Yes, it’s true. There is a new STD that the sexually active community needs to be concerned about.
According to a new study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, Mycoplasma Genitalium, commonly referred to as MG, is an official STD based on tests conducted on over 4.5K sexually active men and women in the UK in 2012.
Though, knowledge of MG has existed since the 1980’s it wasn’t considered an STD until this most recent study which proved that it is most definitely part of the STD family. Of the 4.5k sexually active individuals tested, around 1% of them tested positive for the condition and among the non-sexually active people tested, there were no positive results at all.
So what are the symptoms of this new found STD? The study revealed that much like some other STD’s the condition is asymptomatic. Findings did show that for women it was associated with painful urination and bleeding after sex. The men who tested positive, were also more likely to have already contracted gonorrhea and syphilis. So if you have had unprotected sex recently, as well as a history of certain sexual transmitted diseases, it might be a good idea to get tested.
The study showed that those at risk are individuals who take more sexual risks, practice unsafe sex and have a higher number of sexual partners than those who were not diagnosed with the disease. These numbers are not shocking, but perhaps the rise in the number of sexually transmitted diseases will encourage people to make responsible decisions when choosing who they have sex with and how they want that to play out.
Thankfully, the condition is treatable with an antibiotic, but the best method of prevention, which we have heard before, is the use of a condom.
