Bartholin Gland Problems
The Bartholin glands (also known as Vestibular glands) are glands which excrete lubrication in women. They are located either side of the vaginal opening towards the base of the folds of skin.
Two percent of women will develop a Bartholin gland cyst and they are most common in women under thirty years of age of white or black origins.
A Bartholin cyst emerges when the duct which drains the fluid from the gland becomes blocked and "backs up" causing the duct to swell. This forms a painless lump in the region. More commonly this becomes an abscess.
A Bartholin gland abscess develops either when a Bartholin gland cyst becomes infected or when the Bartholin gland becomes infected.
This can cause a very painful and tender swelling. Bartholin gland abscesses can be pea-sized to grapefruit sized and can make walking or sitting very difficult due to pain (forget intercourse - for now). Some women also find that they are reccurrent (Don't give up hope yet.)
Here is a picture of a Bartholin's abscess/cyst. It won't be displayed until you click on the button since some people may not want it loading on screen right away or at all. To re-hide it just refresh the page.
There are a very large number of different bacteria which can be contained by the abscess including E.coli, streptococcus, staphylococcus to name a few.
The abscesses can also, on occasion, be caused by chlamydia and gonorrhea.
It is much more likely to be the bacteria native to your body that has caused infection than an STI. If you think there is a chance that an STI is the cause ask your Doctor for a test.
In extemely rare cases women develop Bartholin gland cancer. This is not something most women with a bga/bgc will ever get. A place to visit for information and links to good support is Cancerhelp.org.uk.