Q Doctor, I am a divorcée and I have to admit to you that currently I have two boyfriends in different parts of the island. However, my sex life has been all mashed up recently because I have been real sore in the vulva department. Also, I have had a bad yellowish discharge, and I don't feel that a guy should have to put up with that.
I spoke to a great friend of mine who is a nurse, and she told me where it might be something called 'trich'. But I do not know this word 'trich', and I don't understand whether it is a sex infection. Could I pass it on to other people? Could it cause cancer? And could it affect my health in other ways?
A Sorry to hear about your recent problems. I have recently had several emails enquiring about the subject of 'trich', so today, I will try to explain the entire topic.
'Trich' is just an abbreviation. It is short for 'Trichomonas vaginalis'. This is the name of a tiny one-celled creature that loves to live in the vagina. For obvious reasons, some folk refer to it as 'TV'.
This is one of the most common parasites that affect the human body. It is nearly always caught from having sexual intercourse with an infected person. However, experts say that it can also be carried into the vagina on the fingers during 'love play'.
It can also be transmitted on sex toys - which is one reason why women should never 'share' vibrators. Finally, it has been reported that lesbians can pass it on to each other when they practise 'tribadism' - which is rubbing one vulva against another one.
Clearly, the latter suggestion does not apply to you! If you do have trichomonas, it seems very likely that you caught it from one of your two boyfriends. Incidentally, you may well have then infected the other guy.
What symptoms does trichomonas vaginalis produce in women? The classical features of this common infection are:
Soreness round the vaginal opening
Itching in the same area
A yellow (or yellowish-green) frothy discharge
Sometimes a slight smell
Sometimes pain in passing urine.
Some women have NO symptoms, and just carry the 'bug'.
What about men? Unfortunately, guys who have trichomonas may notice little or nothing in the way of symptoms. So they can carry the infection around for ages - sometimes infecting woman after woman. But where a guy does have symptoms, these can include:
A burning sensation while passing urine
A slight whitish discharge
Possibly some itching under the foreskin.
Now, in your case, it does seem to me that it is quite likely that your nursing friend is right, and that you do have 'trich'. However, there are other possibilities, so it is vital that you go and see a good doctor this week and have yourself examined.
An experienced doc can often recognise the appearance of trichomonas, but it is also essential to do tests. The most important of these is to take a little drop of vaginal fluid and look at it under the microscope. The parasite can then be seen, moving around in the liquid.
For completeness, I should just say that 'TV' is quite often detected by taking a vaginal swab, and sending it to the lab. Also, it is sometimes found on 'Pap smears' (cervical smears, or anti-cancer smears). But getting a result in this way takes quite a bit of time.
However, let us assume that the doc whom you see this week is able to make an immediate diagnosis of trichomonas vaginalis. What treatment will she/he give?
Well, TV has to be treated with a 'special' antibiotic. I cannot over-emphasise that ordinary antibiotics - like penicillin - will not do. Usually, docs prescribe an antibiotic called 'metronidazole'
Incidentally, you must NOT have alcohol while you are on metronidazole.
It would make you real sick.
The drug will usually get rid of the infection within a few days. But - and it is a real big 'BUT' - it is vital that you do not let yourself be re-infected by whichever boyfriend gave you the 'TV'.
In fact, I would recommend that you contact both guys and tell them that they need to get themselves treated. Let us hope that neither of them has given it to some other woman.
Trichomonas is a debilitating infection, and can affect the general health. However, it does not cause cancer. But it can lead to problems for pregnant women, and cause premature births. So it always needs prompt treatment!
QI am married to a guy who is much older than me. Would it be safe for him to take Viagra? He is 75.
AYes, though he should have a brief check-up from a doc first.
Q I wrote to you recently about the fact that I have been unable to conceive. You said that it might be my partner who is infertile.
But is that possible, since he already has a child from a previous relationship?
AYes, if he caught some sickness AFTER becoming a father - such as gonorrhoea. In general, when a couple have trouble conceiving, it is usually worth checking the man's sperm count. That is a simple and inexpensive test.
Q Doc, I have been a smoker for 27 years, but I would really like to give up now. Is it possible at my age (47)?
AYes, of course, it is. Many people who have smoked for over a quarter of a century have managed to give up.
I strongly recommend that you try 'Nicotine Replacement Therapy' (NRT), in which you take nicotine for a while by means of skin patches or chewing gum - thus reducing your desire for cigarettes.
Q I am going through the menopause, and my sex life is in chaos - because I keep getting 'hot flashes' and bad sweating attacks when I am in bed with my guy. So I do not have much desire at present.
Doctor, would 'Hormone Replacement Therapy' restore my enthusiasm for sex with men?
AWell, HRT does not usually have much effect on sexual desire. But what it does do real successfully is to cure unpleasant menopausal symptoms like hot flushes ( aka 'hot flashes,' if you are using American terminology) and sweating attacks. It is also real good for vaginal dryness.
So, I certainly recommend that you give it a try.
Q I am 46 and I have sex with my 60-year-old husband around once for the week. To my surprise, I have discovered that he sometimes masturbates as well.
Is there something medically wrong with him?
ANo. It is clear that he is quite a virile guy for his age, and he seems to need rather more sexual intercourse than he is getting.
So why not discuss with him the possibility of the two of you having sex a little more often?
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