Maybe you are shaving or showering and you feel a bump down there.  You have probably always been taught that any sort of lump under the skin can be dangerous.  You begin to panic, thinking it is some sort of cancer on your genitals. Or else you worry it is a symptom of a sexually transmitted disease.  Totally freaked out you frantically search the internet for answers.

Sound like a familiar scenario to anybody?

I am writing this article to mostly reassure women who find they have some sort of lump or bump in their vaginal area and want to know if it is anything serious.

Let's address your worst fears first and then I will tell you what is the most likely cause of lumps found in the vagina or groin area.

Could this lump on my vagina be cancer?

It is highly unlikely.  Vulvar cancer is rare according to the Mayo Clinic.  They state that:  " In the United States, it accounts for only 4 percent of all gynecologic cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. About 4,000 vulvar cancers cases are diagnosed each year in the United States. With early detection, vulvar cancer is highly curable." 

A picture is worth a thousand words so you can see what vulvar cancer looks like by going to this Mayo Clinic article. 

Most women who get vulvar cancer are white women over the age of fifty and usually this type of cancer is really a slow growing skin cancer.  Squamous cell carcinomas which develop on the vagina usually take years to develop.  Precancerous changes can usually be detected and treated. 

The Medical Library of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists tells us that some of the symptoms of vulvar cancer are bleeding after sexual intercourse, a sore on the vulva, changes in skin color, and persistent itching and burning of the vulva. 

Statistically speaking, the lump or bump you found on your vagina is most likely not cancer but it is wise to go see your doctor if you have any of the symptoms described above.

Could this lump or bump on my vagina be an STD?

The two types of sexually transmitted diseases one worries about when they see lumps or bumps down there are herpes and genital warts.  Health Central has a ton of information about Genital Herpes which you may find here. 

You may also get Health Central information about genital warts here. 

Genital Herpes causes more of what you would call sores or lesions than bumps.  Theses lesions are usually itchy, burning and quite painful.  The sore spot may resemble a bug bite which turns into a blister.  The blister opens and looks like an ulcer.  If you have genital herpes lesions you are going to know it because of the pain and discomfort they cause. 

Again a picture is worth a thousand words.  You can see what Genital Herpes looks like if you just follow this link.