Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
A Bartholin’s cyst does not always need treatment, but there are options if it is painful, excessively large, or infected.
This article will go over the symptoms and causes of a Bartholin’s cyst and how it is treated.
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Bartholin’s Cyst Symptoms
In many cases, a Bartholin’s cyst does not cause symptoms and may only be found while cleaning the genitals or during apelvic exam. Bartholin cysts are soft and do not hurt. Most will get better on their own without any problems.
Some people with a Bartholin cyst may have an uncomfortable ache with movement or during sexual intercourse. Others may not see a physical lump but notice generalized swelling of thevulva.
However, it is possible for the cyst to become infected with bacteria. If this happens, a pus-filled mass called anabscesscan form. Symptoms of an abscessed Bartholin cyst include:
A Bartholin’s cyst can sometimes become very big and cause discomfort while sitting, walking, or engaging in physical activity or sex. Even if there is no infection, a cyst of this size can still cause pain.
Possible Causes of Pain During Sex
Bartholin’s Cyst Causes
The cause of a Bartholin’s cyst is often unknown. Known causes may include:
Around 2% of people with a vagina will develop a Bartholin’s cyst at some point in their lives. It’s most common in sexually active people between the ages of 20 and 30. The older you get, the less likely you are to develop these cysts, as the glands will typically shrink and produce less mucus after the age of 30.
Having persistent Bartholin’s gland cysts at an older age might raise suspicion for Bartholin’s gland cancer and warrant removal.
Causes and Treatment of Pelvic Pain in Women
If you are over the age of 40 and are going through (or have gone through)menopause, your provider may do abiopsyto rule outvulvar canceras a cause of your symptoms.
Based on your age and risk of STIs, your provider may also recommend a blood test to screen forHIVandsyphilis.
What Is a Sexually Transmitted Infection?
If a Bartholin’s cyst does not cause symptoms (asymptomatic), it may not need treatment and will get better on its own. However, if the cyst is painful or uncomfortable, there are some at-home and medical treatments you can try.
At-Home Treatments
You should never try to pop a Bartholin cyst or force it to open. At home, you can do some gentle things to try to encourage the cyst to drain on its own
Sitz Baths
If a cyst is painful, tender, or causing you discomfort, your provider may recommend taking asitzbathseveral times a day for three to four days.
To do a sitz bath at home:
If you don’t have a bathtub and don’t want to buy a kit, you can also use a clean washcloth to do warm compresses.
When to Call a Health Care ProviderIf you have a Bartholin cyst that you are not able to manage on your own at home because it’s getting worse or not going away, you should call your provider. It’s possible that the cyst can get infected, which requires medical attention. If you have a fever or notice redness and swelling around the cyst, call your provider.
When to Call a Health Care Provider
If you have a Bartholin cyst that you are not able to manage on your own at home because it’s getting worse or not going away, you should call your provider. It’s possible that the cyst can get infected, which requires medical attention. If you have a fever or notice redness and swelling around the cyst, call your provider.
How to Take a Sitz Bath
Medical Care
If you see your provider about a Bartholin cyst, they may recommend a few kinds of medical treatments to try to take care of it.
Medications
Over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics likeTylenol (acetaminophen)ornonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)like Advil (ibuprofen) can be used to relieve discomfort and inflammation from a Bartholin cyst.
If an abscess has formed, your provider may prescribe you an oralantibioticlike Cipro (ciprofloxacin),ceftriaxone, Zithromax (azithromycin), or doxycycline to clear up the infection.
If you have been diagnosed with an STI like chlamydia, you may need a single oral dose of an antibiotic. You may also need to take a daily course of antibiotics for seven days.
If you have gonorrhea, a single intramuscular injection of ceftriaxone is generally recommended. If chlamydia has not been ruled out, then an oral dose of doxycycline (100 mg twice daily for seven days) is also necessary.
Surgeries and Specialist-Driven Procedures
If a Bartholin cyst does not get better after in-home treatment or the cyst gets infected or is very large, your provider might recommend other treatments:
A newer procedure involves the use of a carbon dioxide laser, which is able to open the cyst and vaporize the contents of the capsule. Its use in treating Bartholin’s cysts is controversial and generally avoided if there is an abscess.
When Can I Have Sex After Surgery?
Summary
If a Bartholin’s gland gets blocked, it can fill up with fluid and form a cyst. Bartholin’s cysts do not always cause symptoms and may go away on their own. If they get infected or are very large, a procedure to drain or remove the cyst can be done to clear them up and prevent them from coming back.
Having a Bartholin’s cyst can be uncomfortable, but it is rarely a serious health problem. While there is no way to prevent a Bartholin’s cyst from forming, avoiding STIs is thought to reduce your risk.
