Q2A
Got an enquiry ........
My boyfriend says he's got an infection but he says it's not an sti but he had to go to the
gum clinic to get it checked out. He told me they said it was urethritis but we can't have
sex because he said I would catch it. He's had anti biotics which he took there. We had
sex with a condom the night after and now he's sore again. Could he have the infection
again even though we used protection?
This is our reply.......
Hi, thanks for contacting q2a.
We are sorry to hear your boyfriend has been suffering from Urethritis, particularly as this
can cause considerable pain and discomfort. Often known as Non - Specific Urethritis
(NSU) this is one of those infections that can develop without sexual activity or can be
transferred through sexual activity. So in some cases it is as STI and in others it isn't. As
an infection it is most commonly contracted during unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex.
Some of the following information is taken from
www.bbc.co.uk/health/sexual_health/stis_urethritis.shtml which hopefully will help explain
the major aspects of this infection.
Urethritis or to give its full title Non-specific Urethritis (NSU) is usually the result of vaginal,
oral or anal sex with a partner who has a sexually transmitted infection. It's called 'non
specific' because with further testing a variety of infections may be identified as being
responsible for the symptoms.
Other infections, such as chlamydia, herpes and trichomonas vaginalis, can cause
urethritis. These can develop from sexual infection from others but also other organisms
such as mycoplasma gentialium and ureaplasma urealyticum and other bacterial
infections can cause urethritis.
During unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex, organisms which cause inflammation can
pass into the urethra and a diagnosis of NSU will be given, this is why your boyfriend is
right in saying that there is a high risk of you contracting it. It might be as well to get a
test done yourself even if you don't feel you have any symptoms in case you could still
cross infect each other after he has finished his antibiotic course.
As you are already know NSU is treated with antibiotics given either as a single dose or a
longer course of tablets. One of the most important things you and your boyfriend need to
bear in mind is that NSU can recur. Therefore to avoid re infection, any sexual partners
should be treated too, therefore it would be advisable that you get checked over as well.
If left untreated, some causes of NSU can have long-term consequences, these can
include;
·Painful infection in the testicles
·Possible reduced fertility
·Inflammation of the joints. Sometimes reactive arthritis is accompanied by inflammation of
the eyes as well as the urethra. This is known as Reiter's Syndrome
·Pelvic inflammatory disease in a female sexual partner
For further advice and treatment, we recommend you can go to your GP, the local GUM
clinic or a sexual health clinic. The nearest GUM clinic is;
·GUM Clinic St Peters Health Centre, 4th floor, Church Street, Burnley, BB11 2DL. Tel:
01282 644300. Open Monday: 1.30pm - 3.30pm (By Appointments), Tuesday: 1.30pm -
3.30pm (By Appointments) Wednesday: 1pm - 3.30pm (By Appointments) Thursday: 1pm
- 3.30pm and 4.30pm - 6.30pm. Walk in clinic Monday: 8.30am - 10.30am and Friday:
8.30am - 10.30am. Young persons clinic Tuesday: 3.30pm - 4.30pm and Thursday:
3.30pm - 4.30pm
There is a young peoples STEP IN clinic at the InfoCentre for Young People on Scotland Road in Nelson on Wednesday afternoons from 2.30 - 5pm and there is also:
·Brook, 64 Bank Parade, Burnley, BB11 1TS. Tel 01282 416596. Open Monday: 12:30pm
- 9:00pm, Tuesday: 3:30pm - 9:00pm, Wednesday: 3:30pm - 9:00pm, Thursday: 3:30pm -
9:00pm, Friday: 6:30pm - 9:00pm and Saturday: 12:30pm - 3:00pm
As you used protection it is unlikely that your boyfriend is reinfected. He does need to complete the course of antibiotics properly. He most likely felt sore again because he has an infection and so his genital area is tender! But as we said above, it is easy to develop another infection and it would be a good idea for you to get checked out to make sure you don't have the infection but without significant symptoms.
We hope this information is helpful and your boyfriend is fighting fit again soon.
Best wishes q2a.
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