Apple Cider vinegar can help relieve the pain. If the pain is not too much, you can also put some apple cider vinegar in the affected area. But you should drink it on a regular basis (with water) and it does take away the pain little by little. Sizh baths help too.
I have had these for about the last 6 or 7 yrs. I wondered what they were and when I described them to my gyn, she said they were like having pimples. They are painful and some have popped on their own, or just gone away. A few times when they have come close the to surface and became very soft, I popped them with a needle (first cleasing the area well with bedadine and using a sterile needle). That has been a last resort for me if they got too painful to stand. I am overweight. But I always have been, and didnt start getting them till I was in my 30's. I try to keep the area (all around the labia minora or inner labia) dry and that seems to help them be less frequent. They are always in my inner labia. I will try that salve since the only relief I get is when they finally pop and drain. For years I wondered how common they were since this isnt usually a subject women share in person. I would love to be rid of them for good!!!!!!! Thanks for the posts ladies.
As far as I can tell, and as far as the doc and gyno can tell, these are similar to any other pus-filled pimple or follicle, except a) there's no obvious channel (i.e. a hair follicle) for the pus to exit b) there is soft tissue to all sides, so the swelling is spherical / pea-like, not volcano-shaped and c) as a result, the darn thing can take its sweet time coming to a head / thinning out enough to release the pus. I use either a super-fine (sterile) medical needle or a regular needle that I've sterilized in a flame (and let cool) to pop them when they happen (waiting around isn't much of an answer if you ride a bike for transportation). The "pea" has to be hard enough that the pus will mostly pop out on its own, and the hole has to be big enough so that if you drop on a little peroxide and rub on a tiny bit of antibiotic lotion after, you're doing some good, not just inviting a more serious infection. (Note: antibiotic lotion in the vaginal area is a good trigger for yeast growth, so either use a dab of an anti-yeast treatment in the general area, or be VERY sparing with the antibiotic, or both.)
I have a couple of spots on each side of the inner labia where they can recur. Preventing chafing and irritation, combined with general good hygiene help some, as far as not triggering them. But really, there's no absolute preventative, as far as I can tell (including changing underwear 2 x daily, washing hands BEFORE going to the bathroom / wiping, using clean bike shorts and chamois cream, being careful about chafing or careless fingernails during sex, etc). I suspect that it's a two part process, a trigger (which lets them start in a certain location) and then secondary stress and pressure that let them grow.
I'm pretty darn certain that if a guy goes into his doc with a swollen, chafing, pea or grape sized lump on his parts, he doesn't just accept it when the doc says, "no big deal, wait a few weeks for it to go away." Ladies, we need to grow some attitude, and either learn to fix our own problems, or insist that doctors take them seriously.
I just saw my doctor about this for the first time today.
I have had these bumps/pimples in my vaginal area since I was 15 (YEARS AND YEARS before my first sexual experience) and just dealt with it on my own because I was too embarrassed to talk to a doctor about it in the past but now I've had 3 babies and somehow the selfconsciousness just gets lost in that process (I'm 28 now). I get up to six at a time swollen, painful bumps or lumps which usually resemble large pimples without a head ranging in size from a pea to one monstrous one a couple years ago which made my entire labia minora swell up to the size of my thumb. Occasionally they are more rubbery with no way to find a head which is frustrating because if I don't find a way to pop them quickly then they can last up to two months of agony, and I mean AGONY because they are very very painful. They occur usually on the inside of my labia majora, in the crease between my labia minora and majora, on the actual labia minora, and on the edge/just inside the vaginal opening (these last are usually easiest to pop). They usually appear in the week before to the week of my period and last up to two months if I don't do anything. If I let them go that long I am in such agony I can't sit, lay, walk, or do anything without being in agony so my solution has been to pop them as soon as they appear to be pop-able. Usually what comes out of them is a white pus, though sometimes it is thick pink pus or blood mixed in if it has been there a long time but I keep squeezing until blood comes out or sometimes I will have to pop it multiple days in a row if I don't get it all out the first time.
