Herpes vs. Male Yeast Infection

[JCap88]

I'm 22 years old and I have just recently become sexually active. I've only had one sexual partner (20 years old), and we've been having sex often for the past several weeks. About half the time, we'll have unprotected sex. She just ended a 2 year long exclusive relationship, however she's had unprotected sex with two other men in the past 3 months. She has had no symptoms of an STD.

About 4 days ago, I noticed a rash on the shaft/base of my penis, pubis area, and a small area on my scrotum (note: nothing on the head of my penis). These are very small redish/pinkish bumps that don't appear to be blisters. The rash/bumps are itchy, but tolerable and a lot of the time I don't notice it. My first thought was herpes, but I wasn't experiencing some symptoms like burning during urination, discharge, fevers/headaches/muscle pain, etc. After talking it over with my partner, she told me that she's been experiencing pain during sex, itchiness, and slight discharge (no odor) - all symptoms of a Vaginal Yeast Infection. We decided to get tested the next day.

I went to a doctor and she said visually, it doesn't look like herpes (mostly because the bumps aren't blisters) and more like a yeast infection (which she claimed to be fairly uncommon on male genitalia). But when she felt for lymph nodes, she noticed mine were swollen and I had quite a few in my groin area. At that point she was concerned I contracted herpes. I took a blood test for various STDs including herpes, but I'm still waiting on the results.

My partner got tested the following day at Planned Parenthood. They were almost certain she had a yeast infection and gave her pills to treat it. They saw no symptoms of herpes so they did not administer a blood test - they told her to wait for my results. They didn't rule out herpes though, of course, since it is still possible with no symptoms. The day after she went, she wasn't experiencing anymore symptoms of a yeast infection - right now, everything seems perfectly normal for her.

In the past few days, my condition has basically remained the same - itchy rash, but no noticeable blisters. Of course, I'm hoping it's not herpes, but from what I've read/heard it seems more likely than a yeast infection. I touched base with my doctor today and she didn't say much - she's referring me to a Dermatologist and we're still waiting on the lab results.

Based on my story and our symptoms, what do you think this could be? Also, the doctor didn't seem too concerned until she felt the lymph nodes. What else can cause swollen lymph nodes in the groin area (note: I haven't cut, bumped, or bruised my legs/feet recently)?

I'll try to keep this post up to date as I receive more information - including my test results.

[gracefromHHP]

even the best herpes blood tests still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 infections but they only miss 2 out of every 100 hsv2 infections. you know that at least previous to your symptoms, you didn't have hsv2 and most likely didn't have hsv1 either.

at this point, treat for jock itch but certainly your gf should seek out proper testing since it wasn't done so that you know if you are at risk for std's or not .

[JCap88]

I agree, I really wish she had taken a full test. I haven't been treating the area, but I've avoided scratching the area and I've also been showering twice a day, before and after work. Today, the rash has improved quite a bit. Almost no bumps are left on my penis, and I'm only experiencing a small amount of itchiness. My doctor recently recommended the use of Lotrimin which I plan on purchasing today.

I have some good news! Test results are posted for HSV, and I tested negative for both types! Here were the results:

HSV I AB SPECIFIC IGG - 0.14
HSV 2 AB SPECIFIC IGG - 0.25

Reference Range:
1.10 POSITIVE

I'm extremely relieved, but I know that no test is perfect. How accurate is an HSV test when the result is negative?

[gracefromHHP]

well since she is the only partner you've ever had, her not getting testing done was bad advice on their part :(


your rash sounds like jock itch. are you using otc jock itch cream 2x/day on it? you need to continue to use the cream for a full week after the rash is gone too.

[JCap88]

It is my first sex partner. She did not get a full STD testing at PP. They did a visual examination and found no symptoms of an STD so they didn't recommend blood work until my results came in. Their reasoning was that it may raise more questions rather than answer any, since testing for herpes by blood isn't very accurate. She did get tested for HIV through a finger prick. She tested negative.

Some of my results were recently posted online, all negative. Nothing regarding herpes though.

RPR (Syphilis) - Non reactive
CHLAMYDIA AMP RESULT - Negative
GC AMP RESULT (Gonorrhea)- Negative

My condition remains mostly the same. Still rashy and itchy, but tolerable. No obvious blisters, though there is one small bump that resembles a pimple with a white head, but only one looks like that. The rest of the rash remains the same - slightly raised redish/pinkish small bumps. I also noticed today that there is an area under my penis at the base that feels a bit moist, and the skin gets kinda flakey if I run my finger across it gently. There aren't any bumps in that area, though. And that's the area that itches the most.

[gracefromHHP]

so is this the first sex partner you've ever had? If so, you getting tested for herpes is of little use. your partner shoul dbe tested to see what her status is. did she also get full std testing done while she was at PP?

any infection can cause lymph nodes to swell. jock itch can make it occur too.

grace