Confused and Nervous

My boyfriend and I have been together over a year.  In my previous relationship and current, after sex I have an area at the bottom of the vaginal opening which bleeds.  It has gotten to where it happens every time we have sex.  Then it heals and happens again when we have sex.  My current doctor is treating me for recurrent yeast infections.  My boyfriend just learned he has genital warts.  I will be going to my doctor soon, but I am worried - could it be herpes ? or genital warts ? My doctor has not been able to determine the cause of the 'vaginal abrasion'.  To my and my boyfriend's knowledge - we were never with anyone who had herpes.  But then we didn't realize that one of us had HPV either.  Please help.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

A lesion that bleeds after sex is very unlikely to be herpes or any other STD.  In fact, I have never seen or heard of a bleeding herpes lesion.  Further, since it happens every time you have sex, it would have to mean you have a continuous, non-healing herpes lesion--and there is no such thing.

I have never seen genital warts cause this sort of problem either.  However, I can imagine that a wart at just the wrong place might be injured, simply because it's a prominent piece of tissue that might be rubbed a lot during sex.  On the other hand, in that case a health care provider ought to be able to see the warts at or next to the traumatized area.

I hope this helps.  Best wishes--  HHH, MD