HPV? Herpes?

[worriedandregretful]

This is very difficult for me to type as I am very regretful for my actions. I had one protected sexual encounter with a worker in the sex industry. I had no symptoms in the three weeks immediately after (or currently). After my regretful encounter, I had engaged in sex with my girlfriend of two years. Five weeks after my stupid actions, she developed a yeast infection. She took some medication for the yeast infection. But the itching persists and she has also noticed a small bump inside her vagina. To my knowledge she does not have an STI.

What is the likelihood that I have contracted an STI from that one encounter?
What might this bump be?
Have I infected her with an STI?
I have never been tested before, what is the likelihood that I had an STI before but only now infected my partner?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

[BethanySublime]

1)  Since you used protection, there is not much to worry about.  however, hpv can still be spread since condoms don't cover all the skin that touches.
2) "small bump" does not provide enough information to guess at what it could be.  is it skin colored?  is it painful?  is it fluid/pus filled?  is it open?  does it bleed or scab?
3) she will need an examination from a doctor to answer that question, and even still, you can't always know who gave who what.
4) it is very possible you were already carrying something before you met her.  sometimes people have herpes and never get an outbreak.  many, many, many people have hpv and don't know it.

also, i can't remember the exact percentage but i believe it's like 60% of self-treated yeast infections are actually not yeast infections.  if she's never had one she definitely should get a doctor diagnosis before she treats it herself.

[worriedandregretful]

Thank you for the quick reply BethanySublime. The small bump is new. I do not know if it fluid or pus filled. I do not think it is open or bleeding. I think it is painful but I am not sure. She is pretty sure that it is a yeast infection.

Could it really be possible that I have had for many years and not even known it? I didn't have sex with anyone else for 6 years before I met her. I did have unprotected sex with multiple partners before that though. But, I was never tested and never had any outbreaks.

[worriedandregretful]

What are some other ways for warts to develop in the vagina?

[BethanySublime]

any sort of genital warts are caused by HPV (actually all warts are caused by HPV), but there are different strains that cause them in different areas.  the kind of warts that can grow on the cervix are different than external genital warts.

it is a little unusual to carry HPV for 6 years although it is definitely possible, more likely if you smoke cigarettes and/or have a weak immune system.  but i'm not saying it is a wart, you will definitely need a doctor to look at it to know for sure, HPV is just my area of expertise.  herpes stay in your system forever, so if you had that then 6 years of abstinence doesn't mean you're in the clear.  basically, you should both go to the doctor and get an examination and you might also want to get a blood test although i don't know if herpes can even form in there.  I don't think I can tell you any more, just get checked out.

[worriedandregretful]

I am freaking out. My gf went to the doctors yesterday and I am really worried that she might have contracted HPV or HSV from me. This is the last thing I want. When people say "low risk" when using protection, how low is low? We haven't talked about her symptoms. I haven't heard from her yet. Any thoughts?

[gracefromHHP]

Have you told your gf yet that you were with a sex worker recently?  

Your gf's following up with her doctor is the best course of action to find out what is going on.  

grace

[BethanySublime]

i've heard that condoms are 80% effective agains HPV, although it wasn't from a credible source.  i'm not sure of the effectiveness of condoms against herpes, but i think it's better than for HPV.

also, I have been responding as if you are the one that gave whatever it is to her, whether from the sex worker or from your past, but there is an equal chance that she had it already.  don't feel too guilty.  there is a very good chance that if it is HPV or herpes, you will never know who had it first (unless of course only one of you has it but there are no HPV tests for men unless you have visible warts so if it's a wart then you'll most likely never know, so it's best not to put the blame on anyone)

but hopefully you'll know what's going on very soon, and hopefully it's not an STD at all (also very possible!  don't think that because it's in her genital area it's automatically an STD)

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND!!!  and let us know the results if you feel comfortable!

[worriedandregretful]

Thank you Grace and BethanySublime for the questions and comments. Haven't heard back from my gf. I am assuming the worst but will just have to deal.