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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, after a positive test or a partner’s confirmed infection; the antibiotic can be prescribed by video, and the test itself is a swab or urine sample.
- What it is: a sexually transmitted infection caused by a tiny parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis. It is the most common STI worldwide that is not caused by a virus.
- Often silent: about 70% of people with trichomoniasis have no symptoms, and symptoms can start 5 to 28 days after infection or much later.
- Cure: the antibiotic metronidazole cures most infections, but partners need treatment at the same time, and about 1 in 5 people are infected again within 3 months.
- Emergency: call 112 for severe pain low in the tummy with a high temperature, sudden severe pain in a testicle, being unable to pee at all, or collapse.
Do not book a video appointment if you have severe pain low in your tummy with a high temperature, sudden severe pain or swelling in a testicle, cannot pee at all, or feel faint or collapse. Call 112 or go to an emergency department. Pain low in the tummy with a fever, a painful swollen testicle, or symptoms in pregnancy need prompt in-person care.
Can an online doctor treat trichomoniasis?
Yes, once it is confirmed. Trichomoniasis is diagnosed with a swab or urine test, not from symptoms alone, because it looks like BV, thrush and other STIs. With a positive result, or a current partner’s confirmed infection, a doctor can prescribe the antibiotic by video, advise on alcohol, sex and retesting, and help you tell your partners. The test is done at a clinic or with a sampling kit, and pain with a fever, a painful testicle or symptoms in pregnancy need in-person care.
How an online consultation helps with trichomoniasis
- The right test first: Which test you need, where to get it, and which other STIs are worth testing for at the same time.
- Treatment after a positive result: The antibiotic chosen around pregnancy, breastfeeding, your other medicines and alcohol.
- Partners treated too: Who needs treatment, and how to tell them, so the infection does not pass back to you.
- Follow-up that prevents reinfection: When you can have sex again, when to retest, and what to do if symptoms do not settle.
What the doctor checks in an online trichomoniasis consultation
The doctor asks about the warning signs first, then about the symptoms, your test and your partners. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: pain low in the tummy, a high temperature, pain or swelling in a testicle, or being unable to pee.
- Your symptoms: discharge, a smell, itching or soreness, pain when peeing or during sex, and when they started.
- Your test: the result, the date and the type of test, and whether you were tested for other STIs.
- Your partners: current and recent partners, whether they have symptoms or a result, and how to reach them.
- Your health: pregnancy or breastfeeding, HIV, allergies, the medicines you take, and how much alcohol you drink.
Before the call, have your test result to hand. If you have not been tested yet, the doctor tells you which test you need and where to get it, then reviews the result with you.
What is trichomoniasis, and how do you get it?
Trichomoniasis, often called trich, is an STI caused by a tiny parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis. In women it usually infects the vagina and the lower genital tract, and in men the urethra, the tube inside the penis. It is passed on through:
- vaginal sex without a condom
- skin-to-skin contact between genitals, including between two vaginas
- sharing sex toys
It does not commonly infect the hands, mouth or bottom. People without symptoms can pass it on, and you can get it again after treatment. It is the most common STI worldwide that is not caused by a virus: the WHO estimates 156 million new infections in 2020 among people aged 15 to 49, 73.7 million in women and 82.6 million in men.
Can you get trichomoniasis without having sex?
It is spread through sexual contact, including genital contact and shared sex toys, not through everyday contact. Because symptoms can start weeks or months after infection, and most people never have any, an infection found now may have been caught a long time ago. A positive result does not tell you when or from whom it was caught.
What are the symptoms of trichomoniasis?
About 70% of people with trichomoniasis have no symptoms. When symptoms come, they can start 5 to 28 days after infection, or much later, and they can come and go.
Symptoms in women
- discharge that may be yellow-green, frothy, or smell like fish
- itching, soreness, swelling or redness around the vagina
- pain when peeing or during sex
- pain low in the tummy
Symptoms in men
- discharge from the penis
- pain when peeing, or needing to pee often
- pain or soreness in the penis, testicles or bottom, or when ejaculating
Most men with trichomoniasis have no symptoms, and a smell is not a typical sign in men. The only way to know is a test.
