Important Facts on Trichomoniasis Blood Test in Virginia

Important Facts on Trichomoniasis Blood Test in Virginia

If you do not treat trichomoniasis, the infection can stay in you for months or even years. Usually, it is tough to diagnose this sexually transmitted disease based only on symptoms. You need to undertake a test to confirm whether you have the infection.

How the test is done?

Trichomoniasis blood test is available in Virginia. The blood tests are rapid nucleic acid and antigen probe tests. They provide results within minutes. However, they may not be as accurate as a discharge test.

Traditionally, the doctor takes a sample of discharge. It requires a urine sample or urethral swab in case of men and a pelvic examination in case of women.

In women, the commonest way to test for trich is through a “wet preparation” or “wet mount.” The doctor examines the discharge sample under a microscope to detect the presence of the parasite.

When the protozoan is discovered during a Pap smear, the doctor may use a Trichomonas vaginalisculture to conform the infection.

The least invasive test for trich

Doctors take the first void urine sample, popularly called the “first catch,” to test for trich. The first 20-30 ml of urine that comes out in the beginning of the stream when you urinate is what you must collect as a sample for trich test.

Also, you must not have urinated for a minimum of one hour before sample collection.

Remember

Your annual health screening does not include STD testing. You must request your doctor for STD testing. Also, many STD screenings or STD panels exclude trich. So, if you are undergoing STD testing, ask your doctor specifically for trichomoniasis test.

Treatment

Doctors generally treat trich with a single dose of an antibiotic. If you have symptoms like swellingor itching, the doctor may also prescribe you topical medications to be applied on the affected vaginal area. However, this alone won’t kill the pathogen causing the infection. You must take an antibiotic dose.

Usually, tinidazole or metronidazole antibiotics are powerful enough to kill the pathogen. If these don’t work, then chances are that your partner still has the infection and you have been re-infected by him/her.

Cases of re-infection are quite high. About 1 in 5 people get the infection again within 3 months of treatment. So, when you undergo trich testing and treatment, make sure your partner is also tested and, if needed, treated. Trichomoniasis test for men and women in Pentagon is easily available at affordable rates in a STD clinic.

The best time to test for trich

According to doctors, the incubation period of trichomoniasis infection is usually from 5 to 28 days after exposure. This is the time when the infection develops and you may get symptoms. This is also called ‘window period’ and may differ from individual to individual.

If you undergo test during this period, you may get false negative results. The best time to test for trich, as per doctors, is after the incubation period. So, wait till 28-30 days after exposure to test for infection. Even if you undergo a test after a year of infection, the test will catch the presence of infection.