Home Remedy for Bartholin Cyst that WORKS!

I have been suffering from my second Bartholin cyst for over a week now, my first one I had was 2-3 years ago and it’s ruptured by itself and it was about the same size as it is now. 

Now I feel like this isn’t getting any better, I’ve tried the Sitz Baths and I even went ahead to try using phoebes cure: the scariest thing happened on the second day I was using the cure, it literally burned off tissue from my vagina and now I’m very scared to use it again. I used it all day yesterday and woke up to a very irritated cyst, I thought that using the calamine lotion would help the irritation go away but it burned as soon as I put it on. I thought maybe it’s just the skin being super dry so I toughed through the 30 minutes and then went ahead and did a Sitz bath right after and started to see pieces of skin tissue coming out. 

Am I not using the mixture properly? I mixed it using the exact measurements and I’ve only been putting it on the outside of the cyst, but I have noticed that some of the mixture does go inside my vagina (which is what I think burned off skin). No results at all, I’m getting very frustrated reading that everyone’s cyst had gone away within hours of using the cure and it’s not doing anything for me instead it’s hurting me

I just wanted to comment under this as I’ve had these horrible things 6 times now and I know every time I’ve had I read absolutely everything on these Internet forums to see what people recommend. So hopefully I can help someone. The first two times I had it I waited for the abscess to burst on its own, which it did after about a week of agony - I kept applying heat packs to that but don’t think I had known how helpful the sitz baths were at this stage. My doctors were incredibly unhelpful with advise and just gave me antibiotics and really didn’t want anything to do with it. The third time it appeared I went straight on antibiotics and started to have sitz baths at least twice a day. After spending 3 days in agony, whereby I couldn’t even move in bed before I decided enough was enough and got in to the bath with a needle to try to burst it myself (i had read others talking about the amazing relief and just had to!) it took my quite a while to actually break through the skin but once I did the relief was instant, I was so happy! I tried to squeeze everything out but I don’t think I was successful as unfortunately the cyst came back a few weeks later. This time I was on a weekend away so I changed my flight to come home early. This is was partially in the hope that it would rupture on the plane journey haha - it didn’t 😥  I did however end up vomiting on the flight several times and was really warm sweaty and shivering. I was incredibly worried this time and it was a Sunday afternoon so I headed straight for A&E when I got home. This was the first time I actually came across doctors who actually seemed to understand the agony of it. They lanced it straight away under local anastestic and after consulting with one of the gynae doctors at another hospital they decided to make the incision bigger than usual so I could go to see the gynae doctor the next day and get a word catheter put in to help it fully drain, they thought this would stop the abscess from ever returning. From what I’ve read online that doesn’t seem to be true in all cases at least but I was more than willing to try for myself - I think with this you will literally try anything! Anyway, I went to the hospital the next day and asked for the doctor I was told I would see (he was supposed to be the lead consultant at the day clinic) but unfortunately got another doctor who was completely insensitive, he refused to do the procedure, he told me it had been lanced and that meant it would never come back, at this point I started crying because I just knew this wasn’t true. He told me I should be grateful I wasn’t dying, obviously true but I do think that this is not something you should try to guilt trip a patient who was having their life ruined by abscesses (this was my 3rd in 3 months). The next time it came I again rang the doctor straight away who put me on antibiotics without even seeing me. He also made an urgent referral back to the hospital. This time I had sitz baths multiple times a day and when I wasn’t in the bath I put some magnesium sulphate(drawing paste) on to the abscess and covered it with an ice pack. This was one of the most helpful things, the ice pack seemed to work so much better than the heat pack for the pain. And amazingly the cyst burst after only 2 days of agony. I got my hospital and appointment through 2 months later when everything had completely settled of course. Needless to say it was back again a few months later which is why I find myself writing this at 4AM from a hospital bed haha. This time I felt it coming up on a Tuesday evening but had very little pain. I started applying ice packs and taking sitz baths straight away which seemed to keep the pain at bay. I wasn’t able to get to the doctor because of bank holidays were I live and unfortunately the bank holiday occasion also caused rioting (lovely Northern Ireland) so I didn’t feel safe travelling across town to see the out of hours doctor and also knew that my local A&E would be full of drunk and injured people so again wanted to avoid this. So anyway I didn’t manage to get an appointment with my GP until the Friday, when she saw the size of the abscess she was horrified (the difference in female and male doctors is incredible) and sent me straight to a&E to have it lanced. After a few hours there and being checked over by the gynae doctor there he decided I need to have drained and packed properly under general anaesthetic. So I’ve just had that done by the most lovely consultant who has said he wants to see again in 3 months to discuss removing the gland altogether. He said it was too risky to do it while it was infected but is definitely something to consider as it would stop this for good. I’ve heard such conflicting messages about this though, some patients and doctors seem to talk about this as a good thing but others say it can cause chronic pain. Any advise would be much appreciated!

