Cyst on labia: causes of formation, diagnosis and treatment methods

The cyst on the labia is a fairly common problem that many women face. With timely diagnosis and properly conducted therapy, this disease can be cured without significant damage to the health and quality of the woman's intimate life. On the other hand, the lack of treatment can lead to inflammation and extremely unpleasant complications.

That is why many women seek additional information about this disease. What is the cyst on the labia of women? Photo, the appearance of pathological education for ethical reasons, we will not consider (if desired, detailed materials can be found on specialized resources of medical topics). Let's talk better about the causes and consequences of the appearance of such new growths. How dangerous is a cyst? What methods of treatment are considered the most effective and safe? Answers to these questions will be useful to many readers.

What is a cyst on the labia

Photos showing external signs of pathology, to put it mildly, are unpleasant. Bartholin gland is a paired organ, which is located in the thickness of the labia, on the eve of the vagina. The function of these small glands is very important. They produce a translucent liquid, rich in proteins, which provides lubrication of the vaginal walls for a normal, painless passage of the sexual act.

The gland ducts open on the surface of the labia minora. Sometimes, for one reason or another, secretion of the secret is difficult, as a result of which it begins to accumulate in the cavity of the gland. It is in such cases that a cyst on the labia may appear. This is a benign education, which, nevertheless, can cause a woman a lot of inconvenience. That is why it is important to know about the main causes and symptoms of ailment in order to get help from a doctor in time.

Cyst on the labia: causes of formation

Immediately it is worth noting that the formation of such a neoplasm is a long process. As a rule, the cyst on the labia develops as a result of inflammation of the Bartholin gland. Inflammatory process can be caused by different strains of bacteria. It can be both relatively pathogenic streptococci, staphylococci, E. coli, and pathogens of venereal diseases, including chlamydia, gonococci, etc.

Sometimes there is a hematogenous way of transmission of infection. This happens in patients with severe, chronic diseases. If, for example, there is a foci of inflammation in the body of a woman (for example, with tonsillitis), then against a background of a decrease in immunity, the infection can be carried along with blood from the primary focus to more distant organs.

Are there risk factors?

The cyst on the labia is formed after the end of the inflammatory process. In turn, doctors identify several major risk factors, in which the probability of infection of tissues is much higher:

• Promiscuous sex life;
• Refusal to use condoms during intercourse;
• Non-observance of the rules of intimate hygiene;
• Fungal diseases of the genital organs, including prolonged candidiasis (thrush);
• Weakening of the immune system, including immunodeficiency, previously transmitted infections (colds), persistent stress, physical and emotional exhaustion;
• Prolonged sexual intercourse, which is accompanied by irritation and trauma to the vaginal mucosa;
• Skin irritation associated with wearing poor-quality or improperly-selected underwear, using improper soap and other hygiene products;
• Cosmetic procedures, in particular hair removal;
• Abortion, spontaneous abortion, diagnostic curettage.

Quite often, in the presence of one or more of the above factors, women develop a cyst on the labia. The reasons, as can be seen, can be different. In any case, if you find yourself in an uncharacteristic education in the field of external genitalia, you should contact a gynecologist.

What symptoms are accompanied by the disease?

What changes in the body's work and well-being of the patient can cause a cyst on the labia? Symptoms can be different, depending on the size of the neoplasm, the presence of the inflammatory process, and so on.

Small cysts rarely cause serious discomfort. A woman can easily lead a habitual way of life. As the tumor grows, the first symptoms may appear, namely swelling of the labia, discomfort during physical activity and sexual intercourse. Soreness, as a rule, appears either at too large a cyst size, or in the presence of an inflammatory process.

Inflammation of the cyst and underlying symptoms

As already mentioned, the cyst itself is not too dangerous, in some cases, doctors do not even prescribe treatment. A completely different picture is observed if the infection penetrates into the formation. This can occur as a result of trauma, for example, during hygiene procedures, sexual intercourse, etc.

The inflammatory process is accompanied by discomfort. In particular, the area of the Bartholin gland swells, the skin around turns red, the cyst becomes painful to the touch. In such cases, it is worthwhile to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Abscess and other possible complications

The consequence of the inflammatory process (in the absence of treatment, of course) can be an abscess. In this case purulent masses begin to accumulate in the cavity of the cysts. Education significantly increases in size, it becomes incredibly painful. The pain accompanies the woman during walking and physical activity and even at rest.

Along with this, the standard symptoms of an organism's intoxication can manifest itself, in particular, a sharp rise in body temperature, chills, body aches, nausea, loss of appetite, weakness and drowsiness.

