The Bartholin glands, or the greater vestibular glands, are a pair of glands on either side of the posterior vaginal orifice that secretes a lubricating fluid through two small ducts into the vestibule. When one of these glands becomes blocked, a cyst may occur.

The infection is generally polymicrobial, but anaerobes such as Bacteriodes fragilis, Clostridium perfringens, Peptostreptococcus, and Fusobacterium are key pathogens.