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At a Loss; Would Appreciate Feedback

Hi all. I'm a 28y/o heterosexual female. Relevant sexual health information: I ended a relationship in late May and in early June I was tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis C, HSV 1 & 2, and HIV (the gonorrhea and chlamydia tests were via cervical swabs and everything else was via blood work). Negative across the board. On June 22nd I had a sexual encounter that included unprotected oral sex (received and given) and protected vaginal intercourse. On July 29th I had a second sexual encounter that included deep kissing and giving unprotected oral sex (I was on my period at the time and my male partner did not touch my genitals with either hand or mouth).

Here's my situation:
I recently found a small vaginal sore/bump on the right side of my inner labia minora, very close to the vaginal opening. It is not painful, but slightly tender when I examine it. I only became aware of it by chance.

Sunday morning when I used the toilet and wiped, I felt a twinge of an ache around my vaginal opening. I didn't think anything of it--I use the vaginal ring NuvaRing as contraception and had recently put a new one in, which requires pushing and positioning in that area and can sometimes leave the vaginal opening a bit sore. But then yesterday, whenever I used the toilet and had contact with my genital area, the ache continued. At one point, I used a compact mirror to try to see if I had any razor burn that would be bothering me. At first I saw nothing, but when I pulled the lips back from the vaginal opening, I saw a small, red bump with a white head on the right side that looked inflamed.

Immediately, I panicked. My first thought was that I had an STD. But upon thinking about my recent sexual past, I realized that my last oral-to-genital contact with a partner was almost 8 weeks ago, and my most recent sexual experience did not involved my genitals at all. I then reached out to the partner with whom I received oral sex and had intercourse and he informed me that he was recently tested and was clean; I specifically asked him if he'd ever experienced a cold sore and he said no. I then started researching other causes of vaginal lumps and bumps, and came across the Bartholin's Cyst. From the descriptions on a number of healthcare provider websites, the cyst forms in the spot where I found my bump, and commonly forms on either one side or the other of the vaginal opening. I read about home treatments such as sitz baths and hot compresses, and took a long sitz bath last evening that helped a lot. I looked at the area again this morning and saw it was much less inflamed, though there was still a small bump with a white head. I also recall that I had a similar bump a number of years ago, also on the right side of the opening, and was told by my doctor to bathe in warm water.

I'm really at a loss as to what this could be. I have a clinic appointment scheduled tomorrow morning, but I'm anxious and searching for possibilities. My sore isn't painful and there's only one; I've had no accompanying discharge, smell, or swelling. From reading through herpes symptoms and timing, my experience doesn't really fall in line. On the other hand, from what I've read about Bartholin's Cysts, there isn't usually a white area/coloring unless it's an abscess, which causes noticeable pain. Thoughts? I would appreciate anyone's input. Thanks!
6 Responses
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Avatar universal
Have to post in the herpes forum
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Avatar universal
Hi again. I'm on an anxiety roller coaster today. :( At the clinic this morning I was swabbed for gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and gave a blood sample for HSV 1 & 2. The doctor listed off the possibilities after a physical examination: pimple, cyst, early-stage HSV sore. She did say that she didn't immediately recognize it as something in particular, which I guess is good? I just don't know what to think. I've never had a pimple in that area before (had one or two on my vulva, but didn't know pimples could show up on/within the labia), but it certainly looked (whitehead) and acted (not painful, unless I fiddled with it) like a pimple. Can someone describe to me the time frame and common symptoms for herpes?
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Avatar universal
Yes and yes
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Second update: when I arrived home from the clinic, I took a 15 minute sitz bath in warm-hot water. After the bath, I took a Q-tip and very gently wiped across the whitehead of the bump. The whitehead came off on the Q-tip and the bump is now a very small, slightly raised reddish/flesh-colored area. I'll continue to monitor it. Is it possible it was just a standard pimple? Do pimples show up in that area?
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Avatar universal
Just finished my clinic appointment and was told by the doctor, "I'll be honest, I've not seen anything like this. And I've seen a lot." I don't know if that's good news or bad news. After two days of sitz baths, my bump has shrunken in size and looks like a tiny, pinhead pimple.
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Avatar universal
Sorry but skin issues can be many things and because they can be many things we can't even guess what they are. Would need an exam. I can say that most skin issues are not STD related.
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