Vaginal yeast infections will affect most women at least once in their lives. The symptoms include inflammation, irritation, intense itchiness, and vaginal discharge. While they are typically easily treated, they can still be very uncomfortable to deal with, especially if you get them often. The best way to fight yeast infections is to be educated about their causes, treatments, and how to prevent them.
Why do women get yeast infections?
An overgrowth of the fungus Candida is what causes vaginal yeast infections. While the vagina normally carries a balance of yeast and bacteria, when the balance is disrupted, yeast infections occur. This disruption can be caused by a number of things, including:
- Use of antibiotics: Antibiotics decrease both good and bad bacteria in your body, including the lactobacillus bacteria in the vagina, which will lead to a change in your vaginal pH levels, allowing yeast to flourish.
- Pregnancy: Yeast infections are more common during the second trimester of pregnancy than any other time in a woman’s life. This is because of the severe hormonal changes that come during pregnancy. However, this is a perfectly normal symptom and is typically not a cause for concern.
- Diabetes: When diabetes is poorly controlled, it can commonly trigger yeast infections. When sugar levels go up, your yeast levels go up as well.
- Impaired immune system: Illnesses that lower your immunity, such as HIV/AIDS can lead to frequent yeast infections.
- Douching: This disturbs the normal environment of the vagina and can result in inflammation and imbalance, leading to yeast infections.
- Irritation: Anything that causes excessive irritation to the vagina can lead to a yeast infection, such as inadequate vaginal lubrication.
How are yeast infections treated?
Treatment will vary depending on how severe your symptoms are, how often you are getting yeast infections, and whether or not the infection is complicated. The most common treatments include:
- Short-course vaginal therapy: The most common and effective way to treat an uncomplicated infection is to purchase an over-the-counter one-to-three day regimen of antifungal cream, ointment, tablet, or suppository that is applied or inserted directly into the vagina. Butoconazole, clotrimazole, miconazole, and terconazole are the most common medications used for this purpose.
- Long-course vaginal therapy: For complicated yeast infections, vaginal treatment will consist of a seven to fourteen day regimen of an azole medication in the form of cream, ointment, tablet, or suppository.
- Single-dose oral medication: There is one prescription oral medication that can clear up most yeast infections with a single dose. It is called Diflucan (fluconazole), and doctors usually prescribe this medication along with antibiotics for women who are prone to getting frequent yeast infections.
- Multidose oral medication: Two or three doses of oral fluconazole may be prescribed instead of vaginal treatment for a complicated yeast infection. However, this treatment is not recommended for pregnant women.
- Maintenance medication: If you experience recurrent yeast infections, your doctor might prescribe something to take routinely in an attempt to avoid future infections. One example of this is fluconazole tablets taken by mouth once a week for six months.
How do you prevent yeast infections?
There are many ways to prevent yeast infections from occurring in the future. If you can identify what seems to trigger your yeast infections, you can take measures to avoid them. Some good things to do include:
- Avoid douching
- Avoid wearing tight-fitting underwear or pantyhose
- Avoid hot tubs or very hot baths
- Wear cotton underwear and loose-fitting pants or skirts
- Change out of wet clothes as soon as possible
