All about trichomoniasis, a microbial and sexually transmitted disease

Trichomoniasis

What is trichomoniasis?

One of the most common sexually transmitted and non-viral diseases in the world is trichomoniasis, which most people know as trich. This name is taken from the parasite trichomoniasis vaginalis, which is the main cause of the disease.

Most patients who get trichomoniasis are unaware of its existence because the infection is often asymptomatic. On the other hand, the disease is completely contagious and patients transmit it to their sexual partners without knowing that they are infected.

About the sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis

What is the cause of trichomoniasis?

Trichomoniasis is caused by a single-celled parasite called a protozoa, which is a protozoa and can affect the lower part of the genital tract. This infectious agent can also infect the urethra in men.

Sexual intercourse is one of the factors that transmit trichomoniasis, which transmits the disease from woman to woman or woman to people and vice versa. Types of sexual relations such as oral sex, vaginal sex and sex from behind are among the ways of transmission of trochomoniasis.

The incubation period of this disease is not clear, but it often takes 5 to 28 days for symptoms to appear, even if a person does not have any symptoms of infection but is actually sick, it can affect other people.

Ways of transmission of trichomoniasis

Who are at risk for trichomoniasis?

Trichomoniasis can be seen in men and women, but in general, women, especially older women, are more likely to get this disease than men, while skin color does not affect the rate of infection. Black women are more at risk of the disease. In addition, it should be noted that trichomoniasis increases in the following situations:

– Unsupervised sex (without protection and condom)

– Having multiple sexual partners

Symptoms of trichomoniasis:

This disease can affect humans or animals, on the other hand, the disease will be seen in humans of different ages and genders. For timely diagnosis, you must be careful and identify the symptoms caused by trichomoniasis. In the following, we discuss the symptoms of this infection in different cases:

Trichomoniasis in women:

As mentioned before, trichomoniasis occurs in both men and women, which will have symptoms in each, according to what the CDC states, the disease can cause the following symptoms in women:

– Vaginal redness and itching

– Vaginal burning sensation

– Vaginal pain

– Discharges that can be seen when urinating.

– Pain during urination or pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)

– Green, yellow or white and cream discharge from the vagina (abnormal vaginal discharge)

– Vaginal odor or a smell similar to dead fish

Both men and women will experience unpleasant sex when they have a trichomoniasis infection, so that it does not bring any pleasure.

– You should note that most people who get trichomoniasis will not have symptoms and remain asymptomatic for a long time. These people will transmit the cycle and cause infection to others. 30% of people with this infection show symptoms of the disease.

Trichomoniasis in men:

As we mentioned before, 70% of people with trachomoniasis have no symptoms, and the rest will experience a simple illness to severe inflammatory symptoms.

Some men and women who get tricho infection will show symptoms 5 to 28 days after infection. But in the meantime, men who show symptoms can be like women. Some of the symptoms that men may show include:

– Itching and discomfort inside the male penis

– Burning and pain after ejaculation or after urination

– secretions from the tip of the penis; This sign will show itself under men's clothing as dried paint.

Symptoms of trichomoniasis

Complications of trichomoniasis:

Trichomoniasis can cause severe complications, some of which are mentioned below:

Problems during pregnancy:

According to what experts say, trichomoniasis will be related to complications during pregnancy, which include the following:

– Preterm delivery

– Premature rupture of the membrane

– Low weight of the baby

– sterility

It is possible to transmit the infection to the fetus during pregnancy, although this issue will be very rare. In this case, the treatment is done using metronidazole, which will not cause any problems.

Other problems:

Trichomoniasis can increase the risk of other genital tract infections. Studies show that there is a connection between trike and the human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer. However, more research is needed to prove this.

AIDS risk:

Trichomoniasis infections can increase the risk of AIDS or other sexually transmitted infections, especially for women. Based on what the researchers stated, the increased risk of these infections is probably due to the following:

– inflammation

– Weakening of the body's immune response

– Changes in the balance of vaginal bacteria in women

– These factors reduce a person's natural protection against the virus.