Is it trichomoniasis, BV or thrush?
The three can look alike, which is why a test matters. These differences are typical:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Condition | The discharge | Itching or soreness | Passed on through sex? | How it is confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trichomoniasis | Yellow-green, may be frothy or smell like fish | Itching, soreness, pain when peeing or during sex | Yes, it is an STI | A swab or urine test |
| Bacterial vaginosis | Thin, watery, grey-white, with a fishy smell | Usually none | Not an STI, but sex can trigger it | From the symptoms, or a swab |
| Thrush | White, often like cottage cheese, no smell | Itching and irritation | Not an STI | Usually from the symptoms |
How do you test for trichomoniasis?
With a swab or a urine sample. At a sexual health clinic or a family doctor, a swab like a large cotton bud takes a sample from the vagina or penis, and you may be able to take it yourself; men may give a urine sample instead. Other STIs can be tested at the same time, and you can ask for a test without symptoms.
- Molecular (NAAT) tests are the most sensitive and find more infections than looking under a microscope.
- Microscopy gives a quick answer in some clinics, but misses many infections: it finds about 44 to 68% of them.
- Blood tests do not detect trichomoniasis.
- Home sampling kits: check that a kit includes trichomoniasis before relying on it, and tell the doctor which test you used.
If you have been treated and symptoms continue, a repeat molecular test should wait until at least 3 weeks after treatment.
How is trichomoniasis treated?
Trichomoniasis is cured with the antibiotic metronidazole, either as a 7-day course or as a single dose. Tinidazole is an alternative. Symptoms should improve within a few days, but finish the course even if you feel better. What to expect depends on your situation:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Situation | Usual treatment | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Women | Metronidazole, a 7-day course | A retest is recommended about 3 months after treatment |
| Men | Metronidazole, often a single dose | Partners are treated at the same time |
| Pregnancy | Metronidazole, which poses a low risk to the baby; tinidazole is avoided | Treated at any stage of pregnancy, with your maternity team involved |
| Current partners | Treatment at the same time, even without symptoms or a test result | Prevents passing it back and forth |
| Symptoms that do not go away | A test for reinfection or resistance, and another course | Resistance to metronidazole occurs in 4 to 10% of vaginal infections |
- Alcohol: do not drink alcohol while taking metronidazole and for 2 days after the course.
- Sex: do not have sex until at least 1 week after you and your partners have finished treatment, and your symptoms have gone.
- Getting it again: treatment does not protect you from a new infection; about 1 in 5 people are infected again within 3 months, usually from a partner who was not treated.
What happens if trichomoniasis is not treated?
Untreated trichomoniasis can lead to:
- a higher chance of getting or passing on HIV: about 1.5 times the risk of catching HIV
- a higher chance of other STIs and of bacterial vaginosis
- pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause long-term pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy or infertility
- prostatitis, an inflamed prostate gland, in men
In pregnancy, it can cause the baby to be born early or with a low birthweight, it can be passed to the baby during birth, and it raises the chance of sepsis after giving birth. Testing and treatment prevent all of these.
How do I tell my partner about trichomoniasis?
Current partners, and recent partners, need treatment too, even if they have no symptoms. Otherwise the infection passes back to you. A simple, factual message works best: you have tested positive for a common, curable STI, they need treatment, and it is easy to arrange.
If you would rather not contact someone yourself, a sexual health clinic or family doctor can tell them without naming you. Because trichomoniasis can be caught long before symptoms start, a diagnosis does not tell either of you when or from whom it came. The doctor can help you plan the conversation.
Which trichomoniasis treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment depends on whether the infection is confirmed, who else needs treatment, and whether you could be pregnant. This is the framework the doctors use:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A positive test, not pregnant | Metronidazole, and partner treatment | Yes | Not usually needed |
| A current partner with confirmed trichomoniasis | Treatment at the same time, and a test | Yes | For the test, at a clinic or with a kit |
| Symptoms, but no test yet | Tests for trichomoniasis and other STIs | Partly | For the swab or urine test |
| Symptoms that continue after treatment | Checks for reinfection, and a repeat test after 3 weeks | Partly | For the test, and if resistance is suspected |
| Trichomoniasis in pregnancy | Treatment safe in pregnancy, with your maternity team | Partly | Antenatal care and follow-up |
| Pain low in the tummy with a fever, or a painful, swollen testicle | Examination for pelvic inflammatory disease or a testicle infection | No | Promptly; call 112 for sudden severe pain |
Tested positive for trichomoniasis? A doctor can tell you in one consultation what to take and who else needs treatment.
