May 20 2009

Bartholin’s Glands

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The openings of the Bartholin’s Glands can be found to the left an right and below (Anus side) of the Vaginal opening. It secretes one or two drops of a mucus lubricant when a woman gets aroused. It is not quite clear wht the function of these glands are as female lubrication comes mostly from the vaginal walls. This lubricant wets the Vulva and the mouth of the Vaginal opening to make penetration easier. These two glands are oval shaped and between 15 mm and 20 mm long and is the equivalent of the male Cowper’s glands. In a male the Cowper’s glands are responsible for the production of pre-ejaculate (or pre-cum) when he is aroused.

 

Although unusual, it is possible for the Bartholin’s glands to become irritated or infected, resulting in pain.[4] If the duct becomes obstructed, a Bartholin’s cyst can develop, and a Bartholin’s cyst in turn can become infected and form an abscess. Carcinoma of the gland is rare, but benign tumors and hyperplasia are even more rare.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/Skenes_gland.jpg

The Gland Openings in the Vulva (License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 )


References

1. AAFP – Management of Bartholin’s Duct Cyst and Gland Abscess

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