In the absence of medical care, an abscess can break, which is accompanied by severe pain. In addition, purulent masses after opening the abscess extend to the internal genital organs, which can lead to the development of vaginitis, cystitis, inflammatory processes of the ovaries.

What diagnostic methods exist?

In fact, the process of diagnosing this pathology is relatively simple. The cyst on the labia of women can be found during a routine gynecological examination. Larger formations are visible to the naked eye, while smaller ones can be felt during palpation.

Naturally, after the discovery of "nodules" patients are assigned additional studies. Sometimes, for example, a cyst on the labia is studied using ultrasound equipment. In some cases, samples of the contents of the tumor are sampled for laboratory testing. Also, a woman is recommended to take tests for venereal infections, and also take a swab from the vagina to detect pathogenic microflora.

Medication: how effective is it?

Today, many patients are interested in questions about what the cyst on the labia and its treatment are. The scheme of therapy is determined by the doctor. In the presence of tiny new growths, special treatment may not be necessary at all - often the cysts resolve themselves. Nevertheless, a woman must regularly undergo gynecological examinations, so that the doctor could follow the dynamics of the development of pathology.

Drug therapy depends on the condition of the patient's body, the cause of the disease and the presence of concomitant pathologies. For example, with inflammation, antibacterial (or antifungal) therapy is mandatory. Reduced activity of the immune system requires correction of the diet, as well as the intake of vitamin complexes. Sometimes hormone therapy is needed.

When is surgery necessary?

In fact, surgical intervention, as a rule, is the only way to get rid of the cyst. The task of modern surgery is not only the removal of the cyst, but also the restoration of the normal work of the bartholin gland.

Quite often the doctor simply dissects the cyst wall, completely removes its contents, and then thoroughly rinses the bag with an antiseptic solution. A more radical procedure is complete excision of the cyst and surrounding tissues together with the gland. By the way, this procedure is the only one, one hundred percent guaranteeing the absence of relapses in the future.

What is fraught with surgical removal of the cyst?

The two methods described above give quite good results. Nevertheless, they can not be considered a "gold standard", since such procedures can lead to some not very pleasant consequences. For example, when the contents of the cyst are removed, the walls of the wall remain, they can often coalesce with each other, which leads to repeated blockage and the formation of a new cyst.

A complete removal of tissues, of course, will ensure a lasting result. On the other hand, the removal of Bartholin glands is fraught with other complications. In particular, the quality of women's intimate life will deteriorate, because normal vaginal lubrication will not be released during sexual contact, which is fraught with discomfort and pain. After such procedures, women all the time have to use an artificial lubricant.

Introduction of a vortex catheter as an alternative to complete excision

Naturally, surgical operations are far from the only methods that can get rid of such a problem as a cyst on the labia. Treatment can be longer, but really effective.

A new effective technique is the introduction of the so-called Ward catheter. First, the doctor opens the cystic cavity, removes its contents, and then thoroughly rinses the bag with an antiseptic solution. After this, a catheter with a small rubber end is inserted into the cavity, which is slightly inflated. Thus, inside the cavity is a small ball, around which the epithelial membrane is subsequently formed. So a new channel is formed to remove the secretion of the gland.

Naturally, the procedure takes much longer. In itself, the catheter insertion takes no more than 10-15 minutes, but it is left inside the gland for several weeks. As a rule, discomfort and a certain soreness is present only in the first few days, after which the woman feels quite comfortable. Naturally, the patient needs to carefully observe the rules of personal hygiene and at the time to give up sexual life.

After a few weeks, the catheter is removed. The risk of fusion of the walls of the new canal is minimal. This kind of treatment can get rid of such an unpleasant problem as a cyst on the labia. Complications after the procedure include catheter prolapse (either due to improper manipulations, or due to carelessness of the patient), as well as infection of the gland (again, most often due to non-compliance with hygiene requirements). However, such situations are recorded in no more than 10% of cases.

Marsupilization of the cyst

The cyst on the labia can be eliminated in a different way. Marsupilization of the neoplasm is a relatively new medical technique that allows preserving the gland function.

The operation is performed under local anesthesia and, as a rule, takes about 30-40 minutes. First, the doctor makes a small incision on the wall of the gland, opens the capsule of the cyst, then carefully removes its contents and rinses with antibacterial solutions. Further, the wall of the gland is neatly sutured to the labia of the labia. Thus, there is no need to form a new duct, but the gland continues to function, producing the secret necessary for a normal sexual life.

Of course, therapy does not end there. After the procedure, it is very important to monitor the wound, observe the rules of personal hygiene, treat tissues with antiseptic solutions, take antibiotics to prevent infectious diseases. As practice shows, with the right approach it is possible to preserve the function of the gland without any complications.