What it means
Named after Caspar Bartholin the Younger, the Danish anatomist who described them. They are about the size of a pea and normally cannot be felt. If a gland's duct gets blocked, fluid builds up into a Bartholin cyst; if that becomes infected, it forms a painful abscess that may need to be drained.
For the nurse
Teach warm sitz baths several times a day for a small cyst or after drainage, and to report fever or worsening pain and swelling.
At a glance
| Also written | Bartholin gland, Bartholin's glands, Bartholin's gland |
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