 weeks ago would this have shown any STD too?
4. If I had Trich, how long before the meds stop the symptoms & would the dose penetrate the prostate?
5. Could an STD cause my wifes sore throat, chest infection, sinusitis & middle ear infection?
6. Could engine oil / solvents cause the red meatus? (I am a mechanic & sometimes forget to remove my dirty gloves when going to toilet).
7. Would the meds my wife took kill any STDs given to her by me (if I have one)?
8. Should I get another urine test?
9. Could Stress & Anxiety cause all my symptoms?
Thanks Again.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help. The bottom line is that it is very unlikely any STD explains your symtpoms.
First, you cannot catch a urethral STD from condom-protected sex. Conceivably some sort of chemical or physical irritation could have started things off, e.g. irritation from lubricant in the condom, especially if it contained a spermicide. Second, meatal redness alone -- without discharge from the penis -- is not a common STD symptom. Third, the evaluations and lab tests in a GUM clinic are highly reliable. And on top of all that, any possible infection to explain such symptoms would have been effectively treated by the various treatments you took (and which I would have strongly recommended against).
As for the back and perineal pain, they could indeed be due to a prostate gland problem. However, if that's the explanation, it still doesn't explain the meatal discomfort or redness. Further, if there is a prostate problem, infectious prostatitis is very unlikely. The chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is more likely -- it used to be considered a form of prostatitis, but the prostate may not be involved at all. In any case, the antibiotics you are taking are not likely to have any effect. (For more information about CPPS, google that term -- spell it out -- and start your reading with the excellent Wikipedia article and the information from the Stanford University dept of urology, both of which will be near the top of the google hit list.
I'm sure your wife's symptoms are unrelated to any of this.
In summary, clearly no STD and probably no infection of any kind. You should continue to follow-up with the GUM clinic (they are experts not only in STDs but, as the name implies, all genitourinary problems) -- or perhaps a urologist. In the meantime, if you made your various treatment decisions yourself, I suggest you stop all drugs until you have been professionally evaluated. And of course your wife's symptoms should be checked out professionally if they continue.
Finally, while this is being sorted out, you really shouldn't worry about it. The symptoms may be a little uncomfortable, but it is very unlikely you have any important health problem. No harm is likely to come to you, your wife, or any other sex partner.
Regards-- HHH, MD
First, you cannot catch a urethral STD from condom-protected sex. Conceivably some sort of chemical or physical irritation could have started things off, e.g. irritation from lubricant in the condom, especially if it contained a spermicide. Second, meatal redness alone -- without discharge from the penis -- is not a common STD symptom. Third, the evaluations and lab tests in a GUM clinic are highly reliable. And on top of all that, any possible infection to explain such symptoms would have been effectively treated by the various treatments you took (and which I would have strongly recommended against).
As for the back and perineal pain, they could indeed be due to a prostate gland problem. However, if that's the explanation, it still doesn't explain the meatal discomfort or redness. Further, if there is a prostate problem, infectious prostatitis is very unlikely. The chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is more likely -- it used to be considered a form of prostatitis, but the prostate may not be involved at all. In any case, the antibiotics you are taking are not likely to have any effect. (For more information about CPPS, google that term -- spell it out -- and start your reading with the excellent Wikipedia article and the information from the Stanford University dept of urology, both of which will be near the top of the google hit list.
I'm sure your wife's symptoms are unrelated to any of this.
In summary, clearly no STD and probably no infection of any kind. You should continue to follow-up with the GUM clinic (they are experts not only in STDs but, as the name implies, all genitourinary problems) -- or perhaps a urologist. In the meantime, if you made your various treatment decisions yourself, I suggest you stop all drugs until you have been professionally evaluated. And of course your wife's symptoms should be checked out professionally if they continue.
Finally, while this is being sorted out, you really shouldn't worry about it. The symptoms may be a little uncomfortable, but it is very unlikely you have any important health problem. No harm is likely to come to you, your wife, or any other sex partner.
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
