Here’s another reason to suit up in the sack.
Doctors are sounding the alarm about a little-known sexually transmitted infection taking hold in the US, warning that it can cause serious long-term damage if left untreated.
The problem? Most people don’t know they’re infected because it often shows no symptoms. To make matters worse, it’s growing resistant to antibiotics, sparking fears of a new superbug in the bedroom.
What is Mgen?
Short for mycoplasma genitalium, it’s a bacterial infection that affects both men and women. It most often spreads through vaginal or anal sex without a condom.
“You can also get it if you touch your genitals with infected fingers or by sharing sex toys which are not cleaned or covered with a condom,” Abbas Kanani, a pharmacist, told Refinery 29.
Discovered in 1981, there’s still a lot doctors don’t know about Mgen. Researchers are currently investigating whether it can be transmitted through oral sex or passed from mother to child during pregnancy.
How common is Mgen?
Because most carriers don’t show symptoms, the true number of Americans with Mgen is hard to pin down.
Plus, the FDA didn’t approve a commercial test until 2019 — and even now, it’s still not part of routine STI screenings at sexual health clinics. Most people only get tested if they show symptoms or specifically ask for it.
Experts estimate that 1% to 3% of Americans have Mgen, although rates are much higher in certain groups, like young people. One study found Mgen infections in the US outnumber gonorrhea, but still trail behind chlamydia.
What are the symptoms of Mgen?
One of the trickiest things about Mgen is that it often flies under the radar. A 2019 study in the UK found that 94.4% of men and 56.2% of women with the infection didn’t show any symptoms at all.
When symptoms do appear, they’re often vague or easily confused with other STIs, making diagnosis difficult.
“If a women is suffering from persistent vaginal irritation, pelvic pain, bleeding with intercourse, spotting between periods or abnormal vaginal discharge, I would recommend having mycoplasma testing,” Dr. Antonio Pizarro, a board-certified ob/gyn, told SELF.
In men, Mgen may cause burning or pain during urination, fluid discharge from the penis and tenderness in the testicles.
What are the risks of leaving Mgen untreated?
While the infection often shows no early signs, untreated Mgen can lead to serious complications down the line.
In men, it can trigger urethritis, or painful swelling of the urethra, and lead to epididymitis, which may cause infertility.
In women, Mgen is linked to cervical inflammation and pelvic inflammatory disease, both of which can result in infertility or life-threatening ectopic pregnancies — when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus.
The infection has also been tied to pregnancy complications, including miscarriage. One study found that women with Mgen were nearly twice as likely to deliver prematurely.
Worse still, the damage it causes may weaken the body’s defenses, making it easier for other pathogens — including the virus that causes HIV — to take hold and spread.
Can Mgen be cured?
Yes — but it’s getting tougher.
Doctors typically treat MGen with antibiotics, though the CDC warns that medication won’t reverse any lasting damage the infection may have already caused.
Adding to the challenge, antibiotic resistance is on the rise. Inadequate treatment or failure to complete the full course of antibiotics can lead to the survival of more resistant strains.
Complicating things further, resistance is on the rise, making some strains harder to clear up. When patients don’t complete their full course of antibiotics or receive an ineffective treatment, it allows the strongest bacteria to survive, mutate and spread.
For example, doxycycline — a common first-line antibiotic — works in only about 30% to 45% of cases. Azithromycin, another popular treatment, has seen effectiveness drop below 60% in some studies.
“M. genitalium has quickly developed resistance to every antibiotic that’s been used to treat it,” Lisa Manhart, an epidemiologist, told NBC News. “We already have untreatable infections.”
If symptoms stick around for more than a few days after treatment, the CDC recommends heading back to your doctor for a check-up.
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