What are Bartholins glands and what do they do?
Bartholin’s glands are a pair of small glands that are just next to the lower part of the entrance to the vagina. Each gland is about the size of a pea. Unless diseased or infected, you cannot normally see or feel these glands as they are within the soft tissues (labia) next to the entrance to the vagina. Each gland makes a small amount of mucus-like fluid. The fluid from each gland drains down a short duct (tube) called the Bartholin’s gland duct. Each duct is about 2 cm long and comes out towards the lower part of the entrance to the vagina. The fluid helps to keep the entrance to the vagina moist. Bartholin’s glands are named after Thomas Bartholin, the doctor who first described them in the 18th century. Bartholin’s glands are sometimes called vestibular glands.
