Symptoms of Bartholinitis

introduction

In the case of Bartholinitis or Bartholin's abscess, there is an inflammation of the small Bartholin glands, which are located in women in the area of ​​the labia minora. This can sometimes lead to severe symptoms, which, however, can express themselves somewhat differently in each patient.

Symptoms

First of all, it is important to keep in mind that bartholinitis is an inflammation. In terms of the basic principle, most inflammations are similar and therefore express themselves with the same symptoms. In the course of the inflammation, a cyst (Bartholinitis cyst) can form, which can be recognized by a swelling.

When the Bartholin's gland is inflamed (Bartholinitis) there is sometimes severe pain, although the severity of the pain is felt differently by each patient and also depends on the extent to which the Bartholin gland is affected. However, the localization of the pain is typical because the pain is in the area Bartholin's glands, i.e. in the area of ​​the labia minora, arise. The pain usually occurs at rest and without strain, but is made worse by sexual intercourse or rubbing the labia minora with a tampon or toilet paper.

Various sports such as horse riding or cycling can also lead to the pain in the labia minora getting worse. If a Bartholin's 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 because Bartholinitis usually only affects one gland on one side and therefore the symptoms of Bartholinitis are usually one-sided.

Read more about this under Pain in the labia / clitoris

Another typical symptom of Bartholinitis is unilateral swelling in the area of ​​the labia minora. This swelling can be felt with the finger and often feels plump and elastic. If an abscess develops, the swelling is under so much tension that it bursts when you touch it with your finger, thereby draining pus and fluid. After the abscess bursts, the pain should decrease immediately or even go away completely. Nevertheless, at this point it is warned not to open the abscess at home, as this requires medical help and you may make the inflammation even worse and it can spread further.

Also read on this topic: Swelling in the vaginal entrance

In addition to swelling, bartholinitis can also cause other symptoms. Among other things, there is usually a one-sided, reddish discoloration in the area of ​​the labia minora. This reddening almost always occurs on one side, but if the inflammation spreads, it can affect not only the small labia but also the outer, large labia.

Patients can also suffer from a mild form of bartholinitis. This is often hardly noticed. In this case, there is only slight pain in the event of mechanical irritation (from a tampon, during sexual intercourse), with no pain occurring during rest phases. There is also no reddening of the labia in this case. However, there is also a swelling which the patient can feel with her fingers. However, since this form of Bartholinitis usually disappears on its own within a very short time and the symptoms are mild, many patients do not even notice that they are suffering from an inflammation of the Bartholin glands.

In general, the symptoms of Bartholinitis are very diverse, above all the severity of the inflammation correlates with the symptoms. If there is only a slight temporary inflammation, the symptoms are only mildly pronounced.

However, if there is one severe infection of the Bartholin glands, this can sometimes be too great severe pain lead, which can partially influence the patient when walking, since the rubbing against each other Labia When walking, the inflamed Bartholin's gland is further irritated and the pain is intensified.

Furthermore, it can lead to rather atypical symptoms, which are not necessarily due to Bartholinitis. For example, it can be a weakness and one reduced general condition of the patient come. If the severe pain is not adequately treated, the patient may release various stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol ...) out of fear of new pain, which then lead to increased blood pressure (hypertension) to lead.

In addition, the patient may experience a Relieving posture and adjusts their gait and stance so that the pain is as low as possible, which then leads to a faulty gait can lead. That is why it is important not to ignore the symptoms of bartholinitis and get one Specialist in gynecology (Gynecologist) so that he can adequately treat the inflammation of the Bartholin's glands and thus improve the symptoms quickly.

Fever as a symptom of Bartholinitis

Bartholinitis can cause a variety of symptoms and ailments. The bacterial inflammation often leads to fatigue and a generally impaired well-being. However, fever is not a very common symptom. Untreated Bartholinitis often leads to empyema, which is a collection of pus in the gland. Then fever is not an all too rare accompanying symptom. To lower the fever, you can take antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. However, it is advisable to consult a doctor as soon as possible, since the accumulation of pus, provided it does not burst spontaneously, must be opened by a doctor with a small incision.

Pain as a symptom of Bartholinitis

A characteristic symptom of Bartholinitis is the severe pain in the area of ​​the posterior labia. It is strictly one-sided, localized on the affected side. Bartholinitis pains have a throbbing character and intensify enormously when pressure is applied to the affected area. This makes sitting or wearing tight clothing extremely painful. The longer the bartholinitis is left untreated, the worse the pain becomes as more and more pus builds up. With a spontaneous opening of the swelling and pus evacuation, the pain improves.

Redness / overheating as a symptom of Bartholinitis

One of the typical signs of inflammation is redness (Rubor). This reddening is caused by a widening of the blood capillaries in the inflamed tissue. Another common sign of inflammation is tissue overheating. You can feel this very clearly with Bartholinitis if you alternately feel the healthy and the affected gland.

Swelling as a symptom of Bartholinitis

Bartholinitis is characterized by unilateral swelling in the area of ​​the posterior labia. At the beginning of the inflammation, the swelling is very weak. However, the longer the infection is left untreated, the bigger the swelling will be and the pus will build up. It can even reach the size of a small table tennis ball or a chicken egg.

Pus as a symptom of bartholinitis

Due to the infection of the Bartholin gland and the associated inflammation, the duct of this gland is virtually blocked. The secretion, which would otherwise actually serve to moisten the vaginal vestibule, cannot drain away. Pus develops in the cavity of the gland, which leads to an ever-increasing swelling. This collection of pus is called empyema. Typical accompanying symptoms are fever, tiredness and fatigue. The pus can flow away through a spontaneous rupture, almost bursting open, of the empyema. Usually, however, the empyema must be opened by a doctor using a small incision.

Abscess as a symptom of Bartholinitis

Bartholinitis is often incorrectly referred to as an abscess. An accumulation of pus in the course of bartholinitis is not an abscess, but an empyema. The difference is quite simple to explain: an empyema is a collection of pus in an existing body cavity, for example a gland. An abscess, on the other hand, is an encapsulated collection of pus in a tissue that previously had no cavity. The formation of pus only creates a cavity at this point.