Fact check: STD trichomoniasis spread by both men and women

The claim: Only men carry trichomoniasis

Sex education is convoluted for many. But a post on social media claiming to educate gets some of the facts wrong.

"You could be carrying trichomoniasis," says the post, which adds that the sexually transmitted disease causes "vaginal discharge, genital itching and painful urination for women."

"Only dudes carry the parasite and it only ever reaches a woman through sexual contact,” the Facebook post reads. 

This is false. While it’s true that men do carry the sexually transmitted disease, women carry it as well.

The post, which has more than 500 shares and 4,000 likes, was made in 2019 but has recently picked up steam on social media again. The post originated on Twitter in a thread about self-hygiene with more than 60,000 likes and almost as many retweets.

USA TODAY reached out to the users who made the post for comment. 

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Men, women can carry and spread trich through sexual contact

In spite of what the post claims, both men and women can carry the parasite, which usually spreads during sex, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can be more difficult to detect in men than in women, the American Sexual Health Association says on its website. 

Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by infection with a parasite. There were about 2 million trichomoniasis infections in 2018, according to the CDC. .

Though only about 30% of infected people experience symptoms, they can be extremely uncomfortable. Symptoms often include itching, burning and discharge. 

“The signs of trich can be barely noticeable, or really painful and irritating,” Planned Parenthood’s website says. “It’s common for the symptoms to come and go, but that doesn’t mean the infection went away.”

Sex toys can also spread trichomoniasis if they have infected fluids on them, according to Planned Parenthood.

Our rating: False

We rate the claim that only men carry trichomoniasis FALSE, based on our research. Both men and women can carry the sexually transmitted disease, which can also spread on sex toys if they have infected fluid on them. 

Our fact-check sources: 

• CDC, retrieved Sept. 5, Trichomoniasis Fact Sheet
• Planned Parenthood, retrieved Sept. 5, Trichomoniasis (Trich) 
• American Sexual Health Association, retrieved Sept. 5, Trichomoniasis Fast Facts

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