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Monthly Vaginal Pain - Herpes? Anyone With Similar Experiences, Please Reply!
I'm really looking for anyone that can offer some insight as to what might be going on with me...
At the end of March, I had sex with my now ex-boyfriend. We used a condom but did have unprotected oral sex. About two days later, I began experiencing what I thought were the symptoms of a yeast infection - redness, burning, and a slight increase is vaginal discharge. I used a three-day vaginal treatment but my symptoms continued. I went to my doctor and was tested for STDs (including herpes) and yeast/BV infections, all of which came back negative. My doctor did a vaginal exam and could see nothing irregular and nothing that looked like a sore or lesion.
My symptoms continue to reoccur every month. The only time I really feel any relief is during my period and the week following. I have been back to the doctor for two more visits with the same result. I am greatly concerned that this might be a herpes infection. Since the doctors can not find anything to swab, I have to rely on blood testing. (Does anyone know how many weeks you have to wait after your last sexual encounter to have an accurate result? I have read everything from 9 weeks to 16 weeks.)
I am feeling frustrated because the doctors are beginning to treat me as if this is all in my head. My pain is not overwhelming, but it is difficult being in discomfort on a daily basis.
Other information and symptoms that someone might recognize...
1. I was put on two antibiotics, amoxicillin and clindamycin, in months prior to this for other health issues.
2. I am on birth control pills.
3. I have always struggled with vaginal dryness. Using tampons was sometimes uncomfortable.
4. I have had bacterial infections in the past.
5. I have noticed flaky, peeling skin on my outer labia as well as a small fissure at the top of my labia. The fissure healed with an application of OTC antibiotic cream.
6. I get aches in my thighs from time to time.
7. The pain and irritation will subside and then return, sometimes after a few hours, sometimes the next day.
8. Irritation seems the most prominent on my outer labia and in the central area near my clitoris.
If anyone has any information that they can share, I would greatly appreciate it!
At the end of March, I had sex with my now ex-boyfriend. We used a condom but did have unprotected oral sex. About two days later, I began experiencing what I thought were the symptoms of a yeast infection - redness, burning, and a slight increase is vaginal discharge. I used a three-day vaginal treatment but my symptoms continued. I went to my doctor and was tested for STDs (including herpes) and yeast/BV infections, all of which came back negative. My doctor did a vaginal exam and could see nothing irregular and nothing that looked like a sore or lesion.
My symptoms continue to reoccur every month. The only time I really feel any relief is during my period and the week following. I have been back to the doctor for two more visits with the same result. I am greatly concerned that this might be a herpes infection. Since the doctors can not find anything to swab, I have to rely on blood testing. (Does anyone know how many weeks you have to wait after your last sexual encounter to have an accurate result? I have read everything from 9 weeks to 16 weeks.)
I am feeling frustrated because the doctors are beginning to treat me as if this is all in my head. My pain is not overwhelming, but it is difficult being in discomfort on a daily basis.
Other information and symptoms that someone might recognize...
1. I was put on two antibiotics, amoxicillin and clindamycin, in months prior to this for other health issues.
2. I am on birth control pills.
3. I have always struggled with vaginal dryness. Using tampons was sometimes uncomfortable.
4. I have had bacterial infections in the past.
5. I have noticed flaky, peeling skin on my outer labia as well as a small fissure at the top of my labia. The fissure healed with an application of OTC antibiotic cream.
6. I get aches in my thighs from time to time.
7. The pain and irritation will subside and then return, sometimes after a few hours, sometimes the next day.
8. Irritation seems the most prominent on my outer labia and in the central area near my clitoris.
If anyone has any information that they can share, I would greatly appreciate it!
I just wanted to say thank you for all of your help. I wrote down those perscription creams you mentioned. I keep hoping the treatment will be something easy and I will get relief from my symptoms....
The best treatments are prescription strength - premarin cream, vagifem inserts ( prescription - not to be confused with the otc product ) and the estrogen ring are the 3 most common treatments. Even though I'll usually rather paint an entire house than use a cream down yonder ( I HATE TO PAINT ) I'm a fan of starting out with the premarin cream so that you can treat both internally and externally and then after a few months when everything seems better then do some maintence with one of the others if need be. There are also some otc products like replens to give a try too but they don't strengthen the skin like the topical estrogens do. Vaginal dryness just sets you up for bv too and it can be a vicious circle sometimes :(
hope you can get to the bottom of all this soon. sometimes it just sucks to be a gal :(
grace
hope you can get to the bottom of all this soon. sometimes it just sucks to be a gal :(
grace
Grace - I am glad you responded. I have been reading other threads and you seem to be very educated when it comes to all of this...
I was initially tested for HSV1 and HSV2 via a blood test back in early April. Both tests came out negative. This was only about 2 weeks after my last exposure. My doctor said that I would need to wait a few months before repeating the test. I plan to repeat the test at the end of this month. (14 weeks will have passed.) I am still very scared and nervous, but I get a little piece of mind knowing that I will likely know the source of my infection if my results do turn out positive...
I have not treated my vaginal dryness previously. Do you know of any topicals treatments that might give me relief? I am afraid to use creams because I feel that they may make things worse.
I appreciate all of the information that you have provided. Like I said - I want to be as informed as possible when I go in for my next appointment.
I was initially tested for HSV1 and HSV2 via a blood test back in early April. Both tests came out negative. This was only about 2 weeks after my last exposure. My doctor said that I would need to wait a few months before repeating the test. I plan to repeat the test at the end of this month. (14 weeks will have passed.) I am still very scared and nervous, but I get a little piece of mind knowing that I will likely know the source of my infection if my results do turn out positive...
