It is called a Bartholin's cyst
I think I may have the same problem. Except from my understanding, a Bartholin's Cyst is near the opening of the Vagina. I have a lump/bump at the top of my labia... im trying to wonder if thats the same thing or what? It hurts to the touch and its very uncomfortable to sit and definately walk, unless I have the right position of clothing down there. Can someone help me too?!
I have the EXACT same problem, I have been googling trying to get an answer. My cyst like bump is huge & and is on my inner thigh making it EXTREMELY hard to walk, sit, lay, you name it! My period is due in a few days, but I would love to know what this little "pre" period bump is!
Any info would be greatly appreciated!
I just found this forum and I found this forum trying to find a website to explain what the "thing" I had on my labia minora to my sister.
I had one on the right side that I noticed while shaving one morning. I quickly said that I would be late for work and went straight to my doctor.
He did a quick pelvic exam, a "does this hurt?" analysis of the bump, and looked up at me to say, "Don't worry about this, Patricia, it's only an irritated gland."
"What?" I said as I was confused that women had glands in their vaginal regions.
"Yes, it's just an irritated gland. Picture a pore on your nose and it fills up with dirt and you don't wash your face right away and you fall asleep and wake up only to find a back head or a pimple... That's exactly what you have going on down there and there is nothing to be worried about. It's more-commonly caused by a build up of laundry detergent or fabric softener on your undergarments. You can get them very easily when you use scented pads as well."
So, I went home and squeezed the thing like mad... that didn't work...
I tried just breaking the skin with a needle I had just burned the bacteria off of with a flame and that worked PERFECTLY. It didn't even hurt. I am talking ULTRA THICK white stuff came out. It bled a little like a pimple on your face would if you squeezed it. Then it went away with no problem.
I am so relieved. I am also a virgin and it scared me.
I had one on the right side that I noticed while shaving one morning. I quickly said that I would be late for work and went straight to my doctor.
He did a quick pelvic exam, a "does this hurt?" analysis of the bump, and looked up at me to say, "Don't worry about this, Patricia, it's only an irritated gland."
"What?" I said as I was confused that women had glands in their vaginal regions.
"Yes, it's just an irritated gland. Picture a pore on your nose and it fills up with dirt and you don't wash your face right away and you fall asleep and wake up only to find a back head or a pimple... That's exactly what you have going on down there and there is nothing to be worried about. It's more-commonly caused by a build up of laundry detergent or fabric softener on your undergarments. You can get them very easily when you use scented pads as well."
So, I went home and squeezed the thing like mad... that didn't work...
I tried just breaking the skin with a needle I had just burned the bacteria off of with a flame and that worked PERFECTLY. It didn't even hurt. I am talking ULTRA THICK white stuff came out. It bled a little like a pimple on your face would if you squeezed it. Then it went away with no problem.
I am so relieved. I am also a virgin and it scared me.
I just found this forum and I found this forum trying to find a website to explain what the "thing" I had on my labia minora to my sister.
I had one on the right side that I noticed while shaving one morning. I quickly said that I would be late for work and went straight to my doctor.
He did a quick pelvic exam, a "does this hurt?" analysis of the bump, and looked up at me to say, "Don't worry about this, Patricia, it's only an irritated gland."
"What?" I said as I was confused that women had glands in their vaginal regions.
"Yes, it's just an irritated gland. Picture a pore on your nose and it fills up with dirt and you don't wash your face right away and you fall asleep and wake up only to find a back head or a pimple... That's exactly what you have going on down there and there is nothing to be worried about. It's more-commonly caused by a build up of laundry detergent or fabric softener on your undergarments. You can get them very easily when you use scented pads as well."
So, I went home and squeezed the thing like mad... that didn't work...
I tried just breaking the skin with a needle I had just burned the bacteria off of with a flame and that worked PERFECTLY. It didn't even hurt. I am talking ULTRA THICK white stuff came out. It bled a little like a pimple on your face would if you squeezed it. Then it went away with no problem.
I am so relieved. I am also a virgin and it scared me.
I had one on the right side that I noticed while shaving one morning. I quickly said that I would be late for work and went straight to my doctor.
He did a quick pelvic exam, a "does this hurt?" analysis of the bump, and looked up at me to say, "Don't worry about this, Patricia, it's only an irritated gland."
"What?" I said as I was confused that women had glands in their vaginal regions.
"Yes, it's just an irritated gland. Picture a pore on your nose and it fills up with dirt and you don't wash your face right away and you fall asleep and wake up only to find a back head or a pimple... That's exactly what you have going on down there and there is nothing to be worried about. It's more-commonly caused by a build up of laundry detergent or fabric softener on your undergarments. You can get them very easily when you use scented pads as well."
