A little-known STI could increase your risk of cervical cancer by five times, researchers warn. Trichomoniasis, or Trich, is a common but often unnoticed STI that can significantly raise the risk of cervical cancer in women. Most cases show no symptoms, but it can cause genital discharge and pain during urination.
Experts say Trich damages cervical tissue, creating a "favourable environment" for HPV, which causes 99 per cent of cervical cancer cases. A study of nearly half a million women found that those with Trich were 80 per cent more likely to have HPV . Trich is more common than chlamydia and gonorrhoea in some regions, affecting around 180 million people globally each year.
Hungarian experts analysed samples from over 473,000 women over the past 15 years. Their study, published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, is the first of its kind. Shoppers love 'game-changer' suncream that's a bargain on Amazon 80 per cent of women with Trich more likely to have HPV ( Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) The research, conducted across four continents, found that 8,518 women, or about 1.
8 per cent, had trich. It also revealed that women with trich were 79 per cent more likely to have human papillomavirus (HPV) compared to those without the infection. Lead researcher Dr.
Balázs Hamar from Semmelweis University in Budapest explained: "This is because the infection causes the inflammation and abruption of the cervical epithelium/cervix, providing a favourable envi.