Is this possible??

[BrooklynAngel]

Hi, 29 y/o fem with a worry. For nearly 2 months, I had what seemed to be a yeast infection which finally disappeared after two treatments of monistat, but then a burning sensation began. I visited my gyno fearing it may be vaginosis, but his tests said I was neg for that & yeast, however my wbc was a bit high so he sent out for a urine culture. He had taken a swab of my cervix, but didn’t send that out. He hasn’t called me back, so I assume it was neg.

He suggested allergies so I began eliminating synthetic undies & tight pants, wearing none at night & changed body wash. Felt better, but still not cured. It doesn't burn when I pee, nor during sex & seems to be more around my clit/urethra & the skin looks a bit red. It also gets worse w/humidity. I also in the last week have frequent urination, my bladder feels sore but is full. It’s been a month since I saw the gyno. Last week I also had a full check up with my GP (no STD test tho) & he found no WBC in my urine or any indication of inflammation or infection anywhere.

Anyway, this is my concern: Last July, I had hooked up with a friend, & though we had no sex there was heavy petting. At one point he masturbated, ejaculated, & then masturbated again. He had washed his hands in between, but I remember him saying he found a little semen on his penis the 2nd time around & how he didn't clean up as well as he thought. A few min after, he pulled my labia apart with his hands, but I shooed him away since he had made that comment. He didn’t finger me. I had also fondled his testicles & may have briefly rubbed my clit after. I’ve been having sex w/one person after that but it has always been protected, & I know this person's history & we have been monogamous since our relationship began.

Is it possible that I could have caught an STI from this interaction? & that I had no symptoms for a whole year & then suddenly a slew of them? TY!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Sounds like a good plan. Try to focus  your attention and activity elsewhere and see what happens.  Take care. EWH

[BrooklynAngel]

Thank you for your quick response!

You are right, I am very worried and stressed over this. I've also had an incredibly stressful year in general. I had caught chlamydia once before as a teen, and it was such a surprise to me. Ever since then I've done my best to be as careful as possible, but I feel like during that encounter, I lost my head, and now I may be paying for it. I'm also afraid that having anything for so long might ruin my chances for having children later on, and this thought really upsets me.

You are also right about my being hyper vigilant (I have OCD) and I have noticed the burning sensation is indeed worse at night. When I am busy with something else, I don't notice it as much. I also don't notice it too much when I walk or exercise. Today I bought some KY Silk, and it feels a bit better. I also think the peeing was because I had peed to much and caused my bladder to spasm over the last few days.

I don't think either doctor ordered std tests, because they usually ask me first. I also thought that this might be diabetes related before I got my results last week (it runs in my family &I've been eating a lot of sugar lately) so at that time I didn't think it was necessary to request them as I was more worried about the diabetes.

I thought that maybe it was the yeast returning, but when my gyno told me I was clear for yeast, well, I guess everything started to snowball in my mind.

If this persists for a week or two more I will order tests (I've already taken too many days off for doctor visits this month so I have to wait unfortunately). Till then, I guess I will try to relax and stop irritating myself by checking. Thanks once again doctor! I feel a little relief, which helps a lot.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to our Forum. these sorts of persistent irritations are quite problematic.  The July encounter you describe really sounds most unlikely to have results in an STD and while STD testing once is probably in order, my sense is that other causes are more likely (see below).  In addition, it sounds as though your doctors have been quite thorough in your evaluation (to that end, are you sure that one of them has not tested you for common STDs already?  If you’re not sure, I'd ask rather than request repeat testing).  

I do note that you have seen at least two different doctors, your Gyn and your GP.  My advice would be to work with the one of them you feel most comfortable with to address this. There are some problems, yeast and bacterial vaginosis (neither of which is an STD) which can require several treatments to address.  

Finally, I sense that you are worried about the encounter in July that you've described.  As a result, you may be understandably hyper vigilant.  One of the things I can tell you for sure is that focus on any part of one’s body, including the vagina, can lead to perceptions of irritation and itch as a function of focused attention, as opposed to disease.  Perhaps this is contributing in part. When this is an issue, the symptoms are most prominent at night or during quiet periods but not when one is distracted and busy doing other things.

I hope that these suggestions are helpful. EWH