Herpes?!

[stephi_0502]

Hello-

I had a quick question for anyone out there willing to help out.  I'm 23 years old and the first time I was tested for genital herpes was at 16.  I never had any sores only little fissures (and only one at a time) The swab and blood test came back negative.  I have recently started having symptoms again (vaginal discharge, fissures, soreness in my butt when this occurs and pain when my urine hits the skin) I have been tested for eveything under the sun for the discharge and when I told the doctor about the burning she suggested a herpes blood panel.  So I did that and I wont get the results for another week....I was wondering the possibility of being positive after 7 years?? I have been with the same guy also......

[stephi_0502]

Hello again Grace-

  Well the test came back negative! For HSV 1 & 2.  The only sexual partner my fiance has has is....me :) he has not had STD testing, because I haven't even found any STDs on me lol.  Just very wierd bodily changes after a rape.  I am going to try to get a hormone test done just to make sure thats not the problem.  I have been on birth control pills, but just for a very short period of time because the doctor was concerned about my cramping so he thought I should try them...they did nothing but make me tired all the time.   I will try to keep you posted on anything else that comes up in my life :) thank you so much for your help!!!

[gracefromHHP]

also allergies can start at any point in your life too. I'm guessing you probably are either at college or came home from it recently - changes in locations can expose you to things you weren't exposed to previously to even know you had allergies.

[gracefromHHP]

That thick gooey discharge is often normal in us gals. it can be hormonal too. are you on birth control pills?   if you are, have you tried changing them at all during the last 2 years.  also make sure you are doing things like plain cotton panties, no scented soaps, unscented tampons if you use them for your period, no douching and also you can use a barrier cream to protect your skin from the discharge like zinc oxide, desitin, aquaphor etc.  If you wear panty hose or tights a lot, make sure when you are home you take them of and if you can , go bottomless so cool drying air gets to your genital area ( even no panties at night is helpful - wear a big nightshirt ).  

discharge with genital herpes only occurs during recurrences if you are even going to get it at all.

does it sound like some odd std or infection you picked up when you were raped? not really. our bodies change as we age and it's not always so enjoyable either ( not that you are old at 23 by no means but you know your body now is nothing like it was when you were 13 either as far as your skin and your periods and such ).  

do you and your partner use condoms? has your partner had a full std screening too?

[stephi_0502]

Hello again Grace,

  Another quick question for you if you have some time to answer.  But first I would like to fill you in on some of my story....I have been with the same man now for 6 years, but unfortunalty I was raped almost 2 years ago...thats when all the symptoms started. I have been checked repeatedly by the doctor and have been tested for...clamydia, gono, trich, syphilis, yeast, bacterial infections, HIV...all negative. *I did test positive for mycoplasma and ureaplasma but cleared it up after antibiotics. They include, CONSTANT vaginal discharge (almost like eggwhites) fissures (which I have had for 6 years!) and wierd hormonal stuff like ance, moodswings, allergies for the first time.  SO, I want to ask is....
I know that vaginal discharge is common in people that have genital herpes, but does this discharge only happen when you are having an outbreak or is it suppose to be constant like I have it?

PS* If anyone has any clue if you can have some kind of weird hormonal imbalance at my age (23) that might be triggered by a tramatic experience that includes discharge, ance, mood swings, allergies (NONE of these things I had before)  Please let me know your story. I'm desparate!

[gracefromHHP]

if your test results come back negative, definitely time to look for other causes.  Usually chronic infection with yeast causes skin issues like you've described though sometimes it's just a lack of estrogen in our genital skin that causes it to be more delicate and tear easier.  birth control pills cause the estrogen to be metabolized through the liver and sometimes things can go wrong and the estrogen doesn't get metabolized properly and you can get a lack of estrogen to the genital skin. It's something typically only an issue in post menopausal women so oftentimes providers don't even consider it as an issue in younger women.  topical estrogen cream helps to strengthen the genital skin no matter what the cause of the issues.  also many dermatological issues too that can go on so sometimes your gyn working with a dermatologist can be beneficial too. you can ask your gyn for a recommendation from other patients for one or call around and see if anyone near you has a special interest in dermatological issues of the vulvular skin.

sometimes it just sucks being a female :(

[stephi_0502]

Thanks for the quick response!
She has never mentioned topical cream...but I will suggest it to her :) I understand what you are saying about being tested too early and possibly getting a flase negative. I heard somewhere that herpes blood tests were sometimes not the most accurate...if my test comes back positive/negative should I trust the results? Thank you so much grace!

[gracefromHHP]

this could be many things going on. once you get your blood test results back you'll have better answers.  

if your blood test was done too early when you were 16 it could've been a false negative.

even though you are young, you can still have atrophic vaginitis issues. have they tried something as simple as topical estrogen cream for a few months to see if that helps?

grace