How to Prevent STIs
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lee W, Wittler M. National Center For Biotechnology Information.Bartholin gland cyst.Lee M, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A.Clinical pathology of Bartholin’s glands: A review of the literature.Curr Urol. 2015;8(1):22-5. doi:10.1159/000365683Bati-Paracha A, Sharma M. Management of Bartholin’s cyst and abscess.The Obstetric & Gynaecologis. 2023;25(1):72-77. doi:10.1111/tog.12847Díaz de la Noval B, García Fernández I, Álvarez Fernández B.Bulky Bartholin’s gland cyst: Case report of an incidental finding.Case Rep Womens Health. 2019;22:e00115. doi:10.1016/j.crwh.2019.e00115Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.STI screening recommendations.St. Luke’s.Taking a sitz bath.St. Cyr S, Barbee L, Workowski KA, et al.Update to CDC’s Treatment Guidelines for Gonococcal Infection, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep,2020;69:1911–1916. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6950a6Lee MY, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A.Clinical pathology of bartholin’s glands: a review of the literature.Current Urology. 2015;8(1):22-25. doi:10.1159/000365683Speck N, Boechat K, Santos G, Ribalta J.Treatment of Bartholin gland cyst with CO2 laser.Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2016;14(1):25-9. doi:10.1590/S1679-45082016AO3568
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lee W, Wittler M. National Center For Biotechnology Information.Bartholin gland cyst.Lee M, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A.Clinical pathology of Bartholin’s glands: A review of the literature.Curr Urol. 2015;8(1):22-5. doi:10.1159/000365683Bati-Paracha A, Sharma M. Management of Bartholin’s cyst and abscess.The Obstetric & Gynaecologis. 2023;25(1):72-77. doi:10.1111/tog.12847Díaz de la Noval B, García Fernández I, Álvarez Fernández B.Bulky Bartholin’s gland cyst: Case report of an incidental finding.Case Rep Womens Health. 2019;22:e00115. doi:10.1016/j.crwh.2019.e00115Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.STI screening recommendations.St. Luke’s.Taking a sitz bath.St. Cyr S, Barbee L, Workowski KA, et al.Update to CDC’s Treatment Guidelines for Gonococcal Infection, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep,2020;69:1911–1916. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6950a6Lee MY, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A.Clinical pathology of bartholin’s glands: a review of the literature.Current Urology. 2015;8(1):22-25. doi:10.1159/000365683Speck N, Boechat K, Santos G, Ribalta J.Treatment of Bartholin gland cyst with CO2 laser.Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2016;14(1):25-9. doi:10.1590/S1679-45082016AO3568
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Lee W, Wittler M. National Center For Biotechnology Information.Bartholin gland cyst.Lee M, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A.Clinical pathology of Bartholin’s glands: A review of the literature.Curr Urol. 2015;8(1):22-5. doi:10.1159/000365683Bati-Paracha A, Sharma M. Management of Bartholin’s cyst and abscess.The Obstetric & Gynaecologis. 2023;25(1):72-77. doi:10.1111/tog.12847Díaz de la Noval B, García Fernández I, Álvarez Fernández B.Bulky Bartholin’s gland cyst: Case report of an incidental finding.Case Rep Womens Health. 2019;22:e00115. doi:10.1016/j.crwh.2019.e00115Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.STI screening recommendations.St. Luke’s.Taking a sitz bath.St. Cyr S, Barbee L, Workowski KA, et al.Update to CDC’s Treatment Guidelines for Gonococcal Infection, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep,2020;69:1911–1916. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6950a6Lee MY, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A.Clinical pathology of bartholin’s glands: a review of the literature.Current Urology. 2015;8(1):22-25. doi:10.1159/000365683Speck N, Boechat K, Santos G, Ribalta J.Treatment of Bartholin gland cyst with CO2 laser.Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2016;14(1):25-9. doi:10.1590/S1679-45082016AO3568
Lee W, Wittler M. National Center For Biotechnology Information.Bartholin gland cyst.
Lee M, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A.Clinical pathology of Bartholin’s glands: A review of the literature.Curr Urol. 2015;8(1):22-5. doi:10.1159/000365683
Bati-Paracha A, Sharma M. Management of Bartholin’s cyst and abscess.The Obstetric & Gynaecologis. 2023;25(1):72-77. doi:10.1111/tog.12847
Díaz de la Noval B, García Fernández I, Álvarez Fernández B.Bulky Bartholin’s gland cyst: Case report of an incidental finding.Case Rep Womens Health. 2019;22:e00115. doi:10.1016/j.crwh.2019.e00115
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.STI screening recommendations.
St. Luke’s.Taking a sitz bath.
St. Cyr S, Barbee L, Workowski KA, et al.Update to CDC’s Treatment Guidelines for Gonococcal Infection, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep,2020;69:1911–1916. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6950a6
Lee MY, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A.Clinical pathology of bartholin’s glands: a review of the literature.Current Urology. 2015;8(1):22-25. doi:10.1159/000365683
Speck N, Boechat K, Santos G, Ribalta J.Treatment of Bartholin gland cyst with CO2 laser.Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2016;14(1):25-9. doi:10.1590/S1679-45082016AO3568
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