A lump on the vaginal lip is most commonly a Bartholin cyst, a blocked gland that fills with fluid and creates a noticeable bump near the vaginal opening. While this is the most likely explanation, other possibilities include ingrown hairs, clogged oil glands, genital warts, herpes sores, swollen veins, or (rarely) something more serious. Most causes are benign and either resolve on their own or respond well to simple treatment.
Bartholin Cysts: The Most Common Cause
You have two small Bartholin glands, one on each side of the vaginal opening, tucked just inside the lower part of the labia. These glands produce a small amount of fluid that helps with lubrication. When the opening of one of these glands gets blocked, fluid backs up and forms a cyst. The result is a round, smooth lump on one side of the vaginal lips that can be as small as a pea or grow as large as a golf ball.
Small Bartholin cysts often cause no symptoms at all. You might only notice one while bathing or changing clothes. Larger ones can feel uncomfortable when you sit, walk, or have sex. The cyst itself isn’t an infection, but bacteria can sometimes get trapped inside the blocked gland, turning it into a painful abscess. An abscess is typically red, warm to the touch, and significantly more painful than a simple cyst. It may also cause a fever above 100.4°F (38°C).
Ingrown Hairs and Blocked Oil Glands
The vulvar area has hair follicles and oil-producing glands just like the rest of your skin. Shaving, waxing, or tight clothing can push a hair back into the skin, creating a small, tender bump that looks like a pimple. These ingrown hairs sometimes fill with pus if bacteria get involved, making them look more alarming than they are. Blocked oil glands (sebaceous cysts) can also form firm, round bumps under the skin of the labia. Both tend to be small, close to the surface, and resolve within a week or two without treatment.
Genital Warts and Herpes Sores
If the lump appeared after sexual contact, two sexually transmitted infections are worth considering. They look and feel quite different from each other.
Genital warts, caused by HPV, start as small (1 to 2 mm), soft, raised bumps that are pink with a rough surface. They’re painless at first. Over time, multiple warts can cluster together into a larger mass with an uneven, cauliflower-like texture. They don’t pop or crust over the way other bumps do.
Herpes sores, caused by HSV, follow a different pattern. They begin with redness and swelling, then quickly develop into small, round blisters filled with clear fluid. The fluid turns cloudy after a day or two, the blisters burst, and they leave behind yellowish or brown crusts that eventually heal without scarring. Herpes sores are typically painful or itchy and may come with flu-like symptoms during the first outbreak.
Swollen Veins During Pregnancy
If you’re pregnant and noticing soft, bluish, swollen areas on your vulva rather than a distinct hard lump, you may be dealing with vulvar varicosities. These are essentially varicose veins in the genital area. During pregnancy, your blood volume increases significantly, and hormone changes make vein walls stretchier and less able to move blood efficiently. The veins in the vulvar area can swell and twist as a result, creating a feeling of fullness, pressure, or aching.
Vulvar varicosities affect up to 10% of pregnant women and are more common if varicose veins run in your family. They almost always improve on their own within weeks of delivery. Outside of pregnancy, they’re rare and usually only occur in people who already have varicose veins elsewhere in the pelvis or legs.
How to Treat a Lump at Home
For a Bartholin cyst, ingrown hair, or blocked oil gland, warm soaks are the standard first step. A sitz bath (sitting in a few inches of warm water) helps increase blood flow and can encourage a blocked gland to drain on its own. Use water around 104°F (40°C), soak for 15 to 20 minutes, and repeat three to four times a day. Many small cysts and ingrown hairs resolve within a few days of consistent soaking.
Avoid squeezing, popping, or trying to lance a lump yourself. The vulvar area is sensitive and has a rich blood supply, so home “surgery” creates a real risk of infection and scarring. Keep the area clean, wear loose cotton underwear, and skip shaving or waxing until the bump clears up.
When a Lump Needs Medical Treatment
Seek care if the lump is still painful or growing after two to three days of home treatment, if pain becomes severe enough to interfere with sitting or walking, or if you develop a fever. These signs suggest the lump may have become an abscess that needs to be drained by a healthcare provider.
For a first-time Bartholin abscess, a provider will typically numb the area and drain it in the office. They may place a small balloon catheter (called a Word catheter) inside the gland to keep it open and let it form a new drainage channel over several weeks. If cysts keep coming back, a procedure called marsupialization creates a permanent opening so fluid can drain freely. Simple drainage without one of these techniques has a considerably higher recurrence rate, which is why providers prefer methods that create a lasting drainage path.
Is a Vulvar Lump Ever Cancer?
Vulvar cancer is rare. It accounts for just 0.3% of all new cancer cases in the U.S., and only about 0.3% of women will ever be diagnosed with it in their lifetime. The median age at diagnosis is 70, and over 80% of cases occur in women aged 55 or older. Among women under 35, vulvar cancer makes up less than 1.5% of cases.
That said, any lump that persists for more than a few weeks, changes in appearance, bleeds without explanation, or develops an ulcerated or irregular surface is worth having examined. A provider can often tell by looking and feeling whether a lump needs a biopsy. For the vast majority of people, especially those under 50, a new lump on the vaginal lip turns out to be one of the common, treatable conditions described above.