Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Anyone with experience of a Bartholin's Cyst - over here please.

31 replies

Milliways · 12/05/2010 20:15

I am 95% certain I am growing a Bartholin cyst.

Felt a bit sore Monday night, by Tuesday night was very sore and today is no better. I have a large pea/small marble size lump right on the edge of my vagina.

I have read all the old threads I can find here about you all soaking & popping these delights, so have just had a soak in a hot bath.

Problem is - there is no "head" at all to pop. It is all still under the skin - which is very red & swollen. (Creates a "no entry" barrier for DH )

For those who have been there - how long did it take before you could pop it / it popped itself? Does it have to get HUGE

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks

OP posts:
CarGirl · 12/05/2010 20:17

think I had one of these, it was agony for about 4/5 days and then it disappeared no popping/bursting.

Original poster
Milliways · 12/05/2010 20:26

Thanks. That is what I am hoping for

OP posts:
IMoveTheStars · 13/05/2010 15:25

I had AB's, and really strong painkillers, mine was total agony! took a 3-4 days to go.

hoxtonchick · 13/05/2010 15:27

i had to have an operation....

AndieWalsh · 13/05/2010 15:28

If it is red and swollen, I would go to your GPs a.s.a.p. BCs aren't by nature sore. They only become painful when infected. And infections can be really nasty. If a cyst goes after 3 or 4 days it wasn't a BC - it may have been spome other type of harmless cyst. BCs do not just disappear that quickly.

Get it seen to.

Original poster
Milliways · 13/05/2010 16:29

Thank you all.

The bath seemed to help, as it has reduced in size today - and only hurts if touched (care needed with seating position then OK)

Still red though. Another bath tonight and if still there tomorrow will phone the GP in case it gets worse over the weekend.

OP posts:
orangina · 13/05/2010 16:33

LOTS of salt in the bath (will help to draw out blockage in duct), and you could massage it (if it's not too painful) to try and help blockage move.
Have had lots of Bartholins problems.... go to GP tomorrow as emergency if it is still painful, and get them to put you on ABs, which might at least get rid of any infection, even if cyst doesn't go down yet. Have had Bartholin's abcess, which was AGONY. Had to have it dealt with surgically in the end (not much fun at all.....)

bellissima · 13/05/2010 20:54

I get them - sometimes so small can hardly feel anything but area becomes inflamed. Have had to get antibiotics on three occasions. At other times everything calms down after about 3-4 days. As orangina indicates, GP has mentioned possible referral to a gynae. She says that in some women they just seem to cause pain and inflamation. Anyway, as others have said - go see the GP - and believe me, they've seen it all before.

AliceAyers · 17/05/2010 17:18

Hi,

I had one of these on a couple of occasions, and they are bloody sore! I called NHS direct once, and the gp said...'go to A & E - they are not dangerous, but you shouldn't have to put up with the pain'. Fortunately it popped before the doc did it for me - the second one popped before I had time to think about it. Both happened about 8/9 years ago, and I have not had one since.

I'd nip down to A & E...no point in putting up with the pain if you ask me! Good luck.

Original poster
Milliways · 17/05/2010 22:32

Thank you all.

I have actually been quite lucky, and it has almost dissappeared. Main thing is the redness/swelling has gone and the remaining lump is only now a pea size.

If it gets any bigger again then I am straight to GP.

OP posts:
HinnyPet · 17/05/2010 22:40

Keep an eye on it. If it reoccurs maybe a surgical intervention will help?
Oh, and mini tins of pop (you know, the mixer type) if you wrap them in a tea towel and apply to the area it's very soothing.

skihorse · 18/05/2010 14:29

I've suffered with these - with the first one I marched in to the doctor's surgery demanding to know which STI my ex had given me! Had antibiotics the first time... since then I've dealt with them using hot, salty baths - I have also on occasion dealt with the situation using a couple of G&Ts and a steak-knife... not for the faint of heart!

Original poster
Milliways · 18/05/2010 17:54

Bleurgh! You are mad brave!

