You Should Probably Get Yourself Tested For This Sexually Transmitted Superbug
Never heard of MG? There's a good chance you have it.
You’ve probably never heard of mycoplasma genitalium, but there’s a chance you’ve got it.
The bug, known as MG, is being described as a sexually transmitted “superbug”. It’s increasingly resistant to antibiotics, and it’s estimated to affect up to 700,000 Australians, possibly including you. It frequently has no symptoms, but can cause some pretty serious issues for you down the track, like infertility or premature birth for pregnant women.
If you do have symptoms, they’re also pretty uncomfortable — people with penises can look forward to weird discharge and pain while urinating, while people with vaginas may experience all of the above plus abnormal bleeding, pain during sex, and abdominal pain.
Hopefully you are now aware of and concerned about MG, which brings us to the Helpful and Positive part of this PSA, which is that there is now a simple test you can get to screen for the bug. It’s covered by Medicare, it’s being rolled out to sexual health clinics as we speak, and if you’ve been having unprotected sex you should get it pronto. Even if you’ve had a sexual health checkup recently, it’s worth requesting this test specifically, because it often isn’t caught by standard STI screening.
And don’t stress — if it turns out you have MG, it can be treated with two courses of antibiotics, and you can protect others in the meantime by using condoms.
You can read more about MG and how it’s treated here. Look after your junk!