Trichomoniasis: What It Is and How It's Tested
Trichomoniasis ("trich") is caused by a parasite rather than a bacteria or virus, and it's one of the most common curable STDs in the US — while also being one of the more commonly left off a "standard" testing panel by default.
Symptoms
A large share of infections cause no symptoms at all, particularly in men. When symptoms do occur, they can include itching, burning, unusual discharge (sometimes described as frothy or unusually colored), and discomfort during urination or sex — a symptom profile that overlaps significantly with chlamydia, gonorrhea, and yeast infections, which is part of why it's easy to misattribute without specific testing.
Testing and treatment
Trichomoniasis isn't always included in a "basic" STD panel by default, so it's worth specifically confirming it's included, or requesting it separately, especially if you're dealing with symptoms that haven't responded to treatment for something else. It's treated with a single course of a specific antibiotic (usually metronidazole or tinidazole) and is genuinely curable — worth knowing given how often it gets grouped in people's minds with the viral STDs that aren't.
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