01The basics
What is a Bartholin's cyst?
A small gland on each side of the opening of the vagina makes fluid. If its tube blocks, the fluid collects as a cyst: a soft lump on one side, from the size of a pea to a golf ball. It is not always painful.
- An abscess
- An infected cyst is an abscess. It can be very painful and hot to touch, with swelling, and sitting and walking can hurt. Have it seen urgently, the same day if you can.
- Is it cancer?
- A Bartholin's cyst is not cancer, and cancer in this gland is rare. If you are over 40, a small sample may be taken to be sure, so do not wait to be seen.
- Is it from sex?
- Often nobody knows why the gland blocks. Sometimes an abscess comes from an infection passed on by sex, so Dr. Rockhead may take a swab to check.
- Other lumps
- Not every lump is a Bartholin's cyst. A skin cyst, a hair bump after shaving, a wart or herpes can each cause one, which is why it is looked at first.
Keep in mind
If a lump appears again.
A cyst or abscess can form again later, and doctors are not sure why some women get them again.
After the stitched procedure described below, one large US hospital says 5 to 15 in 100 come back.
02Who looks at it
Who looks at it?
Dr. Charles Rockhead, in person, at 9 Devon Road in Kingston. He examines the lump, tells you what he thinks it is and whether a test is needed, and explains your options, including leaving it alone. You can ask for a chaperone, and you can ask for the examination to stop at any time. He does the procedure himself. Ask where it takes place. Nothing is booked until you decide.
Dr. Charles Rockhead, Medical Director — Oshun Cosmetic Services, Kingston.
Dr. Charles Rockhead
Medical Director · Board-Certified OB/GYN · 30+ years of practice
Dr. Charles Rockhead is a board-certified Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with more than thirty years of practice in Kingston. He is the Medical Director of Oshun Cosmetic Services and the founding physician of Amadeo Medical Group, the parent clinical practice.
Read the clinic story · View Dr. Rockhead's LinkedIn
03Treatment
What you can do at home, and what a doctor can do.
A cyst under 3 centimetres across (about a large grape) that is not painful is likely to heal on its own, and does not usually need treatment.
i.
At home, for a lump that does not hurt
Sit in a warm bath a few times a day for three to four days. A painkiller from the pharmacy helps. Do not squeeze or cut it yourself, because that can cause infection. If it is no better after two to three days, see a doctor. If it is sore, hot or growing, do not wait out the days.
ii.
Draining
Under a local or a general anaesthetic, a small cut lets the fluid or pus out. The numbing injection stings for a moment, and draining then relieves the pressure. If there is an infection you may be given medicine for it.
iii.
Keeping it open
So that it can go on draining, the cyst can be opened and its edges stitched back to leave a small lasting opening. This stitched procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes, awake or asleep. If you are asleep for it, you cannot drive for at least 24 hours. Another way is a small balloon-tipped tube left in the cyst for four to six weeks. Ask which is offered for you.
iv.
Removing the gland
Only if abscesses keep coming back. It is generally done in hospital, asleep.
04When to get help
Healing, and when to get help.
- When to get help
- See a doctor urgently, the same day if you can, if the lump gets bigger and more painful within hours or days, has pus, turns hot, swollen and tender, or comes with a fever or feeling unwell. Redness can be harder to see on dark skin, so go by heat, swelling and pain. When we are closed, at night and from Friday to Sunday, do not wait for us: see any doctor who is open, or go to a hospital.
- After a procedure
- Call us straight away on (876) 676-6297 for a fever, pain that is getting worse, bleeding that worries you or soaks a pantyliner, more swelling or redness, a wound that is not healing, an unusual discharge, or a tube that falls out. If we are closed or you cannot reach us, go to a hospital.
- Healing
- One large US hospital says to allow two to four weeks to heal after the stitched procedure, and about a week off work if your job is not heavy. Stitches dissolve in 10 to 14 days. Warm baths help for the first days. Keep the area clean and dry, and avoid scented washes. We check you at one to two weeks, and again at four to six.
- Sex, tampons, swimming and hard exercise
- After draining, wait two to four weeks. After the stitched procedure, or if the gland is removed, wait four. If a tube is left in, ask us before sex or tampons.
05What not to ignore
What should not be ignored.
- Signs to have checked
- A lump, a sore or ulcer, a growth like a wart, bleeding that is not a period, itching that does not go, skin that is thickened or a different colour, a mole that changes, burning pain when you pass urine, or a lump in the groin. These are very common and have many causes. They can also be signs of cancer of the vulva, so have them looked at.
- A fixed or uneven lump
- A lump that grows quickly, does not move or has an uneven surface is referred to a cancer specialist. An abscess grows quickly too, which is one more reason to be seen without delay.
- Risks of the procedures
- Pain, bleeding, infection, scarring, a collection of blood under the skin, pain during sex, and the cyst or abscess coming back. Rarely, nearby tissue is damaged.
- Before any procedure
- We do not do these procedures with a bleeding disorder, or before a widespread infection has been treated. Tell us if you take a blood thinner, and do not stop it on your own. If you are pregnant, tell us before anything is planned.
06Cost & booking
What you pay, and when we are open.
- What it costs
- The price depends on which procedure you need. You get it in writing before anything is done, and you can say no.
- The consultation
- From J$11,000, in person, with Dr. Rockhead.
- When we are open
- Monday and Wednesday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Closed Friday to Sunday.
- Paying
- Cash, debit card, credit card or approved financing. Whether insurance pays depends on your plan.
If this sounds right
The next step is a conversation, not a commitment.
Start with a consultation. If the lump is sore or hot, say so when you book.
No obligation · Every consultation is in-person with Dr. Rockhead.
