[Question #12529] Possible Trich?
7 months ago
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Hi I’ll get straight to it. We have a non monogamous marriage and open transparent communication. I had a new partner on 12/18 and then again on 12/21 (the same partner). She is the only new partner either of us have had since our last full std check which was all normal. She said she is tested regularly. The encounters were unprotected. I tested on 12/23 for gonorrhea and chlamydia and both came back normal. I’ve not had any discharge or burning when I urinate but in the last week have noticed a burning sensation after I ejaculate. Of not I’ve also been doing pelvic floor strengthening exercises. I’ve never tested for Trich or MG, but could either of these be a likely culprit and do you recommend specific tests for these? Is burning from ejaculating without other symptoms common of Trich in men? Thank you in advance
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
7 months ago
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Welcome to the Forum. Thanks for your questions. I'll be glad to comment. Pain following ejaculation is not a typical presentation for any STI. They certainly are not signs of trichomoniasis and the only STI syndrome definitively associated with M. genitalium is urethritis, which does not cause discomfort following ejaculations. I suspect the discomfort you describe is related to some other cause, perhaps your pelvic floor exercises.
The most definitive way to rule out the possibility of this being an STI (which I strongly doubt) would be to have your casual partner get examined by a knowledgeable clinician. EWH
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6 months ago
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Just a quick update and quick follow up question. I continued to see the same partner but developed symptoms of discharge and re-tested and was positive for chlamydia. I was Rx’d 1G of azithromycin and my wife was treated as well. I have notified my casual partner and she too is being treated. Questions:
1) i read doxy is preferred . That being the case should I also request a script for doxy in addition to the azithromycin we took? Or do you feel the treatment was adequate
2) how long should we wait to have sex after taking the azithromycin?
3) I’ve read conflicting reports on when to retest because the dead cells can cause false positive. When should we retest?
4) everything else was negative but should we also retest for hiv, syphilis, etc?
Thanks for your help!
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
6 months ago
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Straight to your follow up questions:
1. The doxycycline regimen has become the preferred regimen because it has a slight advantage over azithromycin, particularly for rectal infections. At the same time, azithromycin is very effective, and I would have confidence that it worked.
2. The antibiotic should be affected very quickly. Certainly it would be safe to have sex anytime more than five days after you have both taken your azithromycin. I realize that some official recommendations may suggest up to 14 days, but that is excessive in your situation and has to do with partners who may not take the medication as directed.
3. If you choose to retest, that should be done no sooner than three weeks after taking the azithromycin.
4. Testing is always a personal decision, but if I were in your shoes, I would not bother to test for HIV or syphilis.
EWH
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6 months ago
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Thank you for the prompt reply. I greatly appreciate you taking time to contribute here . It’s very helpful
6 months ago
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Well I was hoping not to be back here but here I am lol. My wife and casual partner and I were all treated on 2/5 with 1G of azithromycin. Everything seemed fine. I had sex with my wife on 2/12 and casual partner 2/13 . Neither of them have had an outside partner . I woke up today 2/20 with symptoms similar to my initial symptoms. I’m assuming treatment failed with one of them or we had sex too soon and I was reinfected.
1) how common is this?
2) should we all switch to doxycycline and wait until we’re retested to have any sexual activity ?
3) should I get tested now to make sure it’s actually the chlamydia reinfection before switching antibiotics?
I hate to be asking another follow up question but I’m a bit perplexed.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
6 months ago
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As you know, this would normally be the final response as part of this thread. As I mentioned in my initial reply, pain following ejaculation, which is the symptoms you described is not a typical symptom of any STI - are there other symptoms this time?. In response to your questions:
1. This is uncommon. Azithromycin fails about 3-4% of the time. I would advise you all to re-test before getting re-treated with doxycycline
2. Your original testing showed chlamydia. Thus you may have had a treatment failure or been re-exp0sed- after all, where did the original chlamydial infection come from if you were in a closed relationship, even with two partners. I presume your other partners are asymptomatic.
3. Yes, I would re-test
I'll leave the thread open for a few days for one additional follow-up. EWH
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6 months ago
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Sorry to be confusing. I contracted chlamydia from the casual partner. She did not know she had it. Neither she nor my wife had any symptoms. I had discharge and burning urine. All 3 of us were treated at the same time with the same treatment (azithromycin) . I had sex with my wife a week later and the casual partner 8 days later (so we all were a week out from treatment ). This morning , one week after resuming sex, I had discharge again. I’m assuming I was reinfected , meaning the treatment failed in one of them bc I know I responded . Neither of them have shown any symptoms the whole time. I guess my only question:
1) since I responded to treatment I’m assuming I could only have been reinfected, meaning that one of them didn’t respond to azithromycin. Do you agree?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
6 months ago
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I agree that, given the situation, reinfection is the most likely cause of your recurrent symptoms. All 3 of you should be retreated.
This thread is now complete. EWH
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