MANY times as women, we develop vaginal infections and visit our gynaecologists, only to be given a prescription that has to be taken by both us and our partners. While this diagnosis may be met with mixed reaction -- especially from a partner who may question why he has to be treated too -- treatment of both persons is absolutely necessary.

"Unless you treat both partners for the infection then you will have re-infection," gynaecologist Dr Wesley Bernard from the Nuttall Medical Centre said.

According to Dr Bernard, the sexually transmitted infections that both partners have to be treated for are gonorrhoea, chlamydia, trichomonas vaginalis, HIV and syphilis.

However, there are also infections that the woman can get that are not transmitted through sex, yet her partner would still need to be medicated. These include bacterial vaginosis and some types of yeast infections.

Bacterial vaginosis is a mixture of bacteria build up and candidiasis in the vagina. Once a woman develops this infection, it can be passed on to her partner.

"If the woman has a yeast infection and the man is not circumcised, he is more likely to get it," Dr Bernard said. "If he doesn't have proper hygiene, where he cleans the penis properly, then he too can get a yeast infection. So men can indeed get yeast infections, but it is not as common as in women."

Some infections can also live in the body for some time before you show any symptoms. So while one partner may accuse the other of being unfaithful, it could be that neither has been, since one or both could have acquired the infection before they met the other.

In fact, men sometimes do not have a discharge, Dr Bernard said, even though they have an infection. "That is why it is so important that both partners be treated when an infection is detected," he said.

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