Bartholin's Gland - Cyst, Abscess And Bartholinitis

Bartholin's glands are two glands which are located in the vulva, the outer portion of the female genitalia and have the function of producing a lubricating fluid.

There are two Bartholin gland problems are relatively common: the formation of cyst or abscess, the latter a process also called bartholinitis. Both complications usually arise when there is an obstruction of the gland exit orifice that prevents adequate drainage of their fluids.

In this article we will explain what are the Bartholin glands and what are the symptoms, causes and treatment of the abscess and cyst Bartholin.



As mentioned in the introduction, the glands of Bartolhin are two pairs of glands located in the labia minora, near the vagina. Its function is to produce a mucous fluid which serves to lubricate and moisten the vulva and the outer part of the vagina, especially during sex.

The ducts that carry fluids produced by the gland have approximately 2.5 cm in length and their exit openings, through which are effectively secreted mucus, have 0.5 cm in diameter.

To facilitate anatomical identification of the glands, if you think of the vagina like clockwork, the outlet holes are located in the brand 4am and 8am. Under normal conditions, the Bartholin glands are small and not usually visible or palpable.


The Bartholin's gland diseases occur primarily when the output of one or both ducts being blocked, prevented the removal of mucus produced. The two most common complications that arise from this problem are the Bartholin's cyst and abscess of the Bartholin gland. Let's talk a little bit about each of the two.

Benign and malignant tumors of the Bartholin gland are very rare and therefore will not be discussed in this article.


If the outlet port of the Bartholin gland becomes blocked, all the mucus it produces ends up being held around the gland itself, creating a cyst, which is nothing more than a solid mass with liquid content inside. This cyst is called a Bartholin cyst.

About 2% of women of childbearing age develop Bartholin's cyst. Children usually do not develop this problem because the glands of Bartholin not begin to function until puberty. Likewise, the cysts are uncommon after menopause because the glands tend to shrink and lose function with age.

Symptoms of Bartholin's cyst

When the cyst is small, it often goes undetected, as well as not easily visible or palpable, it is also painless in most cases. When the cyst grows beyond 1 cm in diameter, and this process can take anywhere from months to years, the woman may notice the emergence of a small tumor (one small lump) in one of their labia minora. Cysts in these cases usually papabile visible, but remains painless. Cysts greater than 3 cm in diameter can cause discomfort to touch or during sexual intercourse. The higher the cyst, the greater the chance it cause discomfort, even when walking or sitting.

Treatment of Bartholin's cyst

No treatment is necessary in cases of asymptomatic cyst. The patient can only do sitz baths with warm water and keep a clear area to avoid contamination. In the vast majority of cases, the cysts disappear spontaneously after a few days.

If the cyst become very large and is causing discomfort, physical or aesthetic, it can be drained through a small incision.

In women over 45 years of age, stage of life in which this type of cyst starts to be unusual, it is important to the doctor to assess the injury carefully, as it can be actually a tumor, not a simple cyst . In these cases, it is prudent to perform an incision in the injury so we can do a biopsy and make sure that it is not a carcinoma of the vulva.


The abscess Bartholin's gland is a complication that arises when the liquid trapped within the Bartholin cyst defiled with bacteria and becomes purulent. This complication is also called Bartholin's Cyst, which term means inflammation of the Bartholin glands.

The bacteria that most commonly infects the cyst and causes abscess Bartholin's gland is Escherichia coli, the same as that usually causes the frames of urinary tract infection. Bacteria which normally inhabit our skin such as Staphylococci and Streptococci can also be the cause. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea and chlamydia, both sexually transmitted diseases, can also be the infectious agent responsible for the formation of abscess.

Abscess Symptoms of Bartholin's gland

Unlike the cyst, abscess is a tumor that causes intense symptoms. The pain, swelling, redness and local heat are the main characteristics of the frame. Fever is not so frequent, occurs in only about 20% of cases. In some situations, the abscess can drain spontaneously, releasing a clearly purulent fluid. When drained, the symptoms usually disappear.

If beyond the abscess, the patient also has yellowish or greenish vaginal discharge, the gynecologist should always think of STDs as the cause of Bartholin's cyst.

Treatment of Bartholin's gland abscess

Conversely the cyst, which is usually asymptomatic and do not require specific treatment, the abscess of Bartholin's gland usually requires medical intervention.

If the abscess is small and somewhat painful lesion can be treated with frequent sitz baths, with duration of 15 minutes, 3 to 4 times per day. This helps the spontaneous drainage of pus. Even when the bath seat is not sufficient to treat the abscess, it aids in relieving symptoms.

In most cases, however, the abscess even need medical intervention, such as surgical drainage. This procedure is done with a simple incision injury, performed under local anesthesia. After all the pus was drained, the gynecologist deploys a small rubber catheter within the cyst, which serves to prevent any reaccumulation of pus. This catheter is removed after 6 weeks.

If the patient does not have fever and drainage of pus has been done effectively, no need to prescribe antibiotics. However, if the cause of abscess of the Bartholin gland has been an STI, such as gonorrhea or chlamydia, treatment with appropriate antibiotic therapy is indicated, for the simple cure the abscess does not mean that DST will have been treated.

If after a successful treatment the patient back to present recurrence of the abscess, an alternative surgical technique called marsupialization can be attempted. In this type of surgery also performed under local anesthesia, the doctor makes a small incision in injury and then suture its embroider with the skin in order to keep a small constantly open outlet for the fluids produced by bartholin gland no more risk of being retained.

If the marsupialization technique fails, and the patient back to present episodes of Bartholin's Cyst, the final solution is surgery to remove the Bartholin gland. It is rarely necessary to reach that more radical action.