| It's not true, but it can certainly seem that way. You may have heard people talking about trichomoniasis. Men rarely have symptoms, and they usually don't know they are infected. But they can be infected during vaginal intercourse. And they can pass their infections to other partners. They can also re-infect women partners who have been treated.
Trichomoniasis is a common cause of vaginitis. Symptoms, if they occur, include
- frothy, often unpleasant-smelling discharge
- itching in and around the vagina
- blood spotting in the discharge
- swelling in the groin
- urinating more often than usual — often with pain and burning
Sometimes women have no symptoms, either. Symptoms, when they happen, often take three to 28 days to develop after exposure. But it can take years before they do develop.
Trichomoniasis is caused by a microscopic one-cell animal — a protozoan that is called a trichomonas. It causes vaginitis for more than seven million women in the United States every year.
Also known as "trich," trichomoniasis is spread through sharing sex toys, mutual masturbation, and vaginal intercourse — if fluids from one partner are passed to the genitals of another. If a woman is diagnosed with trich, her partner(s) should be treated, as well, so that she does not become re-infected. Treatment is successful with oral medication. Using condoms can help reduce the risk of infection and re-infection.
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