So today my ob/gyn told me that she has several patients with this exact problem and that she thinks they are sebaceous cysts. She said some of her patients get up to FORTY of them at a time at which point the only thing these poor women can do is to come in to the hospital and have her systematically pop or lance each and every damn cyst until (her words) her fingers are sore from squeezing. <shudder> So now I have reason to be thankful that I usually get only a couple at a time because if I had 40 I think my life would be over. She basically approved of my system of popping them as soon as possible and actually told me that if I pop them sooner I am less likely to get more. So go figure, I've been doing something right, except she said to sit in a hot bath first which I haven't done since I'm not a fan of baths. Also she told me if I come down with any that are just not going to pop and are very painful and swollen to come in and she will lance them for me so I don't have to just suffer with them.
It was so nice to not have her suggest an STD (which I've been tested more than once and I know I don't have any) and to not look at me like I was a freak (which the nurse and student nurse did do when I described to them the problem) because knowing that this is common and not something shameful goes a long way toward being able to live with this long term. Because that's the bad news: there's no treatment, we all just have to live with this. I wish there was something we could do to bring attention to this debilitating and humiliating problem so that some doctors would try to find SOME kind of treatment for this because being told there is no real treatment is just not right. In the very well said words of JFS: "I'm pretty darn certain that if a guy goes into his doc with a swollen, chafing, pea or grape sized lump on his parts, he doesn't just accept it when the doc says, "no big deal, wait a few weeks for it to go away." Ladies, we need to grow some attitude, and either learn to fix our own problems, or insist that doctors take them seriously."
I have had these bumps/pimples in my vaginal area since I was 15 (YEARS AND YEARS before my first sexual experience) and just dealt with it on my own because I was too embarrassed to talk to a doctor about it in the past but now I've had 3 babies and somehow the selfconsciousness just gets lost in that process (I'm 28 now). I get up to six at a time swollen, painful bumps or lumps which usually resemble large pimples without a head ranging in size from a pea to one monstrous one a couple years ago which made my entire labia minora swell up to the size of my thumb. Occasionally they are more rubbery with no way to find a head which is frustrating because if I don't find a way to pop them quickly then they can last up to two months of agony, and I mean AGONY because they are very very painful. They occur usually on the inside of my labia majora, in the crease between my labia minora and majora, on the actual labia minora, and on the edge/just inside the vaginal opening (these last are usually easiest to pop). They usually appear in the week before to the week of my period and last up to two months if I don't do anything. If I let them go that long I am in such agony I can't sit, lay, walk, or do anything without being in agony so my solution has been to pop them as soon as they appear to be pop-able. Usually what comes out of them is a white pus, though sometimes it is thick pink pus or blood mixed in if it has been there a long time but I keep squeezing until blood comes out or sometimes I will have to pop it multiple days in a row if I don't get it all out the first time.
So today my ob/gyn told me that she has several patients with this exact problem and that she thinks they are sebaceous cysts. She said some of her patients get up to FORTY of them at a time at which point the only thing these poor women can do is to come in to the hospital and have her systematically pop or lance each and every damn cyst until (her words) her fingers are sore from squeezing. <shudder> So now I have reason to be thankful that I usually get only a couple at a time because if I had 40 I think my life would be over. She basically approved of my system of popping them as soon as possible and actually told me that if I pop them sooner I am less likely to get more. So go figure, I've been doing something right, except she said to sit in a hot bath first which I haven't done since I'm not a fan of baths. Also she told me if I come down with any that are just not going to pop and are very painful and swollen to come in and she will lance them for me so I don't have to just suffer with them.
It was so nice to not have her suggest an STD (which I've been tested more than once and I know I don't have any) and to not look at me like I was a freak (which the nurse and student nurse did do when I described to them the problem) because knowing that this is common and not something shameful goes a long way toward being able to live with this long term. Because that's the bad news: there's no treatment, we all just have to live with this. I wish there was something we could do to bring attention to this debilitating and humiliating problem so that some doctors would try to find SOME kind of treatment for this because being told there is no real treatment is just not right. In the very well said words of JFS: "I'm pretty darn certain that if a guy goes into his doc with a swollen, chafing, pea or grape sized lump on his parts, he doesn't just accept it when the doc says, "no big deal, wait a few weeks for it to go away." Ladies, we need to grow some attitude, and either learn to fix our own problems, or insist that doctors take them seriously."
