Bartholin's Cyst or Abscess Checker

The Bartholin glands sit just under the skin on each side of the opening of the vagina, and they release fluid that helps with lubrication. If a gland's opening becomes blocked, fluid builds up behind it and forms a cyst — a soft lump to one side of the vaginal opening, at the base of an inner lip. A simple Bartholin's cyst is usually painless and often causes no symptoms at all; many people only notice it by touch or because it feels different when they sit. It's a common and usually harmless thing, and a small painless one may need no treatment beyond warm soaks. It's not a sexually transmitted infection, though a clinician may still check for infection if the cyst becomes sore.

They're the same lump at two different stages. A cyst is the uninfected version — soft, usually painless, and often not bothersome. An abscess is what you get when that cyst becomes infected: it turns red, warm, and tender, can become very painful, may grow quickly over a day or two, and can leak pus. An abscess often makes it hard to sit, walk, or have sex. The practical difference matters a lot: a small painless cyst may need nothing, while an abscess usually needs a clinician to drain it — sometimes with antibiotics — and is worth getting seen for promptly rather than waiting out.

Not always. A small cyst that isn't painful can often be managed at home with warm baths or warm compresses a few times a day, which ease discomfort and sometimes let it drain on its own — and it may settle without any treatment. What changes the picture is pain and infection: if the lump becomes red, warm, tender, or grows, that points to an abscess, which usually needs a clinician to drain it in the office (sometimes leaving a small catheter in place for a few weeks) and antibiotics if the infection is spreading. One important don't: don't try to squeeze or drain it yourself, which risks pushing the infection deeper. Recovery is usually excellent, though cysts can come back.

No — and it's built not to. It reads a pattern from what you can notice yourself: where the lump is, how it feels, and whether there are signs of infection. A match means the picture fits a Bartholin's cyst or abscess and is worth raising with a clinician — it is never a diagnosis. Several other things cause lumps or swelling in the same area, from cysts of other glands and ingrown hairs to skin conditions like lichen sclerosus, and only a clinician can tell them apart on examination. So the most this tool honestly says is whether your answers fit a simple cyst, fit an infected abscess, or don't clearly fit — and what to do about it.

Two situations deserve more than watchful waiting. First, an infected abscess with a fever, redness spreading outward, or severe pain that's quickly getting worse needs prompt in-person care, because a spreading infection and a painful abscess both need attention (and drainage) sooner rather than later — contact a clinician the same day, or go to urgent care. Second, in anyone over about 40, a new lump in the Bartholin area should be examined directly rather than simply watched: new cysts are much less common at that age, so clinicians look at a new mass properly — often draining it with a tissue sample or removing it — to rule out rarer causes. Neither is a reason to panic, but both are reasons to be seen.

Yes. This checker runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are read on your own device and are never sent to a server, saved, or shared — close the tab and they're gone. It's general educational information based on ACOG, MedlinePlus, and NHS patient guidance; it can't diagnose you, isn't a substitute for an examination, and doesn't replace a conversation with a licensed clinician.