"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" might be the most common tongue-twister, but there's another tongue-twister you should know about if you're invested in your sexual health: Trichomoniasis.
A trichomoniasis infection can also cause complications during pregnancy. “One study found that trichomoniasis was linked to a 30 percent increase in low-birth-weight infants and a 30 percent increase in preterm birth,” says Dr. Gersh. “It’s unknown why this is the case, but it supports the idea that you should know your trichomoniasis status.”
ICYWW: Trichomoniasis can’t travel up your reproductive tract, causing permanent scarring and pelvic inflammatory disease the way chlamydia and gonorrhea can. “But while trichomoniasis doesn’t pose as much risk as other STIs, you should still know your trichomoniasis status so you can get treatment if you’re positive,” says Rymland.
How to Protect Yourself from Trichomoniasis
If you're sexually active, the only way to protect yourself from trichomoniasis is to know your own trichomoniasis status (by getting tested!) and know the STI status of your partner(s).
If you have a partner who has trichomoniasis and/or you don’t know their STI status, it’s important to understand that there is no way to guarantee that the parasite won’t be transmitted, says Dr. Gersh. Wearing an external or internal condom during penetrative intercourse and a dental dam during scissoring (and other vagina-on-vagina sex acts), however, is your best protection method, she explains.
Just keep in mind that the infection can be transmitted from contact with the genital regions that are not covered by the barriers, she says. Meaning, using condoms can reduce — but not totally eliminate — your risk of getting trichomoniasis. So, if you find out a sexual partner has the infection, get tested. Given how easy testing is, there's really no excuse not to.