So, I went home and squeezed the thing like mad... that didn't work...
I tried just breaking the skin with a needle I had just burned the bacteria off of with a flame and that worked PERFECTLY. It didn't even hurt. I am talking ULTRA THICK white stuff came out. It bled a little like a pimple on your face would if you squeezed it. Then it went away with no problem.
I am so relieved. I am also a virgin and it scared me.
whew I am glad I found this thread! I am sitting here feeling rather unattractive due to the fact that the same damn thing is happening to me right now. I discovered it in the shower the day after my period started. I have had one before but it was much larger and it eventually drained with an overnight application of some ichthamol ointment ( drawing salve ). I have put the ointment on this little sucker for two days now and it has not touched it. It's starting to get annoying and was kind of sore today, I just wish it would drain. Going away with the man fr a couple of days and this is seriously cramping my style here UGH!! Mine is also on the right upper part of my inner labia. So weird. Sorry we are all having to go through this but it is good to know you are not alone!
Ohh God, thank you ladies so much!!!!
I'm not alone, and I feel relieved.
I won’t pop it tough, because it’s just scary to touch/irritate such gentle skin.
I'm not alone, and I feel relieved.
I won’t pop it tough, because it’s just scary to touch/irritate such gentle skin.
OK - I've been dealing with this Bartholin's gland cyst issue for a while now. I get one maybe twice a year for some reason. The first time I got it I was extremely frightened, I know how scary this is. I looked it up on the web and read that you should steam it to allow it to open and drain. Works like a charm!
Here's what I do:
Pour hot water over a clean washcloth, wring out the washcloth, lay down and put the washcloth up against the cyst. Keep the washcloth there until it cools. If the cyst is on you right, lay on your left side (or vice versa) and keep the washcloth in place next to the cyst, the cyst will be more likely to drain thanks to gravity (in my experience). Repeat a couple of times a day as needed. I repeat a couple of times in a row before going to bed when I don't have time throughout the day. For really stubborn issues do a sitz bath: hang out in the bathtub with the water at least up to your bellybutton until the water cools or you just want out. I followed this up with a steamy washcloth and it has so far helped this current terrible case I have right now. In my experience sitz baths and hot washcloths do the trick - but it may take a couple of applications and a couple of days.
Don't ignore it because it will get bigger and you may have to see the doctor for scarier options like having it lanced (yikes!)
DO NOT POP it! You are dealing with a tiny gland with a tiny opening...you don't want to do anything but allow the gland to open up GENTLY.
Here's a link for more info: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/235.html
Good luck!
Here's what I do:
Pour hot water over a clean washcloth, wring out the washcloth, lay down and put the washcloth up against the cyst. Keep the washcloth there until it cools. If the cyst is on you right, lay on your left side (or vice versa) and keep the washcloth in place next to the cyst, the cyst will be more likely to drain thanks to gravity (in my experience). Repeat a couple of times a day as needed. I repeat a couple of times in a row before going to bed when I don't have time throughout the day. For really stubborn issues do a sitz bath: hang out in the bathtub with the water at least up to your bellybutton until the water cools or you just want out. I followed this up with a steamy washcloth and it has so far helped this current terrible case I have right now. In my experience sitz baths and hot washcloths do the trick - but it may take a couple of applications and a couple of days.
Don't ignore it because it will get bigger and you may have to see the doctor for scarier options like having it lanced (yikes!)
DO NOT POP it! You are dealing with a tiny gland with a tiny opening...you don't want to do anything but allow the gland to open up GENTLY.
Here's a link for more info: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/235.html
Good luck!
I just wanted to thank everyone for posting as I, too, have the same thing: a small, hard pimple-like bump on my right labia minora. Thanks for your information and for helping me feel not so alone during this icky time.
I also have the same problem, but I've had mine for 3 years. It increases and the decreases in size but it don't disappear and return like some. Most times it sends little shock waves through me (kind of like a static shock that you get from a trampoline). I'm too embarrassed to go see my GP, but it looks as though I'll have to grin and bare it.
:-P I'm 37 yrs old.. I have been having these "bumps" too. Everything the girls above had said.. same for me,.. painful to sit.. can't cross my legs.. and no way popping this thing. Hurts with out touching.. i aint sqeezin the thing. I'm also feeling SO relieved that i'm not the only person with these! And now that i know what in the hell it is.. i can stop worring.Gosh.. i'm so freakin grateful for this WEB!!!!! Internet has so many answers.. I'm grown and so embarrassed to ask my dr. Thanks to all you gals for sharing these intimate details. ya'll helped an ol lady!! LOL
Hi everyone,
What ladies are describing here is NOT a Bartholin's Cyst (those occur in a different area, near the opening of the vagina). What this is, is a blocked sebaceous gland.
