For some reason not really known to scientists African American women have higher rates in some studies more than double, than Caucasians, Hispanic, and Latina women. .
Symptoms usually appear within 5 to 28 days of exposure in women. Trich in pregnant women may cause premature rupture of the membranes and pre-term delivery. The genital inflammation caused by trich might also increase a woman's risk of acquiring HIV infection if she is exposed. Trich in a woman who is also infected with HIV can increase the chances of transmitting HIV infection to a sex partner. Infected pregnant women are at risk for premature birth, low birth weight, and infection or rupture of the placenta. In 1997 a study of U.S. women found that the STD was associated with a 40 percent increase in pre-term low birth weight. .
To diagnose trich, a doctor must perform a physical examination and laboratory test. In women, a pelvic exam can reveal small red ulcerations on the vaginal wall or cervix. Laboratory tests are performed o a sample of the vaginal fluid or the urethral fluid to look for the disease-causing parasite. The patients are also screened for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The parasite is harder to detect in men than in women. Trich can usually be cured with the prescription drug metronidazole given by mouth in a singe dose. The symptoms of trich in infected men may disappear within a few weeks without treatment. However, an infected man, even who has never had symptoms or whose symptoms have stopped, can continue partners should be treated at the same time to eliminate the parasite. Persons being treated for trich should avoid sex until they and their sex partners complete treatment and have no symptoms. Metronidazole can also be used in pregnant women. Metronidazole cannot be taken with alcohol because it can cause nausea and vomiting. Women who have been infected are more than twice as likely to develop tubal adhesions that may cause infertility.