Concerned

[cas_strawberry]

Okay so me and my boyfriend have had sex heaps of times like tonnes. Im always judged for it. But okay last night we had sex and he gave me head etc. Today my thighs are sore which is usual because his hipbones but I noticed a like 10c coin size lump on my thigh which is red and my clitoris and vulva are extremely itchy and my left inner lip is swollen. I swell up alot, I thought it was due to being allergic to condoms but we didn't use one last night and its still itchy and swollen and now I have a red mark that looks half like a hickey half like a rash. Its kind of raised. I've been looking at definitions of stis and stds but it all just freaks me out. Should I get tested?

[notwhybuthow]

I would definitely get tested because it's just a personal rule of mine. But you should also schedule a pelvic exam with your doctor. While it might not be an STI/STD, it could be something like a yeast infection. You should always make sure that you're body is healthy because if it isn't, you'll want to know right away so you can treat whatever is the matter.

[Karyn]

To add to the excellent advice that notwhybuthow gave you: everyone who's sexually active should ideally be getting tested at least once a year. Testing is part of sexual healthcare, so if you're not up to date with that then now is a good time to get it done. (And if your boyfriend isn't up to date with his testing, then he should get tested too.) You can read more about testing here: Testing, Testing... If you've not ever had a pelvic exam, then now is a good time to do that as well, and you can get tested at the same time.

That said, it's possible this isn't due to any kind of infection, but to irritation. You say you didn't use condoms, but did you use any kind of lube? If you did, then it could be that you're allergic or sensitive to one of the ingredients in the lube; if you did not, then it could be that this is just some irritation from too much friction, and using a water-based lube will help prevent that in the future.

Just FYI, there are non-latex condom options for folks who are allergic to latex. Durex Avanti and Trojan Supra are two brands of polyurethane condoms, and Lifestyles SKYN condoms are made of polyisoprene (and a bit cheaper than other non-latex condoms).