Infections attacks the reproductive system, leading to infertility in humans. STI is a form of infection that can be contracted through indiscriminate intercourse with the opposite or same gender. It comes in various forms such as gonorrhea, syphilis, candidiasis, herpes, warts and staphylococcus etc to mention a few.
I have seen several female patients in the gynae clinic presenting with what they term “toilet infection”,a term they use to describe a condition where they have one or more of the following symptoms;
1.Vaginal discharge
2.lower abdominal pain
3.vaginal pruritus
4.fever
A woman’s vagina (private part),normally releases secretions from glands situated therein,these secretions are not foul smelling,clear, not copious (unless during sexual stimulation, at the mid-cycle when ovulation occurs or during pregnancy)under normal circumstances and are not associated with the symptoms listed above.
When this discharge becomes foul smelling,cloudy,bloody,yellow or greenish and copius, an infection should be suspected.This can be caused by;
Infective agents spread by unprotected sexual intercourse such as chlamydia,trichomonas and nesseria ghonorrhoeae.
*Vaginal yeast infection caused by fungus
Normal bacteria that live in the vagina may overgrow (usually in people with lowered immune status like diabetics,elderly,people receiving cancer treatment)-this is called bacterial vaginosis.
The question now is;is it possible for a woman to get an infection from using a toilet? The answer is yes;mostly public toilets in poor sanitary condition or any other shared toilet facility,other causes could be sharing undies,poor personal hygiene,forgotten tampons.
However,I have, from experience,noticed that most ladies are usually shy to admit that they had unprotected sexual intercourse prior to the onset of symptoms blaming even sexually transmitted diseases on “the toilet”.
In essence,what I am saying is that -not every infection is a toilet infection especially when one has had a risky sexual practice prior to the onset of symptoms.
You must see a competent doctor for appropriate diagnosis and prompt treatment to avoid complications such as infertility or progression to Pelvic inflammatory disease etc…
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