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In brief...

In boys and men only, similar infections have different names in girls and women. A common infection of the urethra, the water passage that you urinate through, which can be caught during unprotected sex. It usually causes discomfort when you urinate and sometimes you will see a slight discharge from your penis. We call it 'non-specific' if we can't find Chlamydia or Gonorrhoea bacteria. It is easy for us to test for and treat NSU.

 

 

 

What are the symptoms?

Why do only boys and men get NSU? NSU affects only boys and men because similar infections in girls and women have other names.

 

 

 

What is NSU?

NSU is literally a 'general' inflammation of the urethra, water passage, but is actually caused by one or more of several types of bacteria (germs). Some of these bacteria are difficult to test for which is why we call it 'non-specific', but others, including chlamydia) can now be tested for easily (see also chlamydial urethritis). NSU can be caused by bugs that were already living in the urethra.

 

 

 

How did I catch it?

NSU can be caught during sex, including oral and anal sex. You CAN'T get it from hugging, kissing, toilet seats or sharing towels. It can, however, reoccur in people who haven't been having sex for a while, we don't understand why this is, we call this recurrent NSU.

 

 

 

What are the symptoms of NSU?

You can have NSU without any symptoms, or you might just have a slight stinging when you pee. You might get a slight discharge from the urethra, water passage. These symptoms are very similar to those of Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea.

 

 

 

How can I avoid getting it?

Condoms used perfectly can help prevent you catching NSU.

 

 

 

What tests can you offer?

It is important that we tell the difference between NSU, Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea. To do we take a sample by gently passing a small cotton-wool swab just into the urethra. We will ask you not to urinate for about three hours before we take the sample because urinating washes away the bacteria we are trying to identify. We will also ask you for a urine sample.

 

 

 

What treatment can you offer?

We can treat this infection easily with antibiotic pills which usually need to be taken for a couple of weeks.

 

 

 

Should my partner(s) be checked out too?

If you have NSU we always ask to see your sexual partner too to make sure that they are not infected, otherwise you could be re-infected after treatment.

 

 

 

What do I need to do after coming to SHAC?

It is important that you come back to the clinic after the course of antibiotics. This is so that we can check that the infection has gone. Sometimes the infection does not clear completely and you will need further pills. Making sure you are clear prevents you passing an infection to your sexual partner(s) and also reduces the chance of the infection causing you damage.

 

 

 

 

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