Bartholin Gland and skin on vulva

Women's health
1

I have had an UNinfected bartholin cyst for 3 years. I dont really remember when it formed because i never had any pain or discomfort. I believe mine came about due to constant sweating (no AC in Texas heat with long commutes) and the fact that I had a bacterial infection (Beta Hemolytic Streptoccocus Group B) after intercourse. This was cleared with antibiotics. Also, ever since then I have always had whats feels like a subtle yeast infection that was diagnosed and treated.

Having this cyst was VERY depressing. My bf at the time, unfortunately, was not understanding as this put a strain on our relationship. I did not feel confident or atrractive because of it and our physical relationship was nearly non existent. Intercourse didnt hurt but it didnt help. The cyst would get bigger and go down but never went away. Just an ugly squishy lump. It was about the size of a large grape.

I went on a health craze because of the things that happened to me. I had "yeast" infections every couple months and would get treated. So I started eating better. I started eating raw garlic, only drinking water, cutting sugar. I would do these things here and there but not for too long because it was difficult! I wont even list the supplements i took because i did not have the patience as they obviously never worked. The Sitz baths didnt work either.

A couple weeks ago I was at my lowest and very depressed and crying for having this lump on my vulva for 3 years. It was so bad i did the unthinkable. My cyst was NEVER infected. It was just...there. As i read on a few forums. I decided to self treat because surgery was not an option and i am a firm believer in DIY and saving money. I was goign to pop it..

I would NOT reccomend this course of action to anyone but I will tell u my experience (last resort):

I purchased 3 packs of very thin syringe needles. Bought gauze pads and an antiseptic rinse. 

I soakded 1 last time and thoroughly cleansed my vulva with soap and water then checked myself with a mirror and did it again. I faned myself and dried off. I grabbed the needles,some cotton balls, a cup of warm water,gauze pads, paper towels, the mirror and a small bendable lamp.

I sat on the floor on a towel and spread my legs. Situated the mirror and light in between so i could clearly see. All my "tools" were in close proximity. I first sat and cried more thinking. I either live with a warped vulva, go have surgery and have a scarred vulva with the possibility of it coming back and most likely with a vengance, or do this now and see what happens.

I had heard about blood poisioning but i quite frankly did not care. I was NOT about to live with a warped vulva any longer and if i was going to the ER or needed surgery, i first wanted to try it myself.  And I am so happy i did.

I sat on the floor after going back and forth and finally uncapped the needle(sterilized) and poked the cyst after cleaning the vulva. No blood immediately came out! Just clear liquid. then a small amount of blood. I kept doing this for about 10 needles. it didnt hurt at all. nor was i bleeding. So i opened another pack and decided to aspirate it... I folded and pushed and squeezed the area until i had the cyst in a position where most of the fluid had collected. I poked it with a needle and aspirated. It was clear! Which apparently meant no infection.I kept doing this 15 more times. losing a few needles in the process because i couldnt aspirate properly. Some liquid was clear and some was a slight yellow. Which was odd but i tried turmeric down there and maybe it seeped through and changed the color, i dont know.

This whole process took about 25 needles and the cyst sac had finally shrunk! (well because i sucked all the fluid out) i cried again tears of joy! My vulva is now 97% normal looking. I now have extra skin that has stretched since i have had this cyst for so long. I am wondering when it will shrink back?

Sorry for such a long post. I wanted to share my experience and what i did. yes i did a crazy thing with 25 needles. But i also did not get sepsis. nor did i die or end up in the ER. My cyst doesnt even look like a cyst anymore. My vulva just has some extra skin that i am concerned will not shrink back.

 

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I don't necessarily condone this just in case someone hits something they shouldnt. Also, please, those reading this....be aware this doesn't always work. I've tried draining my own cysts many times. I've bought needles that were too small, so nothing came out. I've bought needles that wouldn't go in, so basically jabbed my vulva for nothing. It just bled like it normally would if I stabbed my crotch with a needle. That was at the thinnest part of the cyst too. There was too much scar tissue in the way.

Last time i tried to aspirate it myself with a syringe, same thing happened. It would go through all the way. That made it hurt like hell, and I ended up in the ER with the damn thing swollen and p*ssed off cause I just stabbed it. Again, for nothing.

So just be careful. This might work for some, but it's risky and if you have issues with reoccurrence, it's best to see a doc in the end either way, cause eventually they can fix the entire problem...whereas self drainage only goes so far.

I wish I would have tried doctors first....then maybe I wouldn't have so much scarring down there and it'd be less painful for me. Just a heads up to those dealing with multiple flare ups a year.

HOWEVER I am happy that you found some relief. I only wish this worked for me. Hopefully the needle jabs didn't hurt too bad, and hopefully it doesn't come back!

3

Hi MissMagus,

I completely agree that it was reallly risky. And i wouldnt reccomend anyone doing what i did. It didnt hurt me at all actually. But i was desperate. My cyst ruined my relationship and it was my bday and i wanted a normal vulva to reclaim myself after my break up.

I used really thin short insulin needles. It was hard to aspirate at first since i had to hold the cyst with 1 hand and the needle in the other AND try to aspirate it with the same hand. The needle was short so it couldnt go too far i thought. And i held steady and went slow.

As for it coming back, it hasnt so far even though i have had gland interaction. Its been about 3 weeks. The skin appears to be slowly shrinking. My concern was getting in a relationship and having to explain why my vulva appears diseased. This was my first uninfected cyst that never went away.

I am so sorry it did not work for u

Was your cyst painful or infected before u tried the self treatment? How did u have scar tissue?

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You are a beast...good for you....let me know if it comes back

5

Hi just wanted to share this as it might help someone. I was just in the EXACT same boat as you, painless lump on left side for 5 years, I even had the operation where they put me under GA and accessed and drained the cyst, and even though the was only supposed to be a 15% chance of the cyst returning in my LIFETIME, it returned 3 weeks later and I was distraught. One thing I am lucky about though is I have a wonderful loving partner who doesn’t mind at all and always tries to reassure me, anyway! We really like to experiment during sex and we get up to all sorts of random things and last Sunday he sucked a few ice cubes to take the edge of them before inserting them inside me, random I know, but the next morning the cyst was gone!!! I’m the same as you now like only about 25% uneven to the other side as I think I’ve been left with loose skin from having the cyst so long, so just incase anyone reads this, try giving that ice cube method a try, at least before you start digging around down there with needles, there’s nothing too lose :slight_smile: