looking for advise - last posted Mar 10, 2010

[loveiswicked]

I took your advice to stick to the same Dr. The only reason why I keep switching is they all said nothing was wrong ,my body was telling me different. I still have the same symptoms especially after my menstrual cycle now with yellow discharge .So I went back to Gyn  had to see covering Dr (mine was on vacation ) She pretty much read chart  gave me aldara  and  did pap with hpv  (2 wks later results are negative ) so I used aldara for about 2 wks no problems or issues  ..then I had my cycle again and all over again with itching and burning and discharge and some swelling of the vulva area , So I call gyn again to find out she on vacation again so now I can she her partner he for some reason didn't think this was hpv which of course now has me think especially because I read a post of yours on June 22, 2010 02:26PM which you said "  It would be unusual to have warts and not have a positive HPV test." well in the last 16 months I have had 4 pap's with hpv and all were negative ... but I did have a positive biopsy for low risk hpv but no type was given ..That most resent Dr said maybe they were over thinking it . Now today I get a call from his office because he did a vaginal culture its positive for strep b  I had a test done 1 yr ago  and It was negative ... In the last 16 months since this new encounter I haven't had any sexual encounters of any kind ... So I feel like I'm back to square one .. I Don't know what to think anymore ... I am really upset and  becoming  stressed over all this and cant understand why for 16 mth do I still have all these symptoms..Also I did mention your thought of vulvadoniyia and I was told no....  So my questions are
1. Any personal thoughts on this matter ?
2. Do I let my gyn's partner  do another biopsy as per his request ?
3. Should I bother taking the amoxicillin for the positive  vaginal strep B ,
4.In your opinion would strep b cause any of the symptoms I have stated
5. can I transmit to my kids via drinks or toilet ?

[loveiswicked]

Thank you for the fast reply ! I appreciate your time and value both yours and Dr Hooks opinion greatly .....

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome back to the forum.  I reviewed your previous discussion with Dr. Hook and agree with his advice.  To your questions:

1,2) Your description of symptoms certainly seems compatible with vulvodynia, and not with HPV. But personal evaluation by a knowledgeable provider is inherently more reliable than anything a distant expert can say based on written description.  Finding HPV by biopsy probably outweighs the negative swab tests for HPV, so you probably do indeed have HPV. But if you do, it is not a likely cause of the burning and discomfort.  HPV rarely if ever does that.  On the other hand, if a doctor is recommending another biopsy, that suggests some doubt remains over the diagnosis -- perhaps of vulvodynia, HPV, or both.

3,4) Group B strep is a known health problem primarily during pregnancy, because of the risk of transmission to the baby, which can be very serious. It usually causes no other symptoms.  However, this is not an STD issue -- and we don't give advice about gyn problems not caused by STD.  You should discuss this with your doctor -- but if in doubt, follow the advice and take the amoxicillin.

5)  You certainly cannot transmit HPV or any other STD that way; and group B strep wouldn't be a problem for your kids, so that's not a concern.

Sorry you are continuing to have symptoms, but I'm quite certain no STD is responsible.  So there's not much we can do on this forum.  Continue to work on it with your personal physicians.

Good luck---  HHH, MD