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Have A Red Swelling On Labia Minora With Tiny White Heads On Edge. Never Tested Positive For STD. What Is It?
Question: I have a red swelling on one side of my labia minora with 3 or so tiny white heads on the edge of it with the largest and most prominent white head being on the very edge. I am concerned this may be herpes though I have never tested positive for this and have had only one parter for the last few years. I am in a lot of pain and can barely walk. I don't think I can bare having it lanced or popped and don;t know what to do :(
Hello,
Thanks for writing to us.
According to your clinical feature, you are mostly suffering from Abscess of the Bartholin gland (located slightly posterior & to the left and right of the opening of the vagina) as a result of inflammation/ vaginal infection. Duct gets blocked by fibrosis & the exudates pent up inside to produce abscess.
Other least possible causes are hair folliculitis, sebaceous cyst, vaginal infection etc. It does not look like genital herpes infection as it appears with a group of itchy & painful blisters. Although you get negative result for this.
To confirm the diagnosis, you need to get examined by consulting gynecologist or dermatologist. Pelvic examination, vaginal swab test for culture and routine urine examination are three essential component for next line of management.
Treatment: 1) Adequate rest till the abscess subsides.
2) Take some good analgesics and daily sitz bath to get relief from local pain & discomfort.
3) Oral antibiotic like ampicillin/ amoxy-clav or doxycycline (in case of chlamydial infection) is quite effective. Take a prescription from your doctor.
4) Abscess should be drained at the earliest before it brusts spontaneously. Marsupialisation is the procedure of choice and it is done under general anesthesia. It helps in drainage of the pus and prevents future recurrence.
5) May need supportive medication according to test reports.
Hope, this information is quite helpful to you. If you have any further questions I will be happy to help.
For any future query, you can directly ask me by viewing this page WWW.WWWW.WW
Wish your good health & take care yourself. Take healthy diet with anti oxidant supplement (zinc/ selenium), drink plenty of water and maintain genital hygiene properly with complete avoidance of chemical cosmetics/ bath products. Avoid all kind of sexual activity till it is resolved fully.
Regards,
Dr Soumen
Thanks for writing to us.
According to your clinical feature, you are mostly suffering from Abscess of the Bartholin gland (located slightly posterior & to the left and right of the opening of the vagina) as a result of inflammation/ vaginal infection. Duct gets blocked by fibrosis & the exudates pent up inside to produce abscess.
Other least possible causes are hair folliculitis, sebaceous cyst, vaginal infection etc. It does not look like genital herpes infection as it appears with a group of itchy & painful blisters. Although you get negative result for this.
To confirm the diagnosis, you need to get examined by consulting gynecologist or dermatologist. Pelvic examination, vaginal swab test for culture and routine urine examination are three essential component for next line of management.
Treatment: 1) Adequate rest till the abscess subsides.
2) Take some good analgesics and daily sitz bath to get relief from local pain & discomfort.
3) Oral antibiotic like ampicillin/ amoxy-clav or doxycycline (in case of chlamydial infection) is quite effective. Take a prescription from your doctor.
4) Abscess should be drained at the earliest before it brusts spontaneously. Marsupialisation is the procedure of choice and it is done under general anesthesia. It helps in drainage of the pus and prevents future recurrence.
5) May need supportive medication according to test reports.
Hope, this information is quite helpful to you. If you have any further questions I will be happy to help.
For any future query, you can directly ask me by viewing this page WWW.WWWW.WW
Wish your good health & take care yourself. Take healthy diet with anti oxidant supplement (zinc/ selenium), drink plenty of water and maintain genital hygiene properly with complete avoidance of chemical cosmetics/ bath products. Avoid all kind of sexual activity till it is resolved fully.
Regards,
Dr Soumen
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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