Genital warts or something else?

[A]

A few months ago I began getting fleshy bumps on the upper part of my groin, closer to my stomach than the vagina, mostly right above the pubic bone. They are usually red, have pus in the beginning but that usually goes away and they remain just as red bumps until they fade. This has never been an issue before, and I noticed this happening after my boyfriend and I began getting a little more vigorous sexually. He recently had the same breakout, so I was wondering if these could possibly be genital warts or the friction caused us both to get irritated. I read about genital warts and the info always said that they appear on the vagina or close to that area, and mine are farther up.
Thanks for the help.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

A:

They certainly are not genital warts, for many reasons: most important, warts don't have pus and don't fade.  I think the most likely cause is friction, leading to "blocking" of the pores and folliculitis, or pimples.  Chances are your body (and his) will readjust their "thermostats" and the bumps will stop coming.  Don't scratch them or try to squeeze them out, as this will just make them stay red longer.

If the bumps you describe don't go away after a couple of week,s you both ought to show them to a doctor, just to be sure.

Best.

Dr. R

[Rhonda]

You might want to have a doctor look at the bumps.  This souds a lot like herpes, especially becuase both you and your boyfirend had a breakout and it was after more vigorous activitiy, which can bring on an outbreak.  Also herpes can appear anywhere on the body.  To be tested you need to have the sores present and they need to be in the early, white stage.  The doctor will swab the sores and a culture test will be done.  Good luck.

[joan]

i had one bump that looked like a growth by my anus, and now there is a couple more, one larger than the others. what are they?

[Jackie]

I have these itchy red bumps on and above my genital area.  After a couple days they turn to pus and then into a bruise mark.  they go away and keep spreading.  Is the an OTC med. to make them go away?

[nd]

A few months ago I was diagnosed with genital warts.  The treatment consisted of burning them off.  Previous to the treatment, I never noticed their presence, visually or otherwise.  Now, my whole vagina is red and itchy.  It's difficult to see with my untrained eye, but there also seem to be bumps present, which would be consistent with my diagnosis.  I've never heard that genital warts cause itching or inflaming, and was wondering if this was normal in cases of genital warts, or if perhaps what I have is something else.  Thank you.