[Question #6472] Potential STI from long time ago?

67 months ago

Hi. My girlfriend is having some issues with heavy periods sometimes she said they smell bad when heavy. No discharge or any vaginal discomfort. Also has pain on right side of belly down to groin. This has been happening for 6 months I’m wondering if I could have given her STD? My last unprotected was 8 years ago with woman. I have no symptoms since- nor she til now. Perhaps a little discomfort in urethra myself sometimes after ejaculating. In the 8 years since I have been with my girlfriend using no protection. Last 12 months been using conforms for birth control. Could I/ we have had something so long it’s now only beginning to show? Do I need to get tested? Thanks

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

67 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services.

Your partner's symptoms are not typical for STDs, which are not a common cause of heavy menstruation. Conceivably an STD could be responsible for that as well as one-sided lower abdominal pain -- both of these can occur with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), the most common serious complication of gonorrhea and chlamydia. However, males rarely if ever carry either of these without symptoms for years on end -- no infections are known to last longer than a few weeks (gonorrhea) or months (chlamydia). Also, PID would not cause more or less unchanged symptoms for 6 months.

Your partner's symptoms warrant a visit to her physician (preferably gynecologist). Depending on details of her history and exmaination, perhaps STD testing would be warranted. But if anything shows up, either in her or you, it won't be from your potential exposure(s) 8 years previously. It is unlikely that an infection of any kind is responsible for her symptoms.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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67 months ago

Thanks. I should note that we were together at the time of the incident. So is it possible that something could have lay dormant in both of us for so long without symptoms? I’m worried if it is PID it’s because of infection that’s taken 7 years to manifest? Like I said I have discomfort in urethra also. Unless I’m noticing it more because it’s on my mind. Thanks

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

67 months ago

The only two STDs known to cause PID are gonorrhea and chlamydia, and the llongest any person has ever been documented to continue to carry either of them is 4 years for chlamydia (and most infections are cleared within a year) and a few months for gonorrhea (usually even shorter). And neither of these is known to be carried anywhere near this long in males. There is no chance your partner has PID from something either of you caught 8 years ago.

As I said, she should see her doctor. These are potentially serious symptoms that should be checked out soon.

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