The first time I had one I freaked (and I'm an RN!), went to the doc, she prescribed me Cephalexin (antibiotic, aka Keflex) and told me that if it didn't just drain on it's own and go away in a couple of weeks that I might need to return to have it lanced. Ugh, that didn't sound fun....so I took the antibiotics and sat in a really warm tub twice a day. After a couple of days as I was inspecting it, I could see a tiny white head on it, I barely had to press and it oozed some whitish stuff and that was that. I was relieved! I'd usually notice these in the shower when washing down there, something would feel a little tender/almost tingly...
Had my second one, same spot I believe......a couple of years later..sort of in the midde of the outer labia minora, the size of a pea (as was the first). I didn't run to the doc that time, just did the daily hot baths and it drained on its own.
Have another one as of today (found it while showering). I'll just do the warm baths and keep an eye on it.
Whatever you do DO NOT POKE IT WITH A PIN !!! you will greatly risk developing an infection, you should never poke any type of cyst or lump (particularly not in an area such as this that is dark and moist!).
Generally if you do try to gently squeeze, be gentle. Squeezing too hard means it's not ready to open/drain. The first two times, when it was ready (it usually happened after I'd sat in a hot tub for a half hour), it took little pressure for the whitish 'stuff' to come out, so by that point it was obviously ready and likely would have just spontaneously drained on its own had i not helped it along.
But if this is your first time having one, and you're sexually active, you'd be best to see your doc for a definitive diagnosis, just to be on the safe side.
Hope this helps
Lisa
What ladies are describing here is NOT a Bartholin's Cyst (those occur in a different area, near the opening of the vagina). What this is, is a blocked sebaceous gland.
The first time I had one I freaked (and I'm an RN!), went to the doc, she prescribed me Cephalexin (antibiotic, aka Keflex) and told me that if it didn't just drain on it's own and go away in a couple of weeks that I might need to return to have it lanced. Ugh, that didn't sound fun....so I took the antibiotics and sat in a really warm tub twice a day. After a couple of days as I was inspecting it, I could see a tiny white head on it, I barely had to press and it oozed some whitish stuff and that was that. I was relieved! I'd usually notice these in the shower when washing down there, something would feel a little tender/almost tingly...
Had my second one, same spot I believe......a couple of years later..sort of in the midde of the outer labia minora, the size of a pea (as was the first). I didn't run to the doc that time, just did the daily hot baths and it drained on its own.
Have another one as of today (found it while showering). I'll just do the warm baths and keep an eye on it.
Whatever you do DO NOT POKE IT WITH A PIN !!! you will greatly risk developing an infection, you should never poke any type of cyst or lump (particularly not in an area such as this that is dark and moist!).
Generally if you do try to gently squeeze, be gentle. Squeezing too hard means it's not ready to open/drain. The first two times, when it was ready (it usually happened after I'd sat in a hot tub for a half hour), it took little pressure for the whitish 'stuff' to come out, so by that point it was obviously ready and likely would have just spontaneously drained on its own had i not helped it along.
But if this is your first time having one, and you're sexually active, you'd be best to see your doc for a definitive diagnosis, just to be on the safe side.
Hope this helps
Lisa
I had one of these cysts for a couple of years. My doctor finally had to remove it because it just kept coming back. If it just drains it doesn't all come out. The cell wall must be removed or it will come back at some point.
I too have found these things quite annoying. Most of the time, I can just pop them. But other times they get too sore for me to even try. I did, however, find a site that describes a lot of the symptoms we seem to have and has a lot of alternitives to treatments. Here is the link, if some of you would like to check it out and see what you actually have, cause I keep seeing like, 4 different causes for the same symptoms here.
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I have had a hard cyst on my left minor labia for years, it started bout fifteen yrs ago as a very small almost unnoticeable bump. It has since grown to about the size of a dime. It is a little painful but mostly irritating. A friend of mine who is an RN actually attempted to lance this thing thinking it was a sebaceous cyst. It was solid when she penetrated the skin, no fluid came out at all. She described it as almost being cartlidge consistency, almost like an ear lobe type of tissue. I have asked every new gyno i see about this and they all tell me one of two things, it's a sebaceous cyst (which i know it is not) or that it's a "water cyst". Either way they never seem to be too concerned about it or have much advice to offer. When I inquired about having it surgically removed a doctor told me that this was a very painful process involving splitting open the labia and major stitches etc, which pretty much scared me from asking about that again. I wish this thing would go away, I wish i knew what caused it. So it seems we have all come to the same conclusion we are all suffering from an obvious common problem that isn't being talked about too much. Good Luck everyone.