The appearance of a lump on the left or right of a woman's genitals can certainly cause concern. Although not always dangerous, these complaints should not be taken lightly. Sometimes, this complaint can be a sign of a serious health problem that requires medical treatment.
A lump on the left side of the female genitalia can appear at any time, suddenly, or for no apparent reason. However, this lump is more common in women of childbearing age or it can appear after certain activities you do and grow slowly.
The appearance of a lump on the female genitalia is sometimes accompanied by other symptoms, such as pain or itching in the vagina, vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding, to pain or discomfort during intercourse.
However, it is not uncommon for lumps to appear without any symptoms, so that their appearance is not realized.
Various causes of lumps in the female genitalia on the left
The appearance of a lump in the left female genitalia can be caused by several medical conditions, namely:
1. Cyst
A lump on the left side of the female genitalia can be a sign of a cyst on the vulva or vagina. Some cyst diseases on the female sex organs include:
- Bartholin's cyst
- Skene cyst
- Gartner cyst
- Inclusion cyst
- Epidermal cyst.
Generally, the lump is not painful. However, if the size is large, it can cause discomfort when sitting, walking, or having sex.
If the lump starts to feel painful, swollen, and pus-filled, it is a sign that the cyst is infected and must be treated immediately. Treatment that may be done is to give pain medication or minor surgery to remove the cyst and drain the pus in it.
If needed, the doctor will also perform a biopsy by taking and examining a sample of fluid or cyst tissue to detect the possibility of vaginal cancer.
2. Tumors and cancer
Lumps on the left female genitalia can also be a sign of benign or noncancerous vaginal tumors, such as lipomas and fibromas. This type of lump is usually painless.
Lumps can be suspected as a symptom of vulvar cancer or vaginal cancer if other symptoms appear, such as:
- Itching around the vagina that doesn't get better.
- Pain and burning in the vagina every time you urinate.
- Abnormal vaginal discharge.
- Vaginal bleeding outside of menstruation or after sexual intercourse.
- Weight loss for no apparent reason.
- Swollen lymph nodes in the groin.
Compared to vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer is less common. Older women, smokers, and people with HPV infection around the sex organs are more susceptible to this cancer.
To determine whether a lump in the female genitalia is caused by cancer that is dangerous or not, a medical examination is needed by a doctor.
To determine whether the lump is malignant or not, the doctor will perform a physical examination along with other supports, such as blood tests, CT scans, MRIs, and biopsies by taking fluid or tissue samples from the lump.
If proven cancer, the doctor may treat the condition with chemotherapy methods, radiation therapy, to surgical removal of the cancer.
3. Sexually transmitted diseases
Lumps on the left female genitalia can be caused by sexually transmitted diseases, such as genital herpes and genital warts. In genital warts, small bumps that appear around the labia, the inside of the vagina, cervix, and even around the anus.
In addition to lumps on the genitals, sexually transmitted diseases in women can also cause several other symptoms, such as:
- Itching and soreness in the genital area.
- Pain in the genital area to the buttocks.
- Sores around the vagina that look like thrush.
- Fever.
- Discharge that smells bad.
- Bleeding from the vagina.
Genital herpes or genital warts can be transmitted through unprotected sex, either through vaginal, oral sex, and anal sex.
Genital herpes is not yet curable. However, doctors can prescribe antiviral medications to control symptoms and their severity. While the treatment that doctors can do to treat genital warts is to remove the warts by prescribing ointments, laser therapy, to surgical steps.
In addition to some of the diseases above, lumps in the vagina can also be caused by other conditions that are not dangerous, namely:
- Vaginal varicose veins.
- Vaginal skin tags or skin growing inside the vagina.
- freckles fordyce.
- Vulvar folliculitis or inflammation of the pubic hair roots. This condition usually occurs due to the habit of shaving pubic hair.
- Lichen sclerosus.
In addition to the left, lumps can also appear on the right female genital organs or both.
If the lump in the left female genitalia does not go away within a few weeks, feels bigger, or appears along with other disturbing symptoms, then the complaint should be immediately examined by a doctor.
After the doctor determines the cause, the lump can be treated appropriately. The sooner this condition is treated, the lower the chances of dangerous complications.