small hard lump on labia minora

about 6 months ago i had a small hard like lump on my labia minora.  it went away in about 2-3 weeks.  now a couple of days ago i noticed another small hard lump on my labia minora (in the inside near my vaginal opening but still on the bottom of the labia minora).  it does not hurt or itch.  the only reason i noticed it was because i was showering.  it seems to be just under the skin.  i do not notice a 'head' on it and it does not seem like it is a pimple. it is the same color as the rest of my labia.  any idea on what this could be?  

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

From your symptoms,it looks like a Bartholin's abscess or cyst. There are glands in the vaginal lips called Bartholin’s glands. These can become painful and swollen, and an abscess can form. This often causes blockage in the main duct from the gland, and a cyst develops. This is felt as a painless, hard swelling.In such cases, antibiotics may be helpful, or surgical treatment might be required.

Other possibilities are sebaceous cysts (accumulations of secretions that can occur anywhere on the skin or mucosal surfaces), lipomas (fatty deposits) ,fibromas (fibrous tissue deposits) or viral warts(small raised pimples to a mass of large, cauliflower-like growths. The virus that causes them is passed on during sex).

An examination by a gynecologist will be the best as it is only after an examination that it will become clear what the swelling that you have noticed are due to.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep us posted if you have any additional queries.