I just read every post of this thread and the old thread, such valuable info and happy that I am not alone. I too have had these bumps that sometimes feel soft and flat on top, and other times are swollen and hard. Usually they appear by my clitoris, in the crease between my minor and major labia, or halfway down the inside or edge of my labia major. Some times they pop and lots of bloody creamy yellow puss comes out and other times they never pop no matter how hard you try.
This started when I was a teenager before I was sexually active so no STD. I am 29 now. Sometimes I would go a long time between episodes and other times I would get one every couple of months. While trying to conceive after being on Ortho Cyclen for 5 years, I quit having periods and was diagnosed with PCOS. I have also struggled with my weight since puberty and depression. After being diagnosed with PCOS and trying some fertility drugs with horrible side effects, I decided to try acupuncture. I have become a huge believer in alternative medicine and the philosophy "You are what you eat." Although acupuncture helped me destress, regulate my hormones a bit, and find out what foods were hindering me from getting pregnant, I got pregnant 4months later and miscarried. A month after this devastating loss, I got pregnant with my son unbeknownst to me. I didn't find out until I was 7 weeks along which made me spiral into anxiety for most of my pregnancy. We had a tough post delivery life with a colicky baby who was also tongue tied and could not latch on. He also would never sleep. In short, I was very stressed, depressed, and anxious for years and my hormones were all over the place. In turn these pesky bumps started showing up more often but never more than two at a time.
Finally this year I decided I was going to change my life, feel better, and get healthy. We went Paleo in Feburary and it has completely regulated my hormones. I am like clock work and ovulate every month now. My PCOS symptoms seem to be gone, although I am careful to watch out for insulin resistance. I would highly recommend anyone who has PCOS, infertility issues, autoimmune issues, struggles with their weight, Fibromyalgia, autism, ADD/ADHD, eczema, chronic pain, etc. to try this way of life! Find out more at
Back to these pesky things, after I went paleo my stress, anxiety, and depression went away as did the bumps. someone said something about yeast. We all have a natural level of yeast in our bodies. Yeast feeds off of sugar. If you are feeling itchy or your belly button is itchy it is because you have an over abundance of yeast and you need to cut out the sugar (candy, sweets, fruit, bread, soda, etc) until the itchiness has subsided. I personally believe that these little buggers are triggered by a hormonal shift. Stress, depression, unbalanced hormones, periods, ovulation, fighting, not getting enough sleep, not eating healthy, and not exercising all effect our hormones. Taking hormonal birth control can effect your bodies natural hormones and then there are others that are naturally unbalanced so hormone pills help. If you have had a child, breastfeeding, menopause, hysterectomy, sex...all of these thing cause hormonal shifts as well. It's finding your bodies natural balance that will help keep these lumps and hormones in check.
Unfortunately, after months of eating paleo, I had some cake (not just one piece) and it wreaked havoc on my body and yup I got one of those lumps. But I have great solution I tried that you all should try. As soon as I found the lump and cleaned myself well, I put coconut oil on it. By 12 hours later, it popped big time with no effort and bloody puss gushed. I then reapplied the coconut oil and went to bed. By morning it was 4 times smaller and significantly less swollen and inflamed. It is shrinking and going away very quickly and the coconut oil does not hurt or burn. It's actually quite soothing. Coconut is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. I cook with it all the time, it's amazing for your health and body and skin.
The only other difference with this occurrence than any other time is a couple weeks before (this was before I ate cake) around the time I was ovulating, I got a bunch of these little white bumps that feels like a pebble is inside on both the left and right side of my labia majora. They will not open and pop or go away. They do not hurt or itch or smell. They are not inflamed or swollen. Around this time I was under a lot of stress and sadness as I finally was grieving the loss of my first pregnancy 3 years later. So again another hormonal shift. I have put coconut oil on them as well, but I need to give myself more me time to get myself well again. It's all about balance.
I hope you all find this info useful. Hot compresses and baths work well too and if wiping with toilet paper hurts too much, try a peri bottle if water or salt water instead. Be well!!
