Thank you for your question. I am sure it is very distressing to you to be going through these symptoms. I understand that you have been having painful urination and penile discharge for a day. These symptoms however, does not necessarily mean you have a sexually transmitted disease (STD). These manifestations can also be seen in certain people with a urinary tract infection (UTI).

You can differentiate the STDs from UTI by their symptoms. Patients with UTI may present with painful urination, increased in frequency and urgency of urination, lower abdominal discomfort, bloody urine and fever with chills and rigors. STDs such as herpes, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and HIV may present differently. In general, patients may present with penile , lower abdominal discomfort, painful urination, painful ejaculation, spots, bumps or lesions around the penis. Some STDs may even present as a chronic flu-like illness.

It is vital that you get yourself tested for both; UTI and STDs as soon as you can as both these conditions may cause untoward complications. It is advisable that you see a doctor for a thorough check-up and confirm the diagnosis. You can also get a STD and a UTI home test kit from your nearest pharmacy. Initiation of any sort of treatment should only be done after confirming the diagnosis. You will be prescribed an antibiotic for both conditions but the type of antibiotic may differ depending on whether you have a UTI or a STD. You may not be able to get these antibiotics over the counter as most, if not all antibiotics are dispensed with a doctor’s prescription only.

For a UTI, make sure you drink a lot of water and stay hydrated, clean your genital and anal areas before and after sex and try not holding your urine for a long time. In STDs, please make sure to inform your partner(s) of your diagnosis, to ensure they can get treated too.Refrain from any sexual intercourse until you are done with your dose of antibiotics. Always use a condom to limit your chances of reinfection or contracting any other STDs.