Bartholin Gland Cyst - Frequently Asked Questions
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are Bartholin cysts?
Well first the Bartholin glands are two glands both on the lower left and right side of the vagina. In a normal situation, you can not feel them nor can you see them. It is only when they become inflamed/swollen that they become noticable.
Why do they hurt?
Actually, the cysts themselves should not hurt. It is only when the cyst becomes infected (as mine did) that it begins to hurt. At this point, it is no longer called a cyst, but rather a Bartholin Gland Abscess.
Why do I have this?
No worries....The infection of a Bartholin Gland occurs because the gland has become infected by the normal bacteria that is present in the vagina. Unfortunately, any woman can get this cyst or infection, and there really isn't anything specifically that you can do to prevent it. In many ways, it can be described as a case of really good luck versus bad luck. Please do note that in about 2% of Bartholin cysts, the cause is linked to an STD. But by far, this is not the typical scenario. So, don't be embarassed to tell your parents and/or partner.
Did sex cause my cyst?
No, there have been numerous cases where young women who have never been sexually active have developed cysts. Please note that while sex is NOT the cause of these cysts, the woman may actually become more aware of the cysts while having sex due to the pressure that they may feel on the Bartholin gland region. Because some women many realize they actually have the cyst after/during sex, there is a misconception that sex causes it. Please do not be confused - correlation does not equal causation.
How do I get rid of it?
This is the million dollar question and the basis for why I have created this blog. There are essentially four different ways of dealing with a Bartholin cyst:
(1) Lancing - This basically means that you would undergo local anesthesia and a small incision would be made into the cyst/abscess. Reminder an abscess is an infected/painful cyst. Once the cut is made, the liquid inside of the cyst is drained. During the process, the physician has to squeeze the region until all of the pus/blood is gone. The failure rate for this procedure is the highest and it is NOT recommended. Often, women who simply have these things lanced find themselves right back in the same situation in a few months or weeks. This is a quick fix, but it often reoccurs if you use this method.
(2) Word Catheter - If this is your first time having a painful cyst/abscess, doctors highly recommend that you have the procedure done. It is actually identical to the procedure listed above as drainage/lancing, but after the area is drained and cleaned well, the doctor inserts a word cathether that should stay in your vagina for about 4-6 weeks. Realistically, sometimes these things only stay in for a few days. It is considered successful if it stays in for 2 weeks. The catheter creates and keeps open a passage so that the Gland no longer becomes infected so that it can drain properly.
(3) Marsupialization - For women who have numerous occurrences of cysts and abscesses, marsupialization is arguably the most effective solution with a low 10% failure rate. This procedure involves cutting the cyst and stitching part of the cyst wall to the outer skin in order to produce a permanent opening. Oddly, even after this procedure, some women still complain about pain in this region though it doesn't appear to be as excrutiating. (Thanks for the correction!). This is usually not the first line of defense as most doctors try the Word Catheter methold before marsupialization, but it really depends on your symptoms and what the doctor suggests. They have been known to suggest marsupialization as an initial treatment but that is atypical.
(4) Nothing - Yep that's right. If you can bear the pain, if there is pain, you can do absolutely nothing and let it go away on its own. In fact, for many women the cyst remains just that ... a cyst. It does not get infected and comes and goes every few months/years or so and they just ignore it. Even so, there are also some people who have infected cysts (abscesses) that let them "run their course". It's not recommended because in the end the problem of the blocked gland has not been solved although the immediate pain is gone once it has popped. Another danger of letting it pop on its own is that other areas can get infected if the abscess pops and exposes other parts of the vagina to the bacteria and pus that was inside of it. Quite frankly, this doesn'st seem to happen all that often (infections from the pus) and some people prefer to handle these cysts naturally or without interference from a physician - it's totally your decision.
What are Bartholin cysts?
Well first the Bartholin glands are two glands both on the lower left and right side of the vagina. In a normal situation, you can not feel them nor can you see them. It is only when they become inflamed/swollen that they become noticable.
Why do they hurt?
Actually, the cysts themselves should not hurt. It is only when the cyst becomes infected (as mine did) that it begins to hurt. At this point, it is no longer called a cyst, but rather a Bartholin Gland Abscess.
Why do I have this?
No worries....The infection of a Bartholin Gland occurs because the gland has become infected by the normal bacteria that is present in the vagina. Unfortunately, any woman can get this cyst or infection, and there really isn't anything specifically that you can do to prevent it. In many ways, it can be described as a case of really good luck versus bad luck. Please do note that in about 2% of Bartholin cysts, the cause is linked to an STD. But by far, this is not the typical scenario. So, don't be embarassed to tell your parents and/or partner.
Did sex cause my cyst?
No, there have been numerous cases where young women who have never been sexually active have developed cysts. Please note that while sex is NOT the cause of these cysts, the woman may actually become more aware of the cysts while having sex due to the pressure that they may feel on the Bartholin gland region. Because some women many realize they actually have the cyst after/during sex, there is a misconception that sex causes it. Please do not be confused - correlation does not equal causation.
How do I get rid of it?
This is the million dollar question and the basis for why I have created this blog. There are essentially four different ways of dealing with a Bartholin cyst:
(1) Lancing - This basically means that you would undergo local anesthesia and a small incision would be made into the cyst/abscess. Reminder an abscess is an infected/painful cyst. Once the cut is made, the liquid inside of the cyst is drained. During the process, the physician has to squeeze the region until all of the pus/blood is gone. The failure rate for this procedure is the highest and it is NOT recommended. Often, women who simply have these things lanced find themselves right back in the same situation in a few months or weeks. This is a quick fix, but it often reoccurs if you use this method.
(2) Word Catheter - If this is your first time having a painful cyst/abscess, doctors highly recommend that you have the procedure done. It is actually identical to the procedure listed above as drainage/lancing, but after the area is drained and cleaned well, the doctor inserts a word cathether that should stay in your vagina for about 4-6 weeks. Realistically, sometimes these things only stay in for a few days. It is considered successful if it stays in for 2 weeks. The catheter creates and keeps open a passage so that the Gland no longer becomes infected so that it can drain properly.
(3) Marsupialization - For women who have numerous occurrences of cysts and abscesses, marsupialization is arguably the most effective solution with a low 10% failure rate. This procedure involves cutting the cyst and stitching part of the cyst wall to the outer skin in order to produce a permanent opening. Oddly, even after this procedure, some women still complain about pain in this region though it doesn't appear to be as excrutiating. (Thanks for the correction!). This is usually not the first line of defense as most doctors try the Word Catheter methold before marsupialization, but it really depends on your symptoms and what the doctor suggests. They have been known to suggest marsupialization as an initial treatment but that is atypical.
(4) Nothing - Yep that's right. If you can bear the pain, if there is pain, you can do absolutely nothing and let it go away on its own. In fact, for many women the cyst remains just that ... a cyst. It does not get infected and comes and goes every few months/years or so and they just ignore it. Even so, there are also some people who have infected cysts (abscesses) that let them "run their course". It's not recommended because in the end the problem of the blocked gland has not been solved although the immediate pain is gone once it has popped. Another danger of letting it pop on its own is that other areas can get infected if the abscess pops and exposes other parts of the vagina to the bacteria and pus that was inside of it. Quite frankly, this doesn'st seem to happen all that often (infections from the pus) and some people prefer to handle these cysts naturally or without interference from a physician - it's totally your decision.
posted by Social Activist at 11:49 AM
2 Comments:
Thanks for the corrections, they have been duly noted:)
This comment has been removed by the author.
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