Herpes? Alternatives?

13 days ago, I had rough sex with my boyfriend and had vaginal pain and irritation shortly afterward.  A day later, I noticed a small ulcer.  I did not have a noticeable blister or bump beforehand.  The ulcer was only painful when I applied pressure, so I didn't worry much about it.  After a week, it hadn't cleared up completely so I went to the gyno.  She was unsure what it was, because it had healed quite a bit and didn't resemble much of anything at that point.  She suggested I test the area for herpes but informed me the culture may come out negative either way since the "ulcer" had had a week to heal over.  I did have a significant amount of yeast.  The ulcer has since healed completely (2 days after gyno visit, 11 days total).  There was no "crusting" as it healed.  The ulcer just got smaller, less sensitive, and "faded away" over the 11 days.

I've been in a monogamous relationship for 10 months, and, yes, we've been having unprotected sex.  This is because we both tested negative for HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea before having unprotected sex.  I have had unprotected sex before this relationship but have not noticed bumps or ulcers on myself or my partners previously.  I have had confirmed UTIs (3 times) and yeast infections (2 times) in the past 5 years or so.  I have not noticed bumps or blisters on my boyfriend during our 10 months together.

If the culture comes out negative, should I still be concerned about herpes?  What is the best way to proceed at this point?  Is it okay for me to continue having unprotected sex with my boyfriend?  What else could the ulcer have been?

[big_dan]

Do you know what kind of swab the doctor took (culture or PCR)?  Have you had any blood tests done?

[gracefromHHP]

the culture was done far too long into things to be of much use. at this point both you and your partner should get type specific herpes igg blood tests to see who has what to cover that base. odds are neither of you  have ever been tested for herpes before so do it now instead of waiting until you have symptoms again.

grace