Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Hello Mrs Aunt Vadge,
I’ve given my details below. Thank you.
- Age and location: 23, female, India
- Marital status: single and virgin
- My problem: a Bartholin cyst
- Started: 2 months ago, a pea-like thing appeared in the vulva area
- Condition: getting worse – it feels like it’s enlarging
- Pain: no pain, but uneasy while walking and sitting
- Discharge: greenish-white discharge before the cyst appeared
- Bleeding: none
- Growth: now a small lemon-sized ball on the right side of the vulva, near the vaginal opening
- Cuts or tears: none
- Previous treatments: none
- How I feel: anxious, guilty, frightened, and worried about my future sex life
- Question: I love watching porn, and now I’m scared. Does watching porn make this worse? Do masturbation or fingering have bad effects on Bartholin cysts? I’ve read these cysts make sex painful, and I’m a virgin getting married soon. I really need to get rid of this. Please help.
Yours sincerely,
Frightened
Dear Frightened,
First, the scariest worry off your plate: you did not cause this, and porn and masturbation have nothing to do with it. A Bartholin cyst forms when a tiny duct that drains one of the glands beside the vaginal opening gets blocked, so fluid backs up behind it. It’s a plumbing problem, nothing more – it isn’t caused by arousal, pleasure, or anything you’ve watched or done, and there is absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.
Now the important part. A lump that has grown from pea-sized to lemon-sized over two months, and is making it uncomfortable to walk and sit, needs to be seen by a doctor promptly – this week if you can. I would not try to treat something this large at home with baths or compresses. A lump that big needs a proper look and, most likely, draining by a professional, and the greenish discharge you had beforehand is worth mentioning too, as it can be a sign of infection.
If it ever becomes hot, very painful, or you feel feverish and unwell, treat that as urgent and get seen the same day – that can mean the cyst has become an abscess, which needs treating quickly.
On your specific questions: masturbation, fingering and porn don’t make a blocked duct worse in any meaningful way, so you don’t need to stop out of fear. The only reason to ease off is simple comfort – if pressure on that area hurts, listen to that and be gentle with yourself until it’s sorted.
And please don’t worry about your future sex life. Once this is drained and healed, it’s dealt with – you’ll be able to have sex, masturbate and enjoy yourself with no lasting effect from it at all. Getting it treated now, well before your wedding, is exactly the right move so that your first experiences aren’t overshadowed by a sore lump.
So: book that appointment, be kind to yourself in the meantime, and know that this is a common, very treatable thing. You’ll be absolutely fine.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
