Trichomoniasis

Sexually active women ages 16 to 35 are most affected by trichomoniasis (trich). It is thought that 1 in 5 women in this age group will become infected at some time.⁴

Behaviors that will increase your risk of getting trich include:

• Not using condoms when having sex with a new partner or a partner who may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease (STD). It is possible for a partner to transmit the trich parasite without having any symptoms of the infection.
• Having many sex partners, which increases your risk of being exposed to someone who has trich. Teenagers and young adults are at higher risk for getting trich and other STDs because their sex partners often have had other recent partners who may carry an STD.

You can get other STDs, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, and syphilis, at the same time you get a trich infection. If one STD is diagnosed, testing for other STDs should be done so that all infections can be treated at the same time.

Some diseases that can be spread through sexual contact, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, are life-threatening. Studies show that trich infection may increase the risk of transmitting HIV infection.⁵ Health professionals around the world are concerned about the increased risk of trichomoniasis and HIV.

Women with trich may also be at risk for other vaginal infections. About 20% of women with trich also have a yeast infection and many also have bacterial vaginosis.⁶