QUESTION
About a year ago I had unprotected sex and two small circular bumps painless, not red, not vesicular, no itching - less than 2 mm diameter appeared on the head of my penis that I noticed around noon the next day. 2 days later I got flu-like symptoms. I got tested for HSV with swab test which was negative. A year later, I got the same 2 bumps, still without pain, that lasted a month and went away. They never opened into a sore or changed, just gradually got smaller. Does this sound like it could still be herpes? Should I get a blood test?

ANSWER
Penile red bumps can be a symptom of herpes among other conditions, but only a doctor can make a diagnosis after a physical examination. To rule out herpes infections many doctors use a type-specific blood test to measure antibodies to the herpes viruses. Negative (normal) antibody tests for both types of herpes (types 1 and 2) indicates no evidence of herpes infection. For more information on STD testing, visit http://SFCityClinic.org [SFCityClinic.org] for places in San Francisco, try http://STDTest.org or call the CDC National Hotline for services near you: 1-800-CDC-INFO.

To your health,
Dr. K