What do I have?

[Howdydodee]

I was in a monogamous relationship for 3 years with my girlfriend.  She had her yearly checkups with nothing abnormal for those years.  
6 months ago - We broke up and she started having protected sex with someone and I started having unprotected sex with a girl (4 times).  
2 months ago - We then got back together.  After having sex with this girl I started getting paranoid and felt like I had something.  Went and got checked out for everything you could get checked for, nothing.  Still felt uneasy down there. (did the vinegar test a few times in this timeframe - found nothing)
1 month ago - Girlfriend had a pap smear
2 weeks ago

[Englishman]

I read about the vinegar test. Some decent looking websites report that this is used in diagnostics. From my experience its ****, I went to a GUM clinic in England and they don't use it to diagnose HPV. Is this some world wide joke to get paranoid blokes to chuck vingar over their manhoods or is it a way for companies to sell more vinegar?(!)

[Brian123]

Many situations can cause a Pap smear test to go awry (such as yeast infections).
There is no reason to believe that she does have HPV.  

But my question to MD HHH is one concerning HPV and itching.
I know of several friends who have had HPV, and were diagnosed with visible warts when itching was occurring. Cannot HPV be the source/cause of itching for most individuals who are infected with this virus? (I see many sites/pamphlets that attribute itching as an affect of HPV exposure with visible warts present)...just curious.

As far as the participant's question is concerned, HPV is nothing serious.
A common dermatologist sees HPV all to often and would be an excellent source of info. for information regarding HPV.

[Howdydodee]

Thanks for the information, but to clarify my girlfriends situation - her first pap smear came up abnormal so she had another one done 3 weeks later and that one came back normal.  Her doctor then had someone look at the first and concluded that the first was also normal and that she was sorry for the misclarification and that she didn't have HPV and everything is fine.  Is that normal?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Despite what you apparently have read, the "vinegar test" is useless. STD experts, including the CDC, recommend against ever using it to try to diagnose HPV infections.  The only exception is when a biopsy is going to be done of the cervix in women, to help guide the provider about where to take the specimen.  Otherwise, most HPV infections don't show up with vinegar; and many white spots aren't HPV.  If your doctor thinks your penis looks normal, then it's normal.  Anyway, HPV doesn't cause itching.

Your girlfriend needs to follow her doctor's advice about her abnormal pap.  But even if she has HPV (which she probably does), it really means nothing for your health, even if you also are infected (which you probably are). There is no particular reason to suspect she caught it from you.  Almost everybody gets genital HPV at one time or another.  

Bottom line:  Your questions suggest you don't yet know much about genital HPV infections and how harmless they are.  Do some research.  Start with the article on HPV/warts in the link "STD Quick Facts and Articles" on the STD Forum home page, and also the information offered by CDC (www.cdc.gov/std).  Then search this forum for "HPV", "human papillomavirus", and "genital warts".

And of course follow up with your doctor if your symptoms persist or you are otherwise uncertain what is going on.

Good luck--  HHH, MD