IT is not among the list of popularly known sexually transmitted infections, but lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), if transmitted, can be very painful.

Obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Charles Rockhead says it is caused by a particular germ — chlamydia trachomatis, and as the name implies, lymphogranuloma primarily infects the lymph nodes in the groin and causes what many of us term ‘wax and canon’.

Dr Rockhead explains that the infection gains access through sexual contact where you have breaks in the skin or the mucosa (moist tissue that lines certain parts of the inside of your body) during the time you’re having sexual activity.

He further states that the organism, which is chlamydia trachomatis, then travels from that point into the lymphatic channels where it multiplies.

He says according to the latest data he’s read, in developed nations it was considered rare before 2003 and then there was a breakout in the Netherlands where it was found among sexually active homosexuals, the majority of whom were HIV positive.

Of note, the ObGyn says the infection has different stages — the primary stage, secondary stage and the tertiary stage. He points out that a diagnosis is usually made by a blood test after which treatment is administered by antibiotics, except for instances where the lymph nodes are very swollen and cause abscess formation. At this point, Dr Rockhead says surgical therapy would be administered.

— Kimberley Hibbert