I get these Bartholin cysts often. My Dr. said I'm more prone because I'm diabetic which also causes yeast infections more often. After using hot compresses for a few days, just wiping sometimes will pop it. I was told to make sure to continue to squeeze the blood out, to rinse out the infection, so to speak. I follow with antibiotic ointment and never have had complications. The pain is relieved immediately after it's drained completely. Sometimes I have to squeeze it more than once to make sure it's completely drained. My Dr. says to come in if it gets worse or if the swelling remains after draining it.

I have had these cysts 5 or 6 times over the past 20 years. Unfortunately, three of those times were while on vacation, so had to find a doctor rather than seeing my regular doctor. I've had them lanced, I've taken antibiotics and I've had fever. Mine get large rapidly and I have found that lancing is usually only effective if I've had the cyst for several days. Antibiotics and sitz baths or hot compresses seem to work, but over a period of about a week, so there is pain and discomfort in the meantime. I have found that Tylenol helps with the pain.

I had a Bartholin's cyst for probably 20 years after four vaginal births. It hurt all the time and I always felt like I was sitting on a golf ball. I finally saw a gynecologist last week and had it lanced, and I feel so much better.

I just had my first cyst. It started months ago and looked like a white pimple. Eventually it seemed to grow a little tail, inward. A week ago it erupted. At first it just hurt and within a few days it was a hard, very sore lump about two inches by one inch, deep in the labia. It got redder, harder and sorer by the day. Then I found this site and figured out what it was. I didn't want to be burdened by a sitz bath so just put a garbage bag on the bed and applied a hot wet washcloth. I put tin foil over the top to help keep the heat in. I also used a green tea bag since I read about that. My guess is just the hot wash cloth does the work. At least I finally had some relief. I'm hoping I won't have to go to a doctor.

I was discharged from the hospital today with a Bartholin cyst. When I went to the ER five days ago, it was the size and shape of a 6 inch popsicle, and the pain was worse than child birth! REALLY! I was on two kinds of IV antibiotics and pain meds. My husband was killed in a car accident less than a month ago, and have to wonder if this is his way of keeping "other boys" away?!? Thanks Buddy!

I'm 19 years old and this is my third cyst within 8 months. The pain is the worst thing I ever felt. I wouldn't wish this on anybody. Tomorrow I'm going to be put to sleep, so they can get it all out this time. The first time I didn't know what it was. It felt funny and my first thought was a yeast infection. I started treating it as such but then it started swelling. Not knowing what it was, I waited a few days. By that time it was the size of a golf ball and I had flu like symptoms including a fever of 104. I went to a regular doctor who then sent me to my ob/gyn and the draining was very painful. I cried even. The second time they did the same thing with an in office draining. Now, not even two months with my third one and this one is bigger and more painful than the first. I can't even walk. Tomorrow I'm having the draining done but they're putting me to sleep, so hopefully they can get all of the infection out and I won't have to go through this ever again. Mine never pop on their own. I wish the baths worked for me.

This is the first time I have experienced a Bartholin cyst. I thought I had at first a staph infection. I could not walk and I had to go to my OB/GYN to have it removed. Within five minutes I felt relief.

I'm 43 and have been suffering from these since I was 14. At that age I was too embarrassed to tell a doctor. Over the last few years though, it's gotten worse and I've ended up in the ER because of how bad the swelling and pain were. After visit with my doctor I found out you can have the gland removed.