Symptoms caused by vaginal trichomoniasis

Diagnosis of trichomoniasis:

To diagnose this disease, you should see a specialist doctor. Note that one of the easiest ways to diagnose this disease is to observe the symptoms. The following are other diagnostic methods that have been used:

Examination:

One of the main tools for diagnosing trichomoniasis is the patient examination, when the doctor does this, he diagnoses the symptoms and tells the result. Of course, examination methods are different for women and men, for example, women are examined through the pelvis.

Diagnostic tests:

Various tests are performed to diagnose trichomoniasis in the laboratory. For example, experts working in the laboratory put a sample of genital secretions under a microscope to reliably check for signs of infection. If there is no sign of the disease, more tests are performed on the sampling swabs.

Ways to diagnose trichomoniasis

What is the treatment of trichomoniasis?

To treat this infection, you should see a doctor, the treatment methods that are used depend on the severity of the symptoms, some of which will be mentioned below:

Trichomoniasis treatment with metronidazole:

Antibiotics can be used to treat trichomoniasis. Metronidazole can be mentioned among these drugs, this drug can also be prescribed during pregnancy. The following are the ways in which the doctor prescribes metronidazole for the treatment of trichomoniasis:

Single dose: One of the methods of treating this disease will be single-dose high-dose drugs. For this, metronidazole is used in a high dose, which is often not recommended.

Multiple doses: In this method, lower doses will be used for a longer period of time. For multi-dose metronidazole treatment, it will be used twice for 7 days.

If you feel better after metronidazole treatment, you should continue the treatment to the end. It is possible that the symptoms are completely resolved, but there is no complete recovery. To treat trichomoniasis, treatment with several doses of metronidazole for 7 days is usually used.

Treatment of trichomoniasis in men:

For the treatment of this disease in both men and women, the drug is used together with metronidazole, although other drugs such as tinidazole or scendazole may also be used.

Treatment of vaginal trichomoniasis infection:

This condition can also be treated by using metronidazole, it is possible that during the treatment, the individual's symptoms will be completely resolved, but there will be no complete recovery, that's why you should take the medicine until the last day, and during this time, you should not have sex. Avoid sex until the treatment process is complete.

Herbal treatment of trichomoniasis:

It is not possible to treat trichomoniasis with herbal medicines, but each patient must receive the specified dose of medicine in full. To get rid of the disease, you should see a doctor and do not take any action for self-treatment with chemical and herbal medicine.

On the other hand, you should know that herbal treatments may have side effects, so consult your doctor before taking any action.

Herbal treatment of trichomoniasis

Trichomonas infection treatment team consists of what groups?

In general, for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, help is sought from gynecologists, urologists and infectious diseases doctors. When the doctor is sure that a person has trichomoniasis, he takes a swab sample from the discharge of the vagina or penis, this sample is sent to the laboratory to check the patient's condition. If the parasite is seen under the microscope, a definitive diagnosis of the disease will be given and there is no need for further investigation. In some cases, rapid tests or immediate tests are used to check the antigen of the disease. In the following, it should be noted that a large number of infected people do not show any symptoms, that's why routine checkups are very important to prevent complications.

Prevention of trichomoniasis:

Both parties should be treated to prevent infection or recurrence, but there are methods that can prevent infection or recurrence, which include the following:

– Commitment to a sexual partner

– Avoiding sexual contact for 7 to 10 days after trichomoniasis treatment

– Not using the shower because of the negative effect on the beneficial bacteria in the vagina

– Limiting or avoiding drugs and alcohol because of the increased risk of unsafe sex

– Sex with protective devices, for example condoms. This issue can largely prevent the transfer of trike to others, although it is not possible to be 100% sure because the parasite can be transferred from the area without condom coverage.

– Anyone who has symptoms or thinks they had a relationship with a person with trich should see a doctor.

compilation: Covered sexual health department