ask: How common is it?for the std "Trich" to be dormant in your body?

Hi Sandy,
I am sorry you have been dealing with these issues. Trichomoniasis or commonly known as Trich, is indeed a sexually transmitted disease. You can read the full description on our site here http://www.empowher.com/condition/trichomoniasis.
Trich is usually noticed within 5 to 28 days after you have been infected. I have never heard that Trich can lay dormant although HPV can lay dormant for years or you may have it and never have any symptoms. Luckily, women can now be tested for HPV although men cannot!
Getting back to the Trich situation, I would really consider that there may have been contact recently that gave you the STD. You both certainly need to be treated before engaging in other sexual activity with each other or other people. If there was outside contact, that person needs to be treated as well. Unfortunately, this is never going to be an easy topic as there may have been outside contact but making sure there will be no more spreading is important. I am sure your gynecologist provided you medication to treat your infection but make sure he does also.
Can you keep us updated?

I'm sorry its taken me so long to respond back. It has been a crazy last few weeks. So i started the medication for trichomoniasis and it makes me feel dizzy at times.Not the best feeling in the world.
Ive gotten to talk to my nurses a bit more. They did state that Trich is transmitted through any type of sexual contact. Also that trich does cause symptoms kind of like a yeast infection.. as in when you get it, your body reacts to it and you will see symptoms. I guess this helps with my questions of it being dormant in your body. Yesterday i got another call from my gynocologists nurse and she said that my pap also came back abnormal and i do have HPV. :( So now another thing to worry about. She explained that just how the flu has different strengths ( hence H1N1) so does HPV. "Luckily" mine is a milder form. I already have my gardasil shot appt for this wednesday set up, and she said that getting the shots would improve the chances of getting rid of the HPV. I still have an appt on the 20th for a possible biopsy though. Which i plan on bringing my boyfriend along.
So of course this brings even more questions of how i got this. I told my boyfriend the news and he plans to discuss this with his dr tomorrow. He does have a suspicious lump towards the tip of his shaft which he told his dr about and had informed me that he had it even before he became sexually active. He remembers picking at it and noticed that it did get bigger over time but it doesn't look anything like the pictures we have seen for typical genital warts or hpv online. We have the same primary care dr and he said that when he showed it to the Dr, that he didnt seem too alarmed about it and made him an appointment with the dermatologist to have them prescribe him a medication to have the wart removed. So we both have questions about this.. is a wart in the genital area mean that its a definite sign of HPV ? We talked about the trich as well and i know that i have not slept with anyone since we have been together and he states the same.
I feel like ive rambled a lot and im in much need of a nap. :(
I will def keep updating!

sandy.s728 - Thanks for coming back, and we understood your ramblings just fine.

Genital warts in men are caused by the HPV virus. HPV types 6 and 11 cause the majority of genital warts.

At this point, it's really not clear what your boyfriend has. It may be a genital wart, it may not be. It definitely needs to be checked and he may also want to have it biopsied.

Men can develop skin tags in the genital area, which are benign and are not related to an STD, and are typically removed by a dermatologist. The dermatologist most likely will also examine him to see if he may have skin cancer as well. Here's a link for self-examination information: http://www.skincancer.org/Self-Examination/

I know the two of you are dealing with a lot right now and I hope you will do your best to not panic and stay focused on getting the care that you need and deserve. Ask the questions you need to ask, and if you are not satisfied with the way you are treated by any doctor then get another opinion from another doctor until you are satisfied. We, of course, are here for you too. Good luck! Pat

What should I do if the Trich meds (4 pills) did NOT work?

Thank you all for your all your help this site has really helped me out. Its funny that you ask that question on the medication... My boyfriend did go to his appt on friday, and they only prescribed him 4 pills. I was instructed to take 4 pills in one day and then a weeks worth of pills for the rest of the week. Im not experiencing the odor anymore but today it started burning when i went to the rest room. I have an appt for my Gardasil shot on wednesday so i plan to follow up with the trich to make sure it has cleared up.
Back to my bf dr appt: After he explained the situation to the Dr. they asked him if he was having any symptoms. He hasnt so he was just honest with the dr. The dr stated that they were not going to give him the usual urine test because he had no symptoms ( this makes no sense to me because regardless of symptoms or not we have still been sleeping together for months and he has now been exposed to it one way or another.) He was given the medication though so i guess thats all that matters. Does it matter that he only got 4 pills and i have a whole weeks worth? He asked about his wart and he was told that he has to see his dermatologist.
I read on this web site that any type of penile wart is caused by a type of virus such as hpv.. am i understanding right? so even if he did have this one wart before being sexually active does it mean that he got the infection some other way? He also started having fungus problems on a fingernail ( which is spreading and he got medecine for that as well) and i believe one of his toe nails. is this common with people with HPV or is it a sign that his wart may be another sign of this fungus problem. he started noticing the nail growth about 3 or 4 years ago.

Hi sandy.s728 - Getting to the bottom of medical and health issues isn't always the instant answer process shown in movies and TV shows. You and your boyfriend will have to continue to press your doctors for answers. We're not able to diagnose either of you, and you should be suspicious of any website that would claim to be able to do that.

In response to your earlier question I've already advised that there are additional skin conditions besides genital warts caused by STDs that can affect men, and your boyfriend's skin condition needs to be examined by a dermatologist, who can also diagnose and determine treatment for the fingernail fungus. It is not common for people with fungal nail conditions to also have HPV.

As far as the medications, it isn't the number of pills that matters, it is the type of medication and strength. If you want to follow up on the drugs then drugs.com has very helpful information to help you better understand what was prescribed, typical dosages and how they are supposed to work.

At some point you and your boyfriend may want to evaluate the type of care and advice you've been getting from your shared primary care physician and determine whether or not you want to continue under his care. This is a personal decision, but it's one that many people make every year in order to best advocate for their own health. Good luck to both of you. Pat

I don't know how to tell my friend about my Trich diagnosis. He is married and so am I. Actually, we're both going through a divorce. I am sooooo ashamed and afraid to tell him. We had consenting, unprotected sex. After months of abstinence - I went too far. I know for certain that "something" has been wrong for months. Long before our intimate encounter. How do I tell my friend to seek medical attention? I told him my pap was abnormal: I just couldn't say STD.

Thank you soooo much! It's a selfish act to ignore the importance of HIS health.