But also the reason I wanted to write this is to talk about the cause. I asked all of the many doctors (including GPS,, a&e doctors, gynae doctors and consultants) I had seen what could be causing this in the hope I could avoid it in the future but they all either said stress or it just happens, the majority were quick to point out that is very rarely caused by an STI despite this being the first thing that comes up when you google causes. Anyway, the gynae doctor I saw today at A&E asked me straight away if I shaved down below. I would only do this rarely but he was confident this was the root cause - thought this might be useful to someone!! And sorry for the massive post. 

Sharing to help others from feeling discouraged if this doesn’t work right away...because it took me more than 24 hours after first application. I would say about 36 hours is what it took for me. Had the BC for about 5 days before trying this remedy. Started the remedy Thursday night, burst by Saturday morning. It was sore and uncomfortable but the pain was manageable....until Friday night. I was in excruciating pain the night it burst. So if that sounds like you, you’re probably close to relief! Here’s what it took for me:

Thurs night: bath then gauze then bath then slept with gauze. Nothing happened.

Fri: went to work and was more sore and uncomfortable than before but I managed 

Fri night: bath, then gauze, bath then gauze, bath, bath, bath

Now, Friday night around midnight I started experiencing EXCRUCIATING pain. I couldn’t sleep, was convinced that using an internet remedy did more harm than good, took bath after bath to ease the pain and fought the urge to drive to the emergency room. After my baths I would investigate but could see no “head” to speak of. Maybe because my cyst was somewhat inside, if that makes sense. (And yes, I did put the ingredients on the inside where the cyst was).  I was up until about 4am unable to sleep due to the pain. I finally found a position that was bearable and fell asleep. When I woke up this morning, having every intention of just going to the hospital, it had burst. I am completely pain free! I’m convinced this does work, it just takes more time for some than others. Hang in there!

I am so thankful for this thread.

My cyst grew to the size of a small lemon before I accepted I couldn't ignore it anymore. I had no idea what it was so I went to the ER. They told me there was no way to know what the cause was and that (without presenting me with other options of self-healing) that it would need to be landed and drained. For me it wasn't as painful as it was for others on this thread, but still pretty intense. I was lucky to have a doctor (I insisted on having a woman doctor) who was extremely empathetic. Still, after the procedure I was not given any clear advice on recovery and future prevention.

My cyst started swelling up again a few days later. About a week later it was back to the size of a lemon, and it was painful to sit or walk. I found this thread and within two days of using Sophie's cure and taking baths with Epson salts 3x a day, as well as wearing a dress and no underwear, the skin had thinned so much that I could feel the hole where the doctor had lanced me two weeks prior. the night of the second day I had to work as a server at a restaurant and I bent over to move something and when I stood up I saw a trickle of blood running down my legs. I ran to the bathroom and let the blood drain out fully, for about a minute. There was no puss in my case.

The blood continued to drain out over the next few days and I continued to do a rotation of applying Sophie's cure and bathing 3x a day. Because even though it burst, I knew the cyst could return until I completely cleared the blockage of the gland. This is why don't believe any procedure by the doctor is truly effective - because they treat the symptom but not the root issue. I know it is scary to override a doctor's opinion and go off of what you read on the internet but it is truly empowering using natural, time-tested remedies and trust your body to heal itself.

