Bartholins Cysts are collections of secretions in the Bartholin’s glands which are situated in the vulva. These can increase in size and may also get infected. They cause swelling, pain and may cause severe redness and even fever if an abscess develops. In the initial stages of the inflammation, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication can help control the swelling. Later on, surgical intervention is necessary.

Surgical treatment for the cyst when it is not infected is either excision or marsupialization. Excision procedure is when the entire cyst is removed in toto. Marsupialization is a procedure in which the cyst is deroofed, like having a lid removed from the cyst so that the internal lining dries up and stops secreting the contents. Very rarely, even after this procedure, the cyst may recur.

When the cyst is infected, it is difficult to excise it completely as it is adherent to the surrounding tissues and then one has to incise and drain it like an abscess and marsupialize it at the same sitting. In such a situation, the likelihood of recurrence of the cyst is quite high.