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Penile discharge - herpes/yeast infection/other causes?

I am a girl, but this question is regarding my male sexual partner. I have had genital HSV-1 for a little over one year. Although my gynecologist told me I no longer need to (especially because I have type 1), I take 500mg (half a pill) of Valtrex daily as a means of suppressing it. I started suppressive therapy about two months after contracting herpes. While I've had itching and tingling and maybe some signs of an outbreak, I have never had a full-blown outbreak since the first one (the first one was really bad, of course).

A few days ago, I got a yeast infection. I am quite ill and have been taking an antibiotic and a steroid and I'm sure the yeast infection was caused by the heavy dose of antibiotics. In the midst of taking all of these pills, I irresponsibly forgot to take my Valtrex two days in a row.

Last night, because my yeast infection felt cleared up - just some tenderness and soreness I usually get toward the last few days of my yeast infection - my partner and I had (unprotected) sex. We use condoms when I think I'm getting that pre-outbreak "tingling," but I wasn't having any of that at all. The sex ended up being pretty painful; my skin felt like it was being torn open - I figured this was from the soreness of the yeast infection. I had some itching today but after showering, it went away completely. I examined myself for any sores, and while I know the absence of sores doesn't mean the absence of herpes, I have zero.

This afternoon, my partner had a burning sensation in his urethra, and says that he had some discharge. He described it as off-white/very slightly greenish. There is nothing on the skin of his penis currently, but his urethra still his a light burning sensation. When he had the discharge, it hurt.

I'm very concerned about the possibility of him contracting herpes from me. I take very good care of myself regarding my herpes, but I hadn't taken my Valtrex for a couple days and I know you're more susceptible to viral shedding on the skin when you're ill, and I've been pretty ill the past few weeks. But I know that discharge is a really rare symptom of first-outbreak herpes in men. Could he have possibly contracted the yeast infection? Does the herpes sound likely? Obviously we're going to go to a doctor but I'm hoping to put his mind at ease a little.

Thank you so much. I'm really freaked out and so is he.
11 Responses
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101028 tn?1419603004
yes, prostate infections can also cause symptoms like this.
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Avatar universal
Yes, he brought this up as a concern after he ruled out gonorrhea... could that be a sign of a prostate problem? They didn't examine it while he was at Planned Parenthood.
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101028 tn?1419603004
do you know if they checked out his prostate too when he was there? if the discharge comes back, he should have that done too.
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Avatar universal
Yes, although he doesn't have insurance, he went to Planned Parenthood to be checked out and took a urine test. I went to my gynecologist and got a cervix swab test.
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1174003 tn?1308160819
Yes that is correct.  But the thing is proper testing and diagnoising is important that he see a clinician.  
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Avatar universal
Hi, Grace...I just wanted to thank you for the hasty/smart/calming response and follow up with you. The day after I wrote that, my boy and I both got tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea, since he kept having really thick, pus-like discharge that was yellowish-green in color. I know sometimes it takes some time to show up but he was experiencing so much pain and symptoms, we figured if he got tested in the midst of his symptoms, it would show up positive (is that correct?)..

We both tested negative (and his symptoms actually went away almost completely the day we were tested) and his symptoms are gone as of today, about a week later. My gynecologist thinks the bacteria from the yeast infection AND UTI I had was not completely clear and that he got urethritis.

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101028 tn?1419603004
his symptoms do not sound like herpes.  he needs to be seen today or tomorrow for testing.
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Avatar universal
No, he does not know his own herpes status. I'm wondering if he maybe contracted it before and never had any symptoms..
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101028 tn?1419603004
herpes will not cause urethral discharge in males. he needs to be seen and get a proper work up done to find out what is going on.

you should be avoiding sex until you've completely treated a yeast infection and you feel back to normal.  

when you feel tingling that you think might be your herpes, you should be avoiding sex, not just using a condom.

has your partner been tested to know his own herpes status?

grace
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Avatar universal
One more thing: he now says the pain during urination is so severe he almost fainted.
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Avatar universal
I'd like to add that the itching I had today before I took a shower WAS similar to the itching I had before my first outbreak but, like I said, it's totally gone.
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