I am a 25, married caucasion woman with 4 kids. I noticed about 2 weeks ago that there is a lump about the size of a mans testicle inside my labia. I noticed it when I was drying off after a shower. Although it doesn't hurt when it is touched, it does bother me. It feels uncomfprtable. My underwear rub against it and make it raw. I have no idea what to do. My husband thinks I am silly, but I don't think I am. I have even talked to family members who have had cervical cancer, to see if they would know what would cause the lump to appear so sudden. My mother thinks it could be a cyst, my aunt thinks it is tissue build up. I don't know what to think about it. All I know is that I am very concerned and would like to know what it is because my OBGYN isn't giving me a straight answer. If there is anyone out there that might know, please help me out.
I think what you may have is a closed Bartholin gland. They are little glands, one on each side of your labia that secret a lubricant. Sometimes they get clogged and bacteria gets in there and it swells & gets sore, sort of like oil glands on our face that get clogged and turn into pimples. I've had this happen a few times and always on the same side but they've never swelled as big as yours seems to have. There are a few things that I did that eventually helped the gland to open and drain. After showering, soak a clean wash cloth with hot water, as hot as you can stand, and use this as a compress to hold against the swollen area. Do this as many times as you have time to. Afterward, dab on a bit of antibiotic cream like neosporin or polysporin. The purpose of the hot compress is to help bring the infection to a head and the cream will help keep the area free from any bacteria and will keep the area soft. When I felt a pimple like head starting to form I picked at it a bit but never enough to make it sore or open. Eventually they opened up on their own and the infection came out. I used the antibiotic cream for about a week just to make sure the germs weren't getting back inside. I hope this helps you.
It very well may be a Bartholin Cyst. I had to have the entire gland surgically removed to avoid inflammation and continued drainings over the course of a decade. From what I understand there is a collection of fluid that goes there and builds up until it has to be drained, lanced, packed, or gauzed. It will not go away on its own (as I'm sure you now know 6 years later) and for a lot of sufferers it can be quite excruciatingly painful and persistant until gland removal is the only result. I wish you God speed and excellent health Dear. Be well.