Introduction
Bartholinitis, or Bartholin’s abscess, is an inflammation of the small Bartholin glands, which are located in the area of the labia minora in women. This can sometimes lead to severe symptoms, but these can manifest themselves somewhat differently in each patient.
Symptoms
First of all it is important to remember that bartholinitis is an inflammation. The basic principle is that most inflammations follow a similar course and therefore express themselves with the same symptoms. In the course of the inflammation a cyst (Bartholinitis cyst) can develop, which can be recognized by a swelling.
The inflammation of the Bartholin’s gland (Bartholinitis) can also cause severe pain. The intensity of the pain is felt differently by each patient and depends on the extent to which the Bartholin’s gland is affected. However, the localisation of the pain is typical, as the pain occurs in the area of the Bartholin glands, i.e. in the area of the labia minora.
The pain usually occurs at rest and without strain, but is intensified by sexual intercourse or by rubbing the labia minora with a tampon or toilet paper. Various sports such as horse riding or cycling can also cause the pain in the labia minora area to become increasingly severe. If a Bartholin abscess forms, such sports can often no longer be practiced at all.
It is also typical that the pain usually only occurs on one side of the labia. This is due to the fact that Bartholinitis usually only affects one gland on one side and therefore the symptoms of Bartholinitis are usually unilateral. Another typical symptom of bartholinitis is a one-sided swelling in the area of the labia minora.
This swelling can be felt with the finger and often feels tight and elastic. If an abscess develops, it is possible that the swelling is under so much tension that it bursts open by touching it with the finger, thus draining pus and fluid. After the abscess has burst, the pain should immediately subside or even disappear completely.
However, it is important to warn against opening the abscess at home, as this requires medical attention and may make the inflammation worse and spread further. In addition to the swelling, bartholinitis can also cause other symptoms. Among others, there is usually a one-sided, reddish discoloration in the area of the labia minora.
This reddening almost always occurs unilaterally, but if the inflammation spreads, it can also affect not only the labia minora, but also the outer, labia majora. Patients may also suffer from a mild form of bartholinitis. This is often hardly noticed.
In this case, only mechanical irritation (by a tampon, during sexual intercourse) causes slight pain, whereas no pain occurs during resting phases. There is also no reddening of the labia in this case. However, there is an additional swelling, which the patient can feel with her fingers.
Since this form of Bartholinitis usually disappears on its own within a very short time and the symptoms are mild, many patients do not notice at all that they are suffering from an inflammation of the Bartholin glands. In general, the symptoms of Bartholinitis are therefore very varied, especially the severity of the inflammation correlates with the symptoms. If there is only a slight temporary inflammation, the symptoms are also only weakly pronounced.
If, however, a severe infection of the Bartholin glands occurs, this can lead to sometimes very severe pain, which can sometimes affect the patient while walking, as rubbing the labia against each other while walking further irritates the inflamed Bartholin gland and further increases the pain. Furthermore, it can lead to rather untypical symptoms, which are not necessarily due to Bartholinitis. For example, the patient may experience weakness and a reduced general condition.
If the severe pain is not treated adequately, the patient may release various stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol…) for fear of new pain, which then lead to increased blood pressure (hypertension). In addition, the unilateral pain can cause the patient to develop a relieving posture and adjust her gait and stance so that the pain is as little as possible, which can then lead to a faulty gait pattern. It is therefore important not to ignore the symptoms of Bartholinitis and to consult a specialist in gynaecology (gynaecologist) so that he or she can adequately treat the inflammation of the Bartholin glands and thus quickly improve the symptoms.
