Common Female Diseases - Trichomonas Vaginitis
Posted: Sunday, November 29, 2009
by Ellen Dilga
Natural Health Remedies
Trichomonas vaginitis is a one-celled parasite that lives in the vagina, the cervix, or in the lower genital tract of males. Under the microscope, this protozoan is looking like a teardrop-shaped cell with a tail. Patients with trichomonas usually have accompanying discharge or irritation.
Occasionally the cervix may become inflamed, leading to bleeding after sexual intercourse or at the time a Pap smear is taken. In rare cases, a woman will notice discomfort with urination. In most cases bacterial vaginosis coexists with this infection, since the Trichomonas organism creates an alkaline pH in the vagina that encourages the growth of the "bad" bacteria.
Symptoms of Trichomonas
Almost half of all women with trich present no symptoms and may go undiagnosed for years, even if they have had regular annual examinations. Condoms can help protect against transmission of this trichomonas.
Causes of Trichomonas
Trichomonas vaginitis, also called "trich" (pronounced "trick"), is a sexually transmitted disease. If you believe your relationship is monogamous and have come down with Trichomonas, you may be wondering what the implications are. While it's true that trich can live in the male genital tract, it is only able to survive for a few days or weeks at most.
But in the vagina it can be present for years, and has even been found in elderly women who have not had sex for decades. So many women may have in fact contracted the infection from a previous partner and not know it. Nevertheless, it's important that you have an open, honest discussion with your current partner as it still remains possible that he passed on the infection to you if he was sexually involved with someone else.
Treatment of Trichomonas
Trichomonas vaginitis is commonly treated with an anti-protozoan antibiotic. The most effective treatment is metronidazole or Flagyl, which can be taken orally. Most often a one-time dose is all that is needed.
Male sexual partners of women with trich should be treated simultaneously so that the couple doesn't pass the infection back and forth. Rarely, trich is resistant to the usual doses of metronidazole and higher doses are needed.
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