See available times →Treatment options for trichomoniasis
What you can do yourself
- Avoid sex until at least 1 week after you and your partners have finished treatment.
- Tell your current and recent partners, or ask a clinic to tell them for you.
- Avoid alcohol during metronidazole and for 2 days after the course.
- Get tested for other STIs, including HIV, at the same time.
- Use condoms with new partners, and do not share sex toys unless you wash them and cover them with a new condom each time.
- If you are a woman, retest about 3 months after treatment.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. After a positive test, or when a current partner has a confirmed infection, the doctor may prescribe metronidazole as a course or a single dose, or another suitable antibiotic, chosen around pregnancy, breastfeeding, HIV and your other medicines. The doctor also advises on partner treatment and retesting. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Thrush creams or pharmacy treatments for BV, which do not clear trichomoniasis. Douching. Treating yourself without your partners, which leads to reinfection. Stopping the antibiotic early because the symptoms have gone.
Special situations
Pregnancy
Tell the doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Trichomoniasis is tested for and treated at any stage of pregnancy, because untreated infection can lead to early birth and a low birthweight. Your maternity team should be involved.
HIV
Trichomoniasis makes HIV easier to catch and to pass on. Women with HIV are tested for trichomoniasis routinely, treated with a 7-day course, and retested about 3 months later. The HIV testing and PEP page covers testing.
Trichomoniasis after a trip or a new partner abroad
Trichomoniasis is found across Europe and worldwide. If you had sex without a condom while travelling, test after you get home, even without symptoms, and ask whether the test covers trichomoniasis. A doctor by video can tell you which tests fit.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When trichomoniasis is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: a confirmed infection, treatment for a partner of someone with a confirmed infection, advice on which tests you need, partner notification, and follow-up and retesting plans.
In-person care: the swab or urine test itself, symptoms that continue after treatment and may need resistance testing, antenatal care in pregnancy, pain low in the tummy with a fever, a painful or swollen testicle, and any emergency sign.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- severe pain low in the tummy with a high temperature
- sudden, severe pain or swelling in a testicle
- being unable to pee at all
- fainting or collapse
Get medical advice the same day for:
- pain low in the tummy, or pain during sex, with a temperature
- a painful or swollen testicle
- symptoms of trichomoniasis in pregnancy
- feeling unwell with a high temperature after a recent exposure
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about your result or symptoms: have your test result to hand, describe any discharge, itching or pain, and say whether you could be pregnant.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s trichomoniasis? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about trichomoniasis
What is trichomoniasis?
A sexually transmitted infection caused by a tiny parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis. It is the most common STI worldwide that is not caused by a virus, it often causes no symptoms, and it is cured with antibiotics.
What are the symptoms of trichomoniasis in women?
Trichomoniasis in women causes discharge that may be yellow-green, frothy or smell like fish, itching or soreness around the vagina, pain when peeing or during sex, and pain low in the tummy. Many women have no symptoms.
Is it trichomoniasis, BV or thrush?
Trichomoniasis discharge is frothy, yellow-green and often smelly, with soreness, itching and sometimes pain on peeing, and it can bring a strawberry-red cervix seen on examination. Bacterial vaginosis gives thin, grey, fishy-smelling discharge with little soreness; thrush gives thick white discharge with intense itching and no smell; chlamydia and gonorrhoea often cause no discharge at all. Because the symptoms overlap, a swab is the only reliable way to tell them apart, and the treatments differ.
What are the symptoms of trichomoniasis in men?
Most men with trichomoniasis have none. Some notice discharge from the penis, pain when peeing, needing to pee often, or soreness in the penis, testicles or bottom. A test is the only way to know.
