Yeast infections, also known as candidiasis, result when the good bacteria in the body are not being efficient enough to keep the amount of yeast that is always present in the body at a normal level. They can appear on the skin and nails, in the mouth, and in the genitals. However, just because yeast infections aren’t a sexually transmitted infection (STI) doesn’t mean they can’t be transmitted sexually.
Here are four things you need to know about this condition and how it relates to sex.
It might not be a yeast infection.
Yeast infections are usually identified in women by an itchy, uncomfortable, and often painful vagina. A thick, white discharge commonly described as “cottage-cheese like” is usually one of the first tell-tale symptoms, along with an abnormal odor. Unfortunately, these symptoms don’t guarantee candidiasis—there are several other kinds of infections that cause almost identical symptoms.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are two of the most common STIs that mimic yeast infections, although they are much more contagious and have much more serious long-term effects if left untreated. Just because you think you have a yeast infection doesn’t mean that’s what it is, unless you have not had any sexual partners or encounters over the course of a few months. If you’re sexually active, go to a doctor to be sure.
It is contagious.
No matter what you’ve heard, yeast infections are most definitely contagious. Your doctor will tell you it is admittedly pretty rare for them to develop in men, but they can get it. Not only that, but sexual contact during a yeast infection is almost certain to be very, very painful—whether for a man or a woman.
And if you’re using medication to treat a yeast infection, having sex is likely to interact with the medication by forcing it out of the vaginal canal and by further irritating the area. On top of that, just as one partner gets cured, the other partner may develop it, and so a terrible game of pass-the-candidiasis begins.
It can transfer to more than just your genitals.
Although vulvovaginal candidiasis is one of the more well known, more embarrassing, and more painful forms, all of the different places yeast erupts are caused by the same type of yeast (candida albicans is the most common, but there are many types). This means that yeast infections can be passed by skin-to-skin, genital-to-genital, or oral-to-genital contact.
It can be cured!
The good news in all this is that a yeast infection is generally pretty simple to cure. If there are more issues going on than just a simple yeast infection, a visit to the doctor may be a necessity. But for the most part, a quick trip to the pharmacy can fix it. There’s quite a variety of brands, types, and lengths of use for women, and men may find a solution in an easy-to-use topical cream. But, again, this is only going to work if you lay off the intercourse for at least two weeks. This gives the medicine plenty of time to work and the yeast time to get back to it’s normal levels.
