Question: Hi, I am a 25 year old married female. I have been with my now husband for 3 years and I have not had sex with anyone else during this time. Around the time that my husband and I first met but a few weeks before we were official together, a little over three years ago, I had a brief (unprotected) sexual relationship with someone else.

This lasted a few weeks and I then things became more serious with my now husband so we became exclusive. I noticed two small stretch-mark like tears on the crease between my right leg and my vagina after this brief sexual encounter. There were no other marks anywhere on the vagina itself. They were both a little over an inch long and didn't hurt. I decided to get checked out, to be sure it was nothing, before I had sex with my now-husband for the first time. Considering I had been having unprotected sex with someone else immediately before we were together, I would have got checked out anyway. I always made it a habit to get checked out between sexual partners. So I got checked out at a Sexual Health Clinic at that time three years ago and screening for everything came back negative. They even took a swab of the affected area where the marks were which also came back negative. I was told it was likely that the skin was torn due to particularly rough sex, and I was given a skin ointment to clear up the area. The marks faded within a couple of weeks into almost-unnoticeable silvery lines (literally in the same way that stretch marks do.

Now three years later, I notice that the exact same marks have returned, in the same place. And there are also now two other similar marks in the same location on the same crease on the other side of my body. They appeared last night (Wednesday) after having sex on Sunday. It almost seems as though the previous marks have 'reopened'. I have no pain. I have never had any other open sores, abrasions or anything else anywhere near or on my vagina, and before I was with my now-husband I had multiple sexual partners was routinely tested for STDs.

I am wondering if I need to get checked/get the area swabbed again given that this has returned. It looks literally identical to the marks that were there before, three years ago, which were tested at the time and came back negative for herpes or any kind of fungal infection. It's in the exact same location too, and the only difference being that it's now on both sides. I'm thinking maybe it was just a case of the skin being damaged during sex.

I would think that herpes would be unlikely to affect specifically this area and yet not manifest anywhere else, and given that it looks identical to a previous occurrence that was tested not to be herpes, I am trying not to worry, but I am anxious.

Thank you so much for your quick response. I have uploaded a picture, sorry that it's not clear.

That is a relief. Thanks so much. I will do as instructed. Thanks again for your fast help.

Hi,

Sorry I have another concern and I hope you don't mind. I now have a high temperature and sore throat and I am worried that perhaps it could somehow be related to the cuts - I have read that sometimes flu-like symptoms accompany herpes outbreaks and I am wondering if perhaps this could be the case.

Thank you. I have been to the doctor and I have a chest infection so it appears that the flu like symptoms were because of that. Also I have been following your advice and the cuts have almost completely healed already after just 3 days. Thank you.