Vulval lesion, lump, genital warts, boil, swelling, abscess, ulcer, Bartholin's Cyst

This condition is treated in the Gynaecology clinic.

Emergency Referral Criteria

Criteria for Emergency include: 

• Ectopic pregnancy 
• Ruptured haemorrhagic ovarian cyst 
• Ovarian torsion 
• Acute/severe pelvic pain 
• Significant or uncontrolled vaginal bleeding 
• Severe infection 
• Abscess intra pelvis or PID 
• Bartholin's abscess / acute painful enlargement of a Bartholin's gland/cyst 
• Acute trauma including vulva/vaginal lacerations, haematoma and/or penetrating injuries 
• Post-operative complications within 6 weeks including wound infection, wound breakdown, vaginal bleeding/discharge, retained products of conception post-op, abdominal pain 
• Urinary retention 
• Acute urinary obstruction 
• Any molar pregnancy 
• Inevitable and / or incomplete miscarriage 
• Hyperemesis gravidarum 
• Ascites, secondary to known underlying gynaecological oncology

If you, or someone else, are experiencing a serious and life-threatening injury or illness call triple zero (000) immediately or go to the nearest Emergency Department.

Learn more about when to access emergency care and non-emergency care options if the injury or illness is not serious or life-threatening.

Statewide Referral Criteria (SRC)

Criteria for referral to public hospital specialist clinic services

Red flags are clinical indicators of possible serious underlying conditions requiring further medical intervention. They may or may not indicate an emergency.

Urgent (Category 1)

• Vulval disease with suspicion of malignancy.  

Referrer Note – this meets criteria for URGENT, please ensure urgent box also ticked for this referral.  

• Unexplained vulval lump, ulceration, or bleeding.  

Referrer Note – this meets criteria for URGENT, please ensure urgent box also ticked for this referral.  

• Postmenopausal patient with abnormal vulval lesions 
• Pregnant or immunosuppressed 

Semi-urgent (Category 2)

• Suspected vulval dystrophy 
• Bartholin's cysts or other vulval cysts in patients greater than 40 years old 
• Vulval warts where:
  • the patient is immunocompromised (e.g. HIV positive, immunosuppressant medications) 
  • the diagnosis is unclear 
  • atypical genital warts (including pigmented lesions) 
  • there are positive results from the screen for other STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) 

Routine (Category 3)

• Vulval lesion where:
  • there is treatment failure or where treatment cannot be tolerated due to side-effects 
  • there are problematic recurrences 
• Vulval rashes 
• Vulval warts (where higher category criteria is not met) 
• Bartholin's cyst/labial cysts 

Information to be included in the referral

(Referral may be returned without this)

Essential supporting information

Pathology

• Cervical screening
• STI screen

Imaging

• Any relevant

Investigations/other

• Any relevant

Additional information

• History of
  • pain 
  • swelling 
  • pruritus 
  • dyspareunia 
  • localised lesions (pigmented or non-pigmented lesions) 
  • STIs or other vaginal infections 
  • local trauma 
• Elicit onset, duration and course of presenting symptoms 
• Date of last menstrual period 
• Medical management to date 
• Physical examination findings 

Interim/GP management

To refer a patient with this condition, please see the Gynaecology clinic page for the full referral process and templates.

Moisturisers - bland emollients such as Zinc/Castor oil cream.

Treat Herpes Simplex with appropriate anti-virals. Hospitalisation may be needed if unable to urinate

For more information please see the HealthPathways Tasmania website.

Additional resources

View all clinic availability