A nearly unheard of STI could increase your risk of cervical cancer by five times, researchers have warned.
Trichomoniasis, also known as Trich, is an incredibly common, yet a little-known STI that may increase the risk of cervical cancer in women.
This is because it typically goes undetected as the majority of cases are asymptomatic. However, it can cause discharge from the genitals, as well as pain while urinating.
A women's health expert claimed that Trich harms the cervical tissue, making it a 'favourable environment' for HPV - which is responsible for 99 per cent of cases of the disease.
Following an analysis involving nearly half a million women, those infected with the parasite were also 80 per cent more likely to have HPV, scientists found.
Trich is also more widespread than chlamydia and gonorrhoea in some parts of the world. In fact, each year, it infects around 180 million people globally.
Hungarian experts analysed samples taken from more than 473,000 women over the past 15 years. The project - where findings were published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics - is said to be the first of its kind.
The research spanned over four continents, and results revealed that 8,518 of the women —around 1.8 per cent — had Trich.
Scientists found women with Trich were 79 per cent more likely to have human papillomavirus (HPV) too, compared to those who didn't.
Lead researcher Dr Balázs Hamar, an expert in obstetrics and gynaecology at Semmelweis University in Budapest, said: "This is because the infection causes the inflammation and abruption of the cervical epithelium/cervix, providing a favourable environment for pathogens such as HPV."
The STI is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms can be so subtle or even non-existent in some people.
But US scientists have recently developed a cheap and easy-to-use finger prick test that can help detect the infection.
Trich is mainly passed between people via unprotected sex or through sharing sex toys.
And if it is diagnosed patients are usually prescribed antibiotics which clears up the infection quickly.
According to The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence about 6,000 cases of Trich are diagnosed in the UK each year, with over 90 per cent of those being in women.
About 850 women in the UK die from cervical cancer each year.
What are the symptoms of trichomoniasis?
Trichomoniasis is a very common STD caused by infection with Trichomonas vaginalis (a protozoan parasite). Although symptoms vary, most people who have Trich cannot tell they have it.
And symptoms that do present, are similar to those of other STIs.
For women, they can be:
- Abnormal vaginal discharge that may be thick, thin or frothy and yellow-green in colour.
- Producing more discharge than normal, which may also have an unpleasant fishy smell.
- Soreness, swelling and itching around the vagina – sometimes the inner thighs also become itchy.
- Pain or discomfort when passing urine or having sex.
And for men:
- Pain when peeing or during ejaculation.
- Needing to pee more frequently than usual.
- Thin, white discharge from the penis.
- Soreness, swelling and redness around the head of the penis or foreskin.
