red bumps around labia

[parjay6681]

I've found a few small, red bumps that are tender to the touch on my labia around my clitoris.  I know one of them is an ingrown hair from shaving.  This weekend, I went camping and had to pee in the woods, so i squatted very close to the ground in the dark.  Is there a possibility these could be bug bites of some kind?  I've only been with one sexual partner (my boyfriend) for the past 8 months, and this is the first time anything unusual has happened.  He has no unusual symptoms.  I also read that sores and bumps can appear on sexual areas when you are ill, and I just caught a virus that's going around my college campus (swollen glands, fever, sore throat).  I went to the nurse and tested negative for strep and mono...she thinks it's a mild virus.  Is there any chance these bumps could be something more serious, like an STD?  Any help would be appreciated.  I'm very concerned.

[mur001]

I recently had the same problem. I went camping as well, and the that I was seeing at the time, shared a tent with me. There was alot of sexual activity that weekend ( 2-3 times a day.) I also would have to pee in the woods, and since there was no showers, we had to make due with the lake. About a week later, 2 red bumps (the size of mosquito bites) showed up on my labia majoris. They weren't too itchy, but sore to the touch. There weren't any hair follicles, and when you squeezed them, nothing came out. After about a week, one of them went away but the other stayed in the same condition. After another week, it wasn't sore but there was clearly a lump under the skin. I was so scared, and on the verge of tears, but I decided to go to the doctor. When she looked at it she told me I was crazy for thinking it was herpes. Because of the conditions: 1.)Camping in the woods without showering, 2.) Excessive sexual activity, 3.) Excessive amount of heat and sweating,  I had gotten labial cysts. I tested negative for STDs through a blood test, but got a pap smear just in case. That also came back negative. A week later, the bump started to soften up and turned into what looked like a blood blister. I "popped" it, and although it was sore for a day or two, it healed without scabbing and went away. However, I can still feel where it was so it didn't completely go away.

I hope this helps. Best wishes and good luck!

[stfany]

I also have small reddish bumps/sores/spots on my labia. It sounds nuts, but they almost look like a bite or a nick w/ a razor. They don't itch, there's no burning, no puss, oozing, etc. When I stand up they feel like a bump, but when I'm siting they are smooth. I've tested negative for herpes. My doctor's not worried, but I need to know what they are from and how to get rid of them????

[HHH,MD]

You need to see a provider to be checked for genital herpes, the most likely cause of otherwise unexplained red bumps of the sort you describe.  Do it quickly, before the bumps heal; that will make diagnosis (of herpes or anything else) much easier.

HHH, MD

[WilliamsMom]

When I was 18 and in College I had one single boyfriend for a while. He ended up having this little rash that came and went and he never told me because he wasn't worried, or was embarrassed, I am still not sure. I never had any bumps or anything, I went to the doctors and they did a pap smear and said there was nothing there, then when I became pregnant I had the same thing you are experiencing and they did another pap smear of the actual infected area and it ended up being HPV which is like genital warts. My boyfriend swore he didn't cheat on me, so I must of had it from the first time I slept with him, but it took pregnancy to show up. I learned that if you have a severe cold or the flu you have can have a flare up, you can have outbreaks whenever. I was prescribed some ointment I had to sue for along time, most of my pregnancy and then one day it went away. I have never had another outbreak or tested for it on my pap smear, but thats what it sounds like to me, you could have had some kind of STD for a while, they don't always show up right away. Have a pap smear of the infected area before it goes away, and ask for a blood test, just incase you never know.

[jgirl34]

They could be a STD or have you thought maybe about poision ivy? I dont know when its out or if its a seasonal thing, but its something to think about especially if it itches. Has your bf been with anyone else before? It would be worth going to the Dr and getting checked out! Good Luck!