What causes trichomoniasis, and how do you get it?
Trichomoniasis is passed on through vaginal sex without a condom, genital skin-to-skin contact, including between two vaginas, and sharing sex toys. People without symptoms can pass it on, and you can get it again after treatment.
Can a woman get trichomoniasis on her own?
Trichomoniasis is passed on through sexual contact, not everyday contact. Symptoms can start weeks or months after infection, and most people never have any, so a positive result does not tell you when or from whom it was caught.
How do you test for trichomoniasis?
Trichomoniasis is tested with a swab from the vagina or penis, which you may be able to take yourself, or a urine sample. Molecular tests are the most accurate. Other STIs can be tested at the same time.
Can a blood test detect trichomoniasis?
No. Trichomoniasis is not found by a blood test, because the parasite lives in the vagina or urethra rather than the blood and the body makes no reliable antibody for a test to detect; it is diagnosed with a swab from the vagina or penis, or a urine sample, ideally with a molecular (NAAT) test. Blood tests at the same visit are for HIV and syphilis, which are often checked alongside.
How is trichomoniasis treated?
Trichomoniasis is treated with the antibiotic metronidazole, as a 7-day course or a single dose. Women are usually given the 7-day course. Partners need treatment at the same time, and you should not have sex until at least 1 week after you all finish.
How long does trichomoniasis last, and what happens if it is not treated?
Trichomoniasis does not clear on its own: untreated, it can last months or years, silently in most people, and keeps being passed on; symptoms, when present, come and go. Untreated trichomoniasis makes it easier to catch and pass on HIV, is linked to pelvic inflammatory disease, and in pregnancy to premature birth and a low birth weight. With metronidazole, symptoms settle within a week and the infection is cured in more than 9 in 10 people when partners are treated too.
What can I do at home while being treated for trichomoniasis?
Take every dose of the antibiotic, avoid alcohol during the course and for 2 days after, do not have sex, including oral and with condoms, until you and your partners have all finished treatment and a week has passed, wash sex toys and do not share them, wear cotton underwear and skip scented washes while the area is sore, and use paracetamol for discomfort. Trichomoniasis symptoms should settle within a week of treatment; if they persist, go back.
Can I drink alcohol while being treated for trichomoniasis?
No. Do not drink alcohol while taking metronidazole for trichomoniasis and for 2 days after you finish the course, because the combination can cause flushing, headache, nausea, vomiting and a racing heart; with tinidazole the alcohol-free period is 3 days. Wait the same period before alcohol in mouthwash or cough syrups, and tell the doctor if you cannot avoid alcohol so another plan can be made.
Does my partner need treatment?
Yes. Current and recent partners need trichomoniasis treatment, even without symptoms, or the infection passes back to you. A clinic can tell them without naming you.
Can you get trichomoniasis again?
Yes. Treatment does not protect you from a new trichomoniasis infection, and about 1 in 5 people are infected again within 3 months, usually from a partner who was not treated. Women are advised to retest about 3 months after treatment.
How can I prevent trichomoniasis?
Use condoms for vaginal sex from start to finish, and cover shared sex toys with a new condom or wash them between partners; have an STI test with every new partner and ask them to do the same, because trichomoniasis is silent in most people; make sure every partner is treated at the same time as you so it is not passed back; and retest about 3 months after treatment. There is no vaccine, and douching does not prevent trichomoniasis.
Can an online doctor treat trichomoniasis?
Yes, once trichomoniasis is confirmed. After a positive test, or a current partner’s confirmed infection, a doctor can prescribe the antibiotic by video and plan partner treatment. The test itself is a swab or urine sample at a clinic or with a kit.
- Trichomoniasis, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 16 July 2025.
- Trichomoniasis: fact sheet, WHO, World Health Organization, 21 November 2025.
- Trichomoniasis: sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, CDC, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021.
- About trichomoniasis, CDC, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated 31 January 2025.
- Common questions about metronidazole, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 31 December 2025.
- Bacterial vaginosis, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 19 June 2026.
- Thrush in men and women, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 28 July 2023.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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