This started when I was a teenager before I was sexually active so no STD. I am 29 now. Sometimes I would go a long time between episodes and other times I would get one every couple of months. While trying to conceive after being on Ortho Cyclen for 5 years, I quit having periods and was diagnosed with PCOS. I have also struggled with my weight since puberty and depression. After being diagnosed with PCOS and trying some fertility drugs with horrible side effects, I decided to try acupuncture. I have become a huge believer in alternative medicine and the philosophy "You are what you eat." Although acupuncture helped me destress, regulate my hormones a bit, and find out what foods were hindering me from getting pregnant, I got pregnant 4months later and miscarried. A month after this devastating loss, I got pregnant with my son unbeknownst to me. I didn't find out until I was 7 weeks along which made me spiral into anxiety for most of my pregnancy. We had a tough post delivery life with a colicky baby who was also tongue tied and could not latch on. He also would never sleep. In short, I was very stressed, depressed, and anxious for years and my hormones were all over the place. In turn these pesky bumps started showing up more often but never more than two at a time.
Finally this year I decided I was going to change my life, feel better, and get healthy. We went Paleo in Feburary and it has completely regulated my hormones. I am like clock work and ovulate every month now. My PCOS symptoms seem to be gone, although I am careful to watch out for insulin resistance. I would highly recommend anyone who has PCOS, infertility issues, autoimmune issues, struggles with their weight, Fibromyalgia, autism, ADD/ADHD, eczema, chronic pain, etc. to try this way of life! Find out more at
***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed
Back to these pesky things, after I went paleo my stress, anxiety, and depression went away as did the bumps. someone said something about yeast. We all have a natural level of yeast in our bodies. Yeast feeds off of sugar. If you are feeling itchy or your belly button is itchy it is because you have an over abundance of yeast and you need to cut out the sugar (candy, sweets, fruit, bread, soda, etc) until the itchiness has subsided. I personally believe that these little buggers are triggered by a hormonal shift. Stress, depression, unbalanced hormones, periods, ovulation, fighting, not getting enough sleep, not eating healthy, and not exercising all effect our hormones. Taking hormonal birth control can effect your bodies natural hormones and then there are others that are naturally unbalanced so hormone pills help. If you have had a child, breastfeeding, menopause, hysterectomy, sex...all of these thing cause hormonal shifts as well. It's finding your bodies natural balance that will help keep these lumps and hormones in check.
Unfortunately, after months of eating paleo, I had some cake (not just one piece) and it wreaked havoc on my body and yup I got one of those lumps. But I have great solution I tried that you all should try. As soon as I found the lump and cleaned myself well, I put coconut oil on it. By 12 hours later, it popped big time with no effort and bloody puss gushed. I then reapplied the coconut oil and went to bed. By morning it was 4 times smaller and significantly less swollen and inflamed. It is shrinking and going away very quickly and the coconut oil does not hurt or burn. It's actually quite soothing. Coconut is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. I cook with it all the time, it's amazing for your health and body and skin.
The only other difference with this occurrence than any other time is a couple weeks before (this was before I ate cake) around the time I was ovulating, I got a bunch of these little white bumps that feels like a pebble is inside on both the left and right side of my labia majora. They will not open and pop or go away. They do not hurt or itch or smell. They are not inflamed or swollen. Around this time I was under a lot of stress and sadness as I finally was grieving the loss of my first pregnancy 3 years later. So again another hormonal shift. I have put coconut oil on them as well, but I need to give myself more me time to get myself well again. It's all about balance.
I hope you all find this info useful. Hot compresses and baths work well too and if wiping with toilet paper hurts too much, try a peri bottle if water or salt water instead. Be well!!
Hello, im another sufferer and have been for years unfortunately. Im very relieved to find others with the same problem. Ususally when one appears i bathe it with warm water for a while, which should bring it nicely to a head and then pop. Another thing ive found is wearing ordinary briefs seem to rub the "cyst" as they can sometimes appear in the crease of the thigh or near to it, which makes it even angrier, so ive swapped to wearing womens shorts.
