Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Hi Aunt Vadge,
I had condom-protected sex with a guy at the beginning of July 2015, and in late August noticed a large lump, a painful swelling, on my left labia majora that appeared extremely rapidly, contained fluid when squeezed, but went completely away within a day or two.
I have had unprotected sex with a second guy since then, and since the beginning of September I have been having unprotected sex often with my new boyfriend (third guy), and none of us have had any signs or symptoms of anything.
I have also been tested for STIs twice in the last month or so – the first time was blood work that came back normal (though I am not sure if they tested for herpes), and a few days ago a swab test, where I was treated for a yeast infection. The guy from July said he had thorough blood work done for sport and does not have herpes as far as he knows.
If someone were infected with HSV2 and having constant unprotected sex with a partner, how likely is that partner to have symptoms? If none of us have symptoms, is it safe to assume it was not herpes?
Yours,
Concerned
Dear Concerned,
On the whole, this really does not look like herpes. Here is why.
- You used a condom with the July partner.
- The timing is wrong. Herpes symptoms do not always arrive on schedule, but a first outbreak usually shows up around 2 to 12 days after contact – not nearly two months later.
- A herpes sore is typically a painful blister or ulcer that lasts one to three weeks. A lump that swells up fast, has fluid you can squeeze, and vanishes in a day or two does not fit that picture at all.
- Your two more recent partners have no symptoms and are not really part of this puzzle.
One important correction, because it is a common assumption: a standard STI screen does NOT usually include a herpes blood test unless you specifically ask for one. So the fact you were tested twice does not tell you much about herpes on its own. It is worth getting hold of your results (you are entitled to a copy) and checking whether HSV was actually tested. If you want certainty, ask for a type-specific HSV blood test, or have any future lump swabbed while it is actually there.
As for what the lump probably was, a fast-appearing, fluid-filled swelling on the labia majora that resolves quickly is much more typical of something benign:
- A blocked hair follicle or small skin abscess (folliculitis), more common if you shave the area.
- A sebaceous cyst – a small lump of trapped sebum you can sometimes squeeze; harmless, occasionally removed with a tiny procedure if it keeps coming back.
- A Bartholin’s gland or duct cyst, depending on exactly where it sat – also benign and usually not a repeat problem.
To be reassured for good, a herpes blood test would need to actively look for HSV rather than be assumed. Symptoms can also be very mild or absent in some people, so testing is the only way to be sure either way – but based on what you describe, this reads as a one-off benign lump rather than herpes. If anything like it comes back, get it looked at while it is present so someone can see it in the flesh.
Write again anytime.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
