Has it ever happened to you that you’re showering or shaving and have felt a bump on labia by accident? Your first reaction would have been to panic, mostly because you believe lumps found under the skin can be dangerous. Is this pimple like bump on vagina a cancer or an STD?
Well, the truth is the human body isn't flawless, and time and again it will remind you of this fact in ways you would have rather preferred it didn’t. So while on most days your body’s perfectly smooth on the outside, on some days, pimples can completely ruin that. Similarly, other parts of your body might develop lumps, like a painful bump on labia. In most cases, they are cysts which are full of air, fluids or other bodily materials and are nothing to be worried about.
In a majority of cases, bumps on labia, or medically called as vaginal cysts, don’t display any visible or noticeable symptoms, and the bumps might stay the same size or grow larger. Most cysts aren’t painful, but one of the few exceptions to the rule is the Bartholin's gland cyst. It is a bigger sized cyst which might cause pain when you insert a tampon, walk or have sex.
Usually, liquid collects inside a gland or duct when it becomes clogged, giving rise to a bump on labia, a vaginal cyst. However, this is a very general assessment and the prognosis will differ from cyst to cyst. For example, trauma to the vaginal walls can result in inclusion cysts. And when the opening of the Bartholin's gland gets blocked, it results in the Bartholin's gland cysts. In some cases, even the E. Coli Bacteria can result in the formation of this cyst.
Another one of the main reasons behind your painful bump on labia is an infection, which can easily occur due to the bacteria which thrives on our skin. In some cases, the infection can spread through an STD. The result is a lump full of pus which can be extremely painful at times and needs to be treated immediately.
The first thing you need to get done is a biopsy in order to rule out cancer. During this process, a tissue sample from your cyst will be removed in order to examine it under a microscope. Other tests include testing secretions from the vagina to determine whether or not it’s an STI (sexually transmitted infection). If the cyst is in your urethra, then an X-ray will be required.
To ease any discomfort you feel from your painful bump on labia, you can fill up your bath tub in a few inches of warm water and sit in it for some time. You can do this many times a day if the discomfort you experience is a lot. In most cases, proper antibiotics are prescribed to treat the pimple like bump on vagina.
In cases of large cysts like the Bartholin's cyst, you could have a catheter (a small tube) inserted to drain the liquid out of the cyst, or your health care provider might make a small incision on the cyst itself to drain all the liquid.
If the cyst is too large or if it keeps returning, then you might require a surgery to get it removed. Women who are over age 40 are almost always encouraged by their doctors to get a surgery done in order to completely eliminate the possibility of cancer. Once the surgery has taken place, you can be assured that your cyst will never return.
Note: Always remember that if there’s a bump on labia, make an immediate appointment with your gynaecologist so that they could give you an exact diagnosis. In all probability it might turn out to be nothing, but if in case it’s something serious, you’ll be glad you made that phone call which made all the difference in your life.