NEW STD WHO DIS?

Let’s talk about Mycoplasma genitalium because apparently the coochie community needed ANOTHER thing to know about.

Ok so boom.

I keep seeing people calling Mycoplasma genitalium the “new STD.”

First of all…

THIS HOE AINT NEW.

Mycoplasma genitalium, or Mgen, was first isolated wayyyyy back around 1980/1981. So this bacteria been outside longer than half of us been alive. We just finally got better at finding it and understanding what tf it can do.

And nowwwww everybody wanna talk about it because 1. testing has gotten better and 2. this lil bacterial bitch is becoming increasingly difficult to treat because she developing resistance to antibiotics.

So no.

A brand new STD did not just drop like an iPhone.

But Mgen definitely deserves more attention.

OKAY SO WTF IS MGEN?

Mycoplasma genitalium is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection.

It can infect the cervix, urethra and rectum.

You can get it through vaginal or anal sex with somebody who has the infection, and somebody can pass it even if they have absolutely NO symptoms. Researchers are still figuring out exactly what role oral sex plays in transmitting Mgen.

And THAT is already where this shit gets sneaky.

Because yall know how humans operate.

“If nothing burning, itching or leaking then I must be good.”

Baby…

NO.

A lot of sexually transmitted infections can sit there quiet.

Mgen is one of them.

You can have it and not know you have it.

SO WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?

Sometimes?

NOTHING.

CDC says people with Mgen frequently do not have symptoms.

But when symptoms DO happen, people with vaginas may notice things like unusual vaginal discharge or burning when they pee.

There may also be symptoms related to cervical inflammation like bleeding after sex or bleeding between periods.

People with penises may experience burning while peeing or discharge from the penis.

And please understand something VERY important:

None of those symptoms scream:

“HELLOOOO THIS IS DEFINITELY MYCOPLASMA GENITALIUM.”

BV can change discharge.

Yeast can change discharge.

Gonorrhea can cause discharge.

Chlamydia can cause symptoms.

UTIs can make peeing burn.

A irritated coochie can be irritated for 74 different damn reasons.

That is why testing matters.

NOW WHY DO I CARE ABOUT THIS SO MUCH FOR THE COOCHIES?

Because Mgen has been strongly associated with cervicitis, which means inflammation of the cervix, and it has also been associated with pelvic inflammatory disease, better known as PID.

And remember how I always tell yall…

THE COOCHIE IS NOT JUST THE COOCHIE.

Your vagina leads to the cervix.

The cervix leads into the uterus.

Then we got fallopian tubes sitting upstairs minding reproductive business.

An infection does not always have to stay at the front door.

PID involves infection and inflammation higher up in the reproductive tract.

And once we start talking about PID, we have to start talking about shit like chronic pelvic pain, scarring of the fallopian tubes, ectopic pregnancy and fertility problems.

NOW THIS PART IS CRAZY…

Mgen does not have a cell wall.

Most of us do not spend our mornings thinking about bacterial architecture, but this actually matters.

Some very common antibiotics work by attacking a bacteria’s cell wall.

But Mgen said:

BITCH WHAT WALL???

There is no wall.

Which means antibiotics like penicillins and cephalosporins that target bacterial cell-wall production are ineffective against it.

Very tiny bacteria.

Very large attitude.

AND NOW WE GET TO THE REAL REASON EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT HER:

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE.

THIS is the part I really want yall to understand.

Mgen has developed significant resistance to some antibiotics, especially macrolide antibiotics like azithromycin.

WHO specifically lists Mgen as a concern because antibiotic resistance can make the infection harder to manage and can contribute to persistent infection and continued transmission.

And this is exactly why we gotta stop treating antibiotics like old seasoning packets.

“Oh I got three pills from when I was sick last year.”

NO.

“I think this doxycycline my cousin had might work.”

BITCH NO.

“My doctor gave me azithromycin for something before so”

STOP RIGHT THERE.

Using the wrong antibiotic, the wrong dose or not completing treatment can contribute to antibiotic resistance.

And with Mgen, resistance is ALREADY a problem.

SO HOW DO THEY EVEN TEST FOR MGEN?

Mgen is annoying in the lab too.

Traditional bacterial cultures are difficult because this mf grows EXTREMELY slowly.

CDC says growing Mgen in culture can take up to six months, which is obviously ridiculous when somebody’s urethra is on fire TODAY.

So doctors generally use a test called a NAAT.

That stands for nucleic acid amplification test.

Basically they are looking for genetic material from the organism instead of waiting six damn months for this lil mf to grow in a Petri dish.

Testing can involve urine or swabs from areas like the vagina or cervix, depending on the situation.

AND HERE IS SOMETHING I REALLY NEED YALL TO KNOW:

“TEST ME FOR EVERYTHING” DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN EVERYTHING.

PLEASE READ THAT AGAIN.

You can walk into a clinic and say:

“Test me for everything.”

And leave thinking you were tested for every sexually transmitted infection known to humankind.

You may not have been.

Different infections require different tests.

Different clinics offer different testing.

And Mgen is NOT currently recommended as a routine screening test for every person who has no symptoms.

CDC recommends Mgen testing particularly for things like recurrent urethritis and recurrent cervicitis, and says testing should be considered in people with PID. Routine screening of people without symptoms is not currently recommended.

THAT is why I tell yall to ask questions.

Instead of:

“Did yall test me for everything?”

Ask:

“What infections did you specifically test me for?”

Whatever applies to your situation.

Make them NAME the shit.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR PARTNER?

Baby…

if somebody has a sexually transmitted infection, we gotta stop acting like only the vagina that complained needs attention.

CDC says sex partners of people with symptomatic Mgen can be tested and treated when appropriate.

And if you are being treated, CDC recommends waiting until you AND your partner have completed treatment and symptoms have resolved before having sex again.

NOW LET ME SAY THIS TOO…

Mgen is NOT some new deadly super STD coming to steal everybody coochie.

I hate when sexual-health information turns into fear porn.

Mgen is a treatable bacterial STI.

The reason it matters is because:

it can be asymptomatic

people can transmit it without knowing

it can cause urethritis and cervicitis

it has been associated with PID and reproductive complications

and antibiotic resistance is making treatment more complicated.

THAT is enough reason to know about it.

We do not need to make shit scarier than the science says.

Mgen been around for over 40 damn years and a whole lot of people are JUST NOW hearing about it.

That alone should teach us something.

ASK MORE QUESTIONS.

READ THE RESEARCH.

KNOW WHAT THEY TESTED YOU FOR.

Holistic Hoochies provides sexual-health education, not individual medical diagnosis or treatment. Persistent discharge, pelvic pain, burning, unusual bleeding or other new symptoms deserve evaluation by a qualified healthcare professional.

Want more real coochie education without all the weird medical-school language? Check out the Holistic Hoochies Guide to Good Coochie and keep learning.