Bartholin's Cyst
Medical Author:
R Daniel Braun, MD
Coauthor:
Melissa Howell Kennedy, MD
Medical Editor:
Anthony Anker, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
Lee P Shulman, MD
Bartholin's Cyst OverviewThe Bartholin's glands are located at the entrance to a woman's vagina, one on each side. They are small and cannot be seen or felt when they are normal. Their function is to secrete fluid onto the mucosal (inner) surface of the labia-the liplike skin surrounding the vagina. Problems with the Bartholin's glands include cysts, which are relatively painless enlargements of the gland, and abscesses, which are infections of the gland. Typically only 1 of the 2 glands is affected. Bartholin's Cyst CausesA Bartholin's cyst develops when the duct exiting the Bartholin's gland becomes blocked. The fluid produced by the gland then accumulates, causing the gland to swell and form a cyst. An abscess occurs when a cyst becomes infected. Bartholin's abscesses can be caused by any of a number of bacteria. These include bacterial organisms that cause sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea as well as bacteria normally found in the intestinal tract, such as Escherichia coli. It is common for these abscesses to involve more than one type of organism. Viewer Comments & ReviewsBartholin Cyst - TreatmentThe eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:What treatment has been effective for your Bartholin cyst? |
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Bartholin Cyst
Topic Overview
What are the Bartholin glands?
The Bartholin glands are in a woman's genital area. They are two pea-sized organs under the skin. They are on either side of the folds of skin (labia) that surround the vagina and urethra. Normally, you cannot feel or see the Bartholin glands.
The Bartholin glands make a small amount of fluid that moistens the outer genital area, or vulva. This fluid comes out of two tiny tubes next to the opening of the vagina. These tubes are called Bartholin ducts.
What are Bartholin gland cysts?
If a Bartholin duct gets blocked, fluid builds up in the gland. The blocked gland is called a Bartholin gland cyst. (Sometimes it is called a Bartholin duct cyst.) These cysts can range in size from a pea to a large marble. They usually grow slowly. If the Bartholin gland or duct gets infected, it is called a Bartholin gland abscess.
Bartholin gland cysts are often small and painless. Some go away without treatmen...
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
Drainage, Bartholin Abscess »
The Bartholin glands are a pair of pea-sized, vulvovaginal, mucous-secreting vestibular glands that are located in the labia minora in the 4- and 8-o’clock positions, beneath the bulbospongiosus muscle.
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