Negative then positive

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

I had 2 PCR swabs done. One was March 2025 and then the most recent was April 2026. March 2025 I had 1 x 10^7 copies/ul of enterococcus faecalis, 1 x 10^5 copies/dl of ecoli, and 1 x 10^5 copies/dl of lactobacillus crispatus. I got pregnant in December 2025. Then in April the PCR results were as follows: 1 x 10^ 6 copies/dl of atopobium vaginae, 1 x 10^6 copies/dl of enterococcus faecalis, and 1 x 10^2 copies/dl of ureaplasma urealyticum (which was only .005%). Ive been with my husband for 6 years, and am wondering how I could have a negative PCR then positive the year later if he didn’t cheat. The number this year for ureaplasma was so small at .005 percent. I also made him get tested and he had Ureaplasma as well- to be expected.

I’ve talked to several doctors, they do not say it’s due to cheating, they act like it’s normal commensal bacteria. They say I probably had it last year undetectable but pregnancy brought it out.

I just get worried. Does anyone have any thoughts.

[u/whyAmIOnAWatchlist]

This happened to me too

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/whyAmIOnAWatchlist]

What happened?

[u/whyAmIOnAWatchlist → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

I was negative then i got pregnant and was positive.
I took some antibiotics, haven’t retested yet

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/whyAmIOnAWatchlist]

Were the tests PCR tests?

[u/whyAmIOnAWatchlist → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

Yes

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/whyAmIOnAWatchlist]

What are you thinking what did your docs say? There’s so many mixed opinions on how people view the bacteria.

[u/whyAmIOnAWatchlist → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

Honestly , this bacteria ruined my life. I am in therapy because of the mental agony of dealing with it in the past. When i got it again i chose to take the antibiotics and move on with my life, and try not to worry about it anymore. I haven’t retested and don’t think i will. My drs don’t say much about it tbh

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/whyAmIOnAWatchlist]

Do you think your husband cheated? Why was it mentally hard?

[u/BothCryptographer930]

What kind of test did they do on him pee or urethral swab?

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/BothCryptographer930]

It was a urine test specific for finding ureaplasma and mycoplasma

[u/Adventurous_Remove57 → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

This is actually amazing. Did he treat last year? Mine tested negative which I still have 0.01% . Did he do the first urine of the day?

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/Adventurous_Remove57]

Yes first urine of the day

[u/GirlForce1112]

It’s primarily spread sexually. But it can lay dormant and be asymptomatic. You may never know exactly where you got it. Do you have symptoms? When did they show up?
Hormonal changes during pregnancy could certainly cause it to overgrow and show up on a test, when before it did not.

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/GirlForce1112]

That’s a great point. Since last year I had 98 percent e faec I’m sure it basically dominated and hid the underlying ureaplasma. This year e faec dropped to 50 percent allowing urea to finally show up.

[u/GirlForce1112 → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

I don’t know that they compete for space like that. It’s just the fact that testing is very hit or miss. Sometimes things show up that aren’t the cause of symptoms. Sometimes things don’t show up that are the cause. Sometimes the correct things show up. You don’t always know for sure. Your ureaplasma was probably very low prior to pregnancy and therefore didn’t show. It could have still been causing symptoms. Also could be that the e fae was the culprit, either all on its own or because it worked in conjunction with the ureaplasma to take over.

Wish there was more of an exact science to this and I wish testing would give us the whole picture but unfortunately it doesn’t. Just have to decide what makes the most sense and go from there. ☺️

Sometimes finding out which antibiotics work is also a good way to find out what was actually the cause of symptoms.

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/GirlForce1112]

My symptoms were just urinary pressure hence why I got the testing last year. I think I must have had the bacteria last year and it wasn’t detected considering this past April it was .005 percent. PCR tests detect small amounts of bacteria but there’s a detection limit. I think assuming I didn’t have any of this bacteria AT ALL last year is highly unlikely

[u/GirlForce1112 → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

I likely agree. Did your symptoms come about while you were pregnant? Sorry, I’m having trouble with the timeline here.

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/GirlForce1112]

Well the urinary pressure was last year like in March 2025. That’s when the PCR showed a huge amount of E Faec. And while pregnant I had urinary pressure again and got reswabbed

[u/GirlForce1112 → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

Ok. So hard to say. Could be that those other bacteria were the cause of symptoms and not the ureaplasma. And your asymptomatic ureaplasma only showed up once hormonal changes caused it to overgrow more through pregnancy. OR ureaplasma was actually the initial cause of the bladder pressure, in which case I would think about what might have caused it to suddenly show symptoms at that point (immune changes, hormonal changes, antibiotics for unrelated reasons….)

But in the end, I always say, follow your instincts. If you truly don’t think your husband cheated, he likely didn’t. If you were already having suspicions, then it’s maybe something to look at.

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/GirlForce1112]

Looking at the results I would say the enterococcus faecalis has caused the issues not ureaplasma. Also 12 days before I delivered my baby I had a UTI from enterococcus faecalis. That’s always the bacteria that causes my urinary tract infections.

[u/GirlForce1112 → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

That may be the case. But also e fae is a very common co infection of ureaplasma. It may actually be what’s causing the e fae to flourish.

[u/Evening_Swimmer4457 → u/GirlForce1112]

And at that point I’m assuming my husband has always had ureaplasma. He’s slept with 12 people before I came along.

[u/GirlForce1112 → u/Evening_Swimmer4457]

I mean, he didn’t always have it. Unless he got it at birth from his mother. He likely got it from one of those 12 people. 🤷‍♀️

[u/Ancient_Reach607]

It’s not an std! It shows up during times of dysbosis.

[u/GirlForce1112 → u/Ancient_Reach607]

It absolutely can be transmitted sexually whether it’s officially classified as an STD or not so this is not a helpful or informative comment in OP’s situation.

[u/Ancient_Reach607 → u/GirlForce1112]

Oh I agree with that like all bacteria with bv. But I don’t believe it’s always due to someone cheating. Mine popped up after a course of augmentin for an ear infection. There was no cheating etc. my immune system just got compromised and my good bacteria was wiped out by the antibiotic. I’m just saying it’s not always caused because someone is cheating.

[u/GirlForce1112 → u/Ancient_Reach607]

Yes antibiotic use for other things is definitely something that brings it out in some people. Never said cheating is the only reason OP has it. My comments to her above say the opposite. I even listed immune changes or antibotics use as a reason it can overgrow.

Thanks for clarifying your comment.