I have not treated my vaginal dryness previously. Do you know of any topicals treatments that might give me relief? I am afraid to use creams because I feel that they may make things worse.
I appreciate all of the information that you have provided. Like I said - I want to be as informed as possible when I go in for my next appointment.
I'm totally with monkeyflower - this is well worth following up with with a specialist ( though don't hesitate to ask around about one that you find - some of them are way better than others ) . I've have my own fair share of genital issues completely non-related to herpes and they can be really difficult to get to the bottom of :( do you treat your vaginal dryness? If dryness is an issue with you normally - being on the bc pill can sometimes trigger atrophic vaginitis even in young women ( I"m assuming you are premenapausal - it's most common in women who are in menapause ). Atrophic vaginitis - HURTS LIKE HELL. It's more than just dryness - it needs treated to strengthen the vaginal skin again. You can also work with a dermatologist too to get allergy testing done but keep in mind that you can not test as being allergic to something and still have sensitive skin - especially in the genital area. http://www.med.umich.edu/obgyn/vulva/vulvodyn.htm is a website I like because it talks about many of the common reasons besides std's that can cause us gals problems down yonder. It also offers many useful suggestions.
As for when to test for herpes so that you can rule that out as a cause ( and even if you do have hsv2 that doesn't mean that it's the cause of everything going on down yonder either - hope that makes sense ) why don't you go get a baseline test now? How long was it since you last had sex? If it's been at least 8 weeks there's a good chance that it's accurate but if it's negative and you need the peace of mind then you can repeat it another month or 2 after that and then put the idea of herpes to rest.
Hope you get to the bottom of this all soon.
grace
As for when to test for herpes so that you can rule that out as a cause ( and even if you do have hsv2 that doesn't mean that it's the cause of everything going on down yonder either - hope that makes sense ) why don't you go get a baseline test now? How long was it since you last had sex? If it's been at least 8 weeks there's a good chance that it's accurate but if it's negative and you need the peace of mind then you can repeat it another month or 2 after that and then put the idea of herpes to rest.
Hope you get to the bottom of this all soon.
grace
Sounds like herpes. I had similar symptoms without the aches, and worried about herpes. Finally, after yrs of being told you are fine, I got the herpes select and I do have hsv 2. I am going to get a repeat though for my sanity sake but I do think it is right. What else would explain the dryness and tears, redness, swelling, etc. Get a blood test for sure.
Thank you for responding...
My doctor believes that I might have some kind of skin allergy as well. I've always worn cotton underwear and I now sleep without them. I have switched to Dreft baby detergent, I use soaps for sensitive skin, and I only wash my vaginal area with water. So far I have not seen any change in my symptoms.
I have done some reading on both vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis, and I am doing my best to document my symptoms and be as informed as possible when I make an appointment with a gynecologist or specialist. However, I have decided to wait to make an appointment until I can eliminate herpes as a possibility. From what I have read here and elsewhere, most information say that 3 months after exposure should give an accurate result. I have to make it through three more weeks before I test again...
Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I would love to hear from any others that might have some advice.
My doctor believes that I might have some kind of skin allergy as well. I've always worn cotton underwear and I now sleep without them. I have switched to Dreft baby detergent, I use soaps for sensitive skin, and I only wash my vaginal area with water. So far I have not seen any change in my symptoms.
I have done some reading on both vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis, and I am doing my best to document my symptoms and be as informed as possible when I make an appointment with a gynecologist or specialist. However, I have decided to wait to make an appointment until I can eliminate herpes as a possibility. From what I have read here and elsewhere, most information say that 3 months after exposure should give an accurate result. I have to make it through three more weeks before I test again...
Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I would love to hear from any others that might have some advice.
It doesn't sound like herpes--you wouldn't have herpes for three weeks out of every month anyway.
Google vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis, and consider trying to find a pelvic pain specialist (it's a subset of gynecology). Evidently they're not easy to find, but worth the effort. There was a woman who documented her experiences with vulvar vestibulitis on another board I frequent--her treatment involved doing away with soap on her vulva (just rinsing with water is fine), white cotton and/or no underwear, no jeans, fragrance free detergents, etc. It also included seeing a physical therapist (for biofeedback, etc.), and a sex therapist. Consider seeing a dermatologist, too.
Personally, I wouldn't let this go. Regardless of the initial cause, genital pain too easily becomes a vicious cycle--you're uncomfortable, so you're tense, which exacerbates the pain, which makes you more anxious and tense... it's a really tough cycle to break. But you CAN break it. Don't give up :-)
Google vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis, and consider trying to find a pelvic pain specialist (it's a subset of gynecology). Evidently they're not easy to find, but worth the effort. There was a woman who documented her experiences with vulvar vestibulitis on another board I frequent--her treatment involved doing away with soap on her vulva (just rinsing with water is fine), white cotton and/or no underwear, no jeans, fragrance free detergents, etc. It also included seeing a physical therapist (for biofeedback, etc.), and a sex therapist. Consider seeing a dermatologist, too.
Personally, I wouldn't let this go. Regardless of the initial cause, genital pain too easily becomes a vicious cycle--you're uncomfortable, so you're tense, which exacerbates the pain, which makes you more anxious and tense... it's a really tough cycle to break. But you CAN break it. Don't give up :-)
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the STDs / STIs Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