I was so glad to find this post. I nearly freaked out when I wiped a few minutes ago and there was blood and white discharge (like from a pimple) when I examined further, I had a cyst like bump with a dark spot, when gently squeezed the dark spot came out and appeared to be a blood clot of some sort. My labia minora near my clitoris had been itchy and tender today, but I thought nothing much about it, only a slight irritation. Also noticed while examining it there were 2 small holes, not sure how that happened but maybe there were actually 2 cysts... It has stopped bleeding and the pain has eased but I feel better knowing that I am not alone in this issue. I am a medical assistant and have never in my life heard of this problem and/or experienced it myself. I had a Bartholin cyst several years ago but it was lower down near the opening of my vagina and infinitely larger and more painful, so I had no idea that this could be in the same family. Thank all of you so much for posting.
ive been suffering from these spots for years ...it actually started occuring when i started shaving my vagina, i noticed at first small hardish bumps in my inner labia, and when i opened and stretched my labia the looked like white heads or whitish lumps, so i went to the doctor and was advised that its perfectly normal and nothing to worry about, it is due to blocked pores and the white colour is discharge, the pores that every woman has in her inner labia is what produces the discharge to keep your vagina clean, and sometimes they just get blocked....anyway i was given cream, i cant remember the name as it was years ago, and to be honest it stank to high heaven (the cream not my vagina lol)...as the years have went on ive developed more, id say i have on average about 6 on on labia and 3 on another, and they feel hard when u squueze them, however i give them a squeeze like you would a spot and it goes away for a while...i havent used the cream again as it only took them away for a week or so ....please dont panic women its nothing serious, altho maybe a little uncomfortable at times and personally i feel a little embarassed with any new partners, but they havent seemed to notice or ask what they are .....but thanks to everyone whos posted seems we are not alone.
I am an average weight. Five feet 6, 120 lbs. You should not make assumptions, and you should own your own weight issues rather than put them off onto others.
I had my first bump on my vagina that came up a couple days ago. I got out of the shower today and barely pressed on it and it popped. It was filled with what looked like blood only and lots of it. The bump is mostly gone now but it is a little itchy where it was. I do have keratosis pilarisis very badly on my arms and legs.
I have a similar problem. On my labia minora by my clitoris there was a whitehead, I soaked it for 20 minutes with peroxide and it got all flakey. Now it's all red and still hard. I have minor agrophobia so I'm beginning to think it's herpes or an std... There is only one though. I have been sexually active for quite some time now but I always use a condom. Is it just a pimple?
I had one for years and my ob said it was a blood clot. Last night, in the bath, I saw that it was almost falling off so I pulled it off and saw I had developed about 5 more. That re really dark, almost black. what color wee yours and what causes these to form? Thanks~
vaginal blood clots inside labia?
You guys have made me feel better, I was freaking out thinking my boyfriend of 7 years cheated and gave me an std.. (My mind wanders like that) but I did just get mirena insert and had a few sweaty days I am 22 and have NEVER had one... That I have noticed
I have been dealing with this for over 10 years. I am in my 40s. different people are describing different conditions. Mine are only on my labia minor on the inside. Can be anywhere from the clitoris to the opening. I used to have 2-3 a month. There are always blood and puss filled, more like a blood blister. They are never creamy or hard. Mine become unbearable, and I cant sit, or stand. Sometimes I can only be on all fours. Mine have become severely infected three times. To the point of being blood septic and having to have them lanced all 3 times. It has gotten to the point where I even carry a diabetic lance on vacation with me to pop them, as to not let them get to the point of major infection.
Feb 2012, I got one at Disney , all the walking didn't help. The night we got home I was in the ER, with a major infection running thru my body. My labia was swollen on one side to the size of half a banana. I am not kidding. The skin had started to tear where the labia minor and major meet. I had emergency surgery under general that morning. My labia on both sides had stretch from all the infections and now this side was really stretched and unfortunately the Dr doing the surgery really made a mess of things. I had been contemplating a labiplasty for a couple of years. So I found an ob/gyn surgeon and we discussed my options. First I had an ablation, cause its seems my periods made it worse. Then in Nov I had a labiplasty. Today, I have another bump, I have had 4 since the surgery. The scar tissue isn't helping. The ablation didn't fully take but my periods are 80% lighter. Though 4 bumps in 5 months is better than 2-3 a month. It is so frustrating. I really want to know what is causing them.
By the way out of all the Drs I have been to for this , not one has told me what they are, or how to stop them. This last surgeon even consulted the hospital ob/gyn board and nothing. I had 13 doctors at my labiplasty but still no answers. I haven't been back to the dr since the end of Dec, cause my deductible is just too high, and really nothing is new. Same old same old. Its very disheartening to go thru all the surgery and nothing has changed.