I felt a lump—any advice?

It's down there.
Down there. Just down there.

I think I'll just head to my OB-GYN so you guys don't have to deal with me 😁, no biggie, but I can't right now because I'm at the pool.😁

It’s a lump, not a pimple. There’s no pus, it isn't an ingrown hair, and it’s not some weird growth—just a lump.
And it hurts when I touch it.

It's located on the left side of the vaginal opening.🙂

😁

So, I'm genuinely curious what this could be.

Could it be a Bartholin's cyst? What do you all think?

It’s possible, though it could also just be some kind of minor irritation, like an inflamed gland or something similar.
I personally tend to deal with that sort of thing after spending too much time riding my bike on a hard seat.
How close is it to the 🙂?

If it's located right by the 🙂, then we might be looking at a Bartholin's cyst. Those don't usually flare up because of cycling... 😉

Lisa Adams said:...and further down there.
Down there.

I plan on seeing my gynecologist so I don't have to rely on your advice 😁, which is perfectly reasonable, but I can't get to an appointment right this second because I'm currently in the middle of a swim meet.😁

To be clear, this isn't a pimple. There is no pus, it’s not an ingrown hair, and it isn't some kind of growth or protrusion; it’s simply a lump, a localized accumulation of tissue.
And it's tender to the touch.

It is located on the left side of the vaginal opening.🙂

😁

So, I am genuinely curious about what this might be.

Could it possibly be an infection of the Bartholin's gland? What are your thoughts?

Is it raised?
By that, I mean is it visibly prominent, or is it something you can only feel when touching it?

Lisa Adams said:I am genuinely curious about what could be causing this.

Could it be an inflamed tonsil? What’s your take?

Same here. If it matches your description, I think you're right.

The Bartholin's gland swelling is way more than just a little "lump"—it’s massive, and the pain is so intense I can barely sit down, let alone go about my day normally.

Yeah, while the inflammation is still acute.

lol oh my god, I totally thought this was going to be about breasts based on the title

swiftbison7 said:Good grief, I thought the title was going to be about breasts.

I figured someone might think the same thing.😁

Sarah Long, you can see it—it’s not super prominent, but it’s there.
And you can definitely feel it under your finger.
I checked it again this morning.😁

I think we’re going to get along just fine.😁

You actually scared me there, 😠 🙂

Let’s grab coffee first, then once the flooding stops, go see a gynecologist.

😁

Brenda Morales46 said:Honestly, you kind of spooked me too.😠 🙂

And you 😳 😠

Get lost. 😁

I haven't made it over to the Miller clinic yet since they didn't schedule me until next week, but things have taken a turn for the worse 😢 so I think I’m going to head over there right now.
I'll let you know how it goes.

Don't mess around. Go there right now and demand they take you in.

And make sure you let me know how it goes 🙂

So, I went to see my doctor today.
It wasn’t a cyst or anything. He knew that from two feet away.😁
Actually, right before the appointment, the thing started bleeding on me, so I let him know.
Turns out it was just an inflamed follicle—an ingrown hair that got nasty. It had turned into a little abscess, so he had to drain it.
He gave me some antiseptic cream to use for a few days, and everything should be fine.

Just a heads-up: watch what you do with the razor. Sometimes being baby-smooth isn't worth the trouble.😁

Anyway, all's well that ends well.

Thanks for checking in.🙂

Lisa Adams said:Thanks for noticing.🙂

Later.👋 😁

Hope everything worked out fine.🙂

I’m sitting here reading through all this, and honestly? I’m just bracing myself for whatever nightmare comes next... 😲

I mean, I guess it’s a relief that things turned out okay 👍

P.S. Just for the record, I shave 😁

Lisa Adams said:It's down there.
Down there, guys. Everywhere.

I’ll probably just head to my OBGYN so you guys don't have to deal with me 😁, which is fine, but I can't right now because I'm actually out swimming.😁

It isn't a pimple, there's no pus, it's not an ingrown hair—it's just a little lump of skin, not even a growth, just a bump.
And it hurts if I touch it.

It's on the left side near the opening of the 🙂

😁

So, I'm dying to know what this could be.

Could it be a Bartholin's cyst? What do you all think?

Honestly, I have no clue what that gland is.
But I've had painful bumps like that before; they usually last a few days and then just vanish.
Probably just an ingrown hair.
No big deal.

PS: I once thought a lump was my breast, too.

Edit: Just realized everything is totally fine now.👍

Since we are already discussing lumps, I wanted to mention that my breasts tend to feel heavy and tender right before my period starts. During this last cycle, I noticed what felt like a significant lump that was incredibly painful to the touch—it had that specific, sharp ache you get when you're expecting your period to arrive. Once my period finally started, the general soreness subsided, but this particular lump hasn't fully disappeared; it's still there, just smaller than before. I can't help but wonder if this is simply a swollen sebaceous gland or if it's something that warrants more serious concern. Have any of you dealt with similar issues?