OP posts:
Beebuzz123 · 14/07/2013 08:41

I have one now and have the same question- it feels and looks ready to burst so I want to pop it (sterile of course), but not sure where to. Does it matter where you stick the needle in?

umpti67 · 15/07/2013 13:14

I've had a couple of these. Usually within about a week it forms a head and bursts. If it hasn't got a head yet Beebuzz, it might do within a day or two.

oldbag58 · 14/05/2014 07:23

Ladies - please be very insistent about your treatment if you have a Bartholin's cyst or abscess! I had one last September and I am still sitting in a pool of pus nine months later (and have had a cross-infection in the clitoral area for three months), despite undergoing a risky operation to remove the gland. On the third attempt, and with much chasing, I have found a gynaecologist who might actually know what's happening down there. In particular, if an operation is recommended - make sure you get a second opinion!

spaghettinio · 09/07/2019 09:15

I had one of these for SO LONG. It was never infected and so never burst, but it did occasionally get really swollen and uncomfortable. I tried EVERYTHING:
baths
tea tree
calamine
serrapeptase
silica pills
silica spray
hot compresses
prayer.
I had it medically drained and it was back before the wound had even healed,

Finally, I sucked it up and did my research and found a gyno that definitely knew what he was doing (ask around!) and he did the marsupialization. It was way less of a big deal than I expected and it worked for a while, when it came back I immediately got the procedure again.

Ultimately I think I got the cyst from untreated BV (I had no idea what it was!) and I wish I had gotten it dealt with earlier.

All this is to say, if you are searching the internet for some sort of natural cure-- I HOPE it works for you, but it didn't for me!

MinesaPinot · 09/07/2019 13:55

I had one quite recently. It felt a bit sore and I thought I had an ingrowing hair but after a bit of convoluted manoeuvring in front of the mirror (and assistance from DH) I finally discovered that I had a red lump, about an inch across, but no head. I treated it by having a bath of salt water, and then bathing it every day and evening for about 3 days with warm salt water, and then putting some antiseptic cream on. It started to discharge on its own - first a few blood spots and then some gunk (sorry if TMI!).

Coincidentally I had an appointment with my GP booked for another matter, so I got him to have a look at the same time. It had gone down considerably by then, but he still put me on antibiotics for a week to mop up any infection.

Sofia79 · 13/12/2020 18:51

So today is Sunday but last Tuesday I felt a painful "ache" on the outside of my vagina, when I checked one side by the opening was very swollen, I immediately started googling and it became clear that I had a bartholin cyst, I sat in front on a mirror with a light shining at myself and I pressed on the part the felt most swollen, like a solid marble under my skin, after pressing it I noticed a yellowish discharge come from the side of my vaginal opening, I had a hot bath with salt in once a day and I took ibuprofen to ease the swelling, draining the cyst really helped the pain, whenever I got that ache pain down there, I'd go and press on it again, eventually the swelling has gone down and I'm no longer getting yellow discharge when I press on the area that I suspect the cyst was I've continued to put salt in my bath water and take ibuprofen and today it seems to have cleared up completely... I'm going to keep putting salt in my bath for a few more days, and avoid sex to make sure it gets chance to heal... But if it does come back I will definitely be having a doctor examine it. It took a lot of patience and a few days to feel better but 6 days after first finding it I'm feeling much better .

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 14/12/2020 18:59

I had one of these after I gave birth. It was like a marble under the skin. I had it for a while and was finally about to make an appointment with my GP when it suddenly went very itchy while I was in the shower. I grabbed a mirror so I could see what I was going and squeezed. TMI - a load of yellow gloop shot out and it instantly felt absolutely fine. It never came back.

SweetRuby · 15/12/2020 08:54

I get these a lot, it is exactly as you describe. It would last anything from 4/5 days to a week. It would be very painful for days and then it would just stop. It never had a head but it would burst and I would have a very slight discharge. The only reason I knew it burst is that the pain would just disappear, the lump would still be there smaller but no longer painful, it would disappear about a week after it burst. I found sudocreme or bepantiseptic helped to clear it up faster. They are horrible things so you have my sympathy.

SoDiorDarling · 15/12/2020 13:14

I'm currently in a hot bath and trying to work...I think I have one of these. It really feels like I need to pop it but there is no head and it's absolute agony, also quite itchy. I reckon this is day 3.

SoDiorDarling · 15/12/2020 13:22

@SweetRuby I will try sudocreme as tea tree is starting to burn.

Thisisworsethananticpated · 15/12/2020 13:25

It will pop
I promise x
Hang tight

SoDiorDarling · 15/12/2020 14:18

I'll be sure to update 🤣