How could you have gotten trichomoniasis when you are in a monogamous relationship?

Answer 1

There are three possible answers:

• you had it before the long term relationship, or
• you caught it from your partner, or
• it's a false positive test result

Answer 2

You can get chlamydia in a mutually monogamous relationship if one of the partners had chlamydia before you were monogamous. Since half of men and 80-90% of women with chlamydia have no symptoms, it's easy for someone to bring the infection into a relationship without knowing. That's why screening is important -- get tested every year if you're a woman 26 and under, and every time you have a new partner. Chlamydia is transmitted by oral, anal, and vaginal sex; genital-genital contact; sharing sex toys; and birth to an infected mother.

Of course, there are two other possibilities -- the infected partner had another partner, or the test is a false positive result.
Sexually transmitted diseases are transmitted from an infected individual to one who is not. If BOTH partners are monogamous, it is very unlikely to get any of them through sexual intercourse.

Answer 3

It appears that trichomoniasis is one of the few STDs that can be caught through other means as well. Although the protozoan dies rapidly in dry conditions, it appears that you can be infected by sharing a washcloth with an infected person, or possibly by having your genitals come into contact with someone else's infected genital discharge.

Answer 4

Since a person can have chlamydia for years without having symptoms, it's possible that a partner brought the infection into the relationship without knowing.