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Question:
My girlfriend has noticed small, white, raised and pointed growths-very hard to see-on her lower labia. We checked online to see if her symtoms were similar to certain types of STD's and found nothing. Genital warts seemed like our best guess, but they weren't even symilar as these are white and not grey or pinkish in color, and not cauliflwer shaped, but somewhat pointed and raised above the surface. It effected us psychologically, because she was afraid I would react irrationally thinking off-hand that it was contagious or she thought i would think i was the cause. Could it possibly be contracted from a previous partner or infection from another source? She is also feeling discomfort when something touches it. We used to have sex often and when she found these anomolies she was obviously distracted and depressed she didn't tell me about them for a while after so i have made an appointment to have STD tests done as well. I have found nothing on me and have no symptoms of having anything , in fact i feel healthier than normal lately. We made an appointment for a checkup with an OB-GYN, and are somewhat worried about this situation. Please respond and I thank you for your help.
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Answer:
by Georgan Gregg: (05/25/2004)
You have taken the right steps to discover the problem. Being upset with what could be an STD is a normal reaction. Continue the communication and support you’ve been using in your relationship, especially if it is determined the skin problem is an STD. There are numerous types of skin diseases that can affect the genitals. Lesions on the genitalia should always be checked by your physician. S/he can refer your girlfriend to a dermatologist (skin specialist) if the diagnosis is difficult to determine. Medical evaluation is necessary to determine if what she has is genital warts (condylomata acuminata, human papilloma virus-HPV, condyloma).
HPV is one of the most common STD, but few people have symptoms. There are dozens of virus under the broad name HPV, but only certain types result in warts. The appearance of the warts varies greatly. The cauliflower description you found in your on-line search is actually a group of warts, with an individual wart possibly being so small that they aren’t visible to the naked eye. Even if they are visible, your doctor will want to test them to offer a diagnosis. Generally, warts caused by HPV are a small problem. The types of HPV that cause external genital warts are not linked with cancer. Treatment will be determined by considering the size, location and number of warts, changes in the warts, your girlfriend’s preference, cost of treatment, convenience, adverse effects, and her physician’s experience with the treatments.
If she does have HPV I recommend visiting http://www.ashastd.org/hpvccrc/index.html
Let us know if we can offer further support or information.
Reviewed by Sexual Health Editorial Team
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