1. Forget About Them
A vaginal cyst is a lump of fluid or semi-solid tissue that accumulates along the walls of the vagina, usually near the opening. They are most often the product of imperfect healing after vaginal trauma, like childbirth or a hysterectomy. These cysts are rarely cancerous, and in many cases, they do not even cause any discomfort. Sometimes cysts are not discovered until a routine pelvic exam is conducted. When there is no pain associated with the cysts, the best treatment option may be to do nothing. You can choose to ignore them and they may disintegrate on their own.
2. Remove Vaginal Cysts With Surgery
For some, however, vaginal cysts are painful, especially during sexual intercourse and the insertion of tampons. If this is true for you, your doctor can recommend a minor surgery to have the cysts completely removed. This may require a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test to discover the exact location of the cysts and determine how many there are. Smaller vaginal cysts can be removed whole, with one incision, but larger cysts may need to ruptured and dissected in order to get rid of them completely. The surgery can be performed either in a hospital or in an outpatient facility. Only local anesthesia will be necessary if the lumps are small. This treatment is typically very effective for permanently removing vaginal cysts.
3. Proper Hygiene Can Manage Symptoms
While surgery is really the only treatment that can get rid of vaginal cysts, you can reduce cyst-related pain by exercising good hygiene. Practicing safe sex and keeping your genital area clean will help prevent infection of the cysts. This can be done with mild soap and sitz baths in which the water is only high enough to cover your hips and buttocks. Using pads instead of tampons can also reduce friction on the cysts, limiting associated pain.