In addition to Sophie's cure I would suggest consuming probiotics (in my case I used yogurt and kombucha), drinking apple cider vinegar (I took two tablespoons with warm water and honey 2x daily), eating lots of garlic and ginger, consuming turmeric (I bought a turmeric tea), grapeseed extract, and I made a mix of essential oils to bathe in made of:

Cypress - 50 drops

Lemon - 50 drops

Lavender - 50 drops

Juniperberry - 10 drops

which I blended with jojoba oil. More information on that blend can be found here: https://www.pureplantessentials.com/blogs/essential-oils-blog/essential-oils-for-womens-health-batholins-cyst-formula-how-to-use?comment=17828118631#comments

as well as info on possible causes of the cyst, which I haven't been able to find anywhere else. I believe mine was caused by a lack of circulation and stress for a solo cross-country drive.

I also consulted my local herbalist and they said I was doing all the right things and also suggested using an "inner moisture mix" that they sold there.

It's now been a week since my cyst burst and I have been monitoring the gland entrance (where there is the most painful pressure) slowly drain. Today it finally feels almost completely back to normal.

Sending strength to all of you. Rememeber - it's your body, you know it best, and don't let anyone minimize your experience or tell you what to do - even a doctor. This is such a tough and scary thing to go through. Cry if you need to, take the time off work if you can, be as gentle on yourself as you can. This will pass.

I thought I’d just put my story with this terrible cyst up here for anyone who is currently going through it. I had originally got a cyst on the outer part of my vagina- the lips. I got that (painfully) removed at a doctors office. 2 days later I felt a lump inside of my vagina. So I looked up what I should do and I ran across this. I used the phoebes cure but I didn’t have tea tree oil. In between using that I would do a bunch (A BUNCH) of sitz baths with  epson salt. The next day it was a continuous cycle all day of baths and putting gauze in my underwear with the cure. Then I read something about a girl using a heating pad so I tried it out. This really made the cyst hugeeee and ready to pop. I went to sleep that night with the heating pad on me and this morning I decided to take a bubble bath and wash myself. Right when I was about to get out I looked down and saw a string floating in the water I got extremely excited cause I knew just what it was. A hole had opened in my cyst and I sat in my tub and squeezed it for about 20 minutes watching all the blood and pus come out. I immediately felt so much better and didn’t have to cry when I walked back to my bed like I’ve been doing every single trip from the bathroom to my room. It feels sooooo so much better but of course the pouch is still there and there is some irritation and a little burning but I am so relieved. I am also a big dr pimple popper fan so the squeezing part was definitely fun for me. I recommend phoebes cure, sitz baths, and a heating pad! Thanks to all the ladies who shared their stories it really helped! 

Let me start by expressing my sincere gratitude to you and everyone else willing to open up and offer advice on such a sensitive subject. I am 26 and his is my third time dealing with this issue the first two times they drained naturally but caused extreme and agonizing pain before doing so. This time since I already knew what was going on and unfortunately what to expect as soon as I felt the swelling I immediately began combing the web in hopes of any home remedies that could alleviate the discomfort. I sat in hot baths with epsom salt about three times a day for the first two days and then today I came across this forum. I only had witch hazel available at the moment which I soaked a cotton round in and compressed against the area using my panties to keep it in place, I did this about four times the last also adding coconut oil (I read that worked for some ppl and I happened to have some on hand) I then attempted my best to get "comfortable" and take a nap, I woke up about three hours later to no pain and what felt like I had peed myself, so I went to the bathroom and to my disbelief it had began to drain!! I'm almost in shock at how fast these methods were able to resolve the literally growing issue and while this time It did not swell nearly to the size it had it in my previous experiences it was still becoming increasingly uncomfortable and I feel like this page and all of you womens advice aided greatly to such rapid and more painless results. I am now soaking in another hot bath and will repeat the steps again until drainage is complete. I know this is quite frustrating to deal with and can be hard to open up about even to family, friends and doctors. Along with witch hazel I will make sure that I keep calamine lotion and tea tree oil nearby in the event there is a next time. For any other woman reading this please stay strong and don't be skeptical to try any remedies mentioned I now have first hand experience that with a little patience they actually work!!

SUCCESS!!! (read all the way --i added something and talk about my after care)i just did this today!

So it is right now 4:45am on a Tuesday and i began this process yesterday at 11:30am and i woke up about an hour ago to my cysts draining ! I followed this almost to a T! so when i bought my calamine lotion i was pleased to find that they come in 6oz ammounts and that there is room in the bottle! so i did two of both tea tree and witch hazel but heres where my almost comes in! i found another home remedy calling for a poultice of goldenseal so i also got some loose dried tea for from my local health food store but it comes in capsules and youd just open that up and pour on the calamine lotion potion once its on the gauze id say. BUT i just made a small pouch in the gauze and poured it over the little pinch of goldenseal and placed that on the cyst, put on my underwear and just layed down all day . as for the sitz baths mine were more like standz showers because i dont have a tub so i stood in my shower in downward dog for ten minutes. yes . i did . it worked though so eff it! around 10p after getting out of my 4th or 5th sitz(standz shower) i took 3 tylenol pm and put on my calamine withch hazel tea tree oil goldenseal pack, placed my reheated water bottle thing and got comfortable in bed and woke to a different feeling vagina! oh the relief! im not sure i got everything out so i just put in a tea tree oil suppository that i got at the healthfood store and im planning on putting on another pack later just for good measure! the suppository comes in a pack of six of which i will use one a day consecutively right now for my aftercare. im also going to use a coconut oil tumeric salve and recommit to my probiotics as well as adding oregano oil to my daily intake. i also am committing to shower RIGHT AWAY after my workouts ESPECIALLY cycling/spin because i just got saddle seat a few weeks ago which feels like a cyst/ internal ingrown hair so i feel like theres a link between these? just throwing this out there in case anyone relates

This remedy works, but WATCH OUT FOR ALLERGIES!

Last week was the second time I had Bartholin's Cyst. My first was 6 years ago, when I was 18. Back then I simply waited for it to go away, but this time I wanted it to go away ASAP because I had a trip in 4 days.

Turns out I found Phoebe's cure on this forum and similar home remedy in another forum, made of Castor and Tea tree oil. Since I couldn't find Calamine or Witch hazel in my country (I live in Brazil), I prepared it using only castor and tea tree pure essential oils. I have used castor oil a lot of times for my hair and eyebrows and my sister uses tea tree oil often for acne treatment, but it was my first time using tea tree.

I started the treatment around 9 pm by applying a soaked gauze over the cyst and changing it every 40 min or so before going to bed. It felt quite refreshing and not like burning or stinging.

When I woke up, I went straight to the bathroom, without even looking in the mirror. As I wiped after peeing, I accidentally had the painful pleasure of popping the cyst, letting the mixture of pus and blood flow away. I squeezed the cyst a few more times to make sure it was free of pus and in the end I had a pain-free, empty small lump. Instant relief.

But as I got up to wash my hand, I saw myself in the mirror and I had HALF OF MY FACE COMPLETELY SWOLLEN. I had an allergic reaction to tea tree oil. Fortunately it only affected the right side of my face and throat, otherwise I wouldn't be even able to breathe by the morning. I went straight to the hospital and got a cortisone shot within minutes. It turns out the vaginal area is highly absorbent, which might have accelerated the allergic reaction and the bloating.

After all, this treatment for Bartholin's cyst does work, but I highly advise you to be aware of your allergies. Do a skin test before applying new products to your body. I've never had an allergic reaction in my life and I couldn't imagine that I was allergic to something that my sister uses on a daily basis.

I am 41, my cysts started in my 20's. I have many lanced, which is painful. In my 30's I started using Pheobe's method, with Silcea. The problem is, I have to take sooooo much.

I currently have one, and am using Phoebe's method, plus other stuff I have added to it. I have taken huge amounts of Silcea as well. Last night it got to the point that I was sure it was ready to burst! It didn't. By 3am, I was exhausted. I fell asleep with the heating pad on a washcloth, with tea tree, calomine, and witch hazel- sure I would wake up to it being over. It shrunk, but did not burst. UGH. My question to all of you is, where exactly are you putting it in? Are you putting it in? Or on the outside?

Because I've been lanced a few times on the outside, it usually drains there. This time, it's seeming like it wants to drain from the inside and I'm questioning myself if I'm putting the remedy in the right place. HELP!

OMG! This totally works! It took me a few less tries than you probably because I was already doing the hot compression treatment while doing research and I stumbled upon this. I have never felt so much relief in my life, you are a lifesaver!

i'm really hoping and praying that this method works for me just as how it worked for so many of you.... i stumbled upon this 4 days after suffering from the constant pain and this is my 2nd day on phoebe's method and i started having a stinging pain when i put the gauze on. i hope its a sign that it is working. do you all get the stinging pain too?