Yeast Infection Treatment & Information

Yeast Infections

Vaginal infections are a common health problem. More than three quarters of all women will have a vaginal yeast infection in their lifetime. Bacterial infections may be even more common, especially in young and middle-aged women. About 3 out of every 10 women have bacterial vaginosis. And the vast majority of those don’t even show symptoms.

While vaginal infections are very common, many women find it difficult or embarrassing to talk about the health of their vaginas. A vaginal infection is nothing to be ashamed of, and no cause for alarm — but it does need to be treated, to prevent more serious consequences.

What Causes Yeast Infections

Normally, a type of bacteria known as Lactobacillus is the dominant group in your vagina. A group of Lactobacillus bacteria are known as lactobacilli when other types of bacteria outnumber the lactobacilli, then they can disrupt the natural balance, allowing unchecked growth of a fungus called Candida. Like bacteria, Candida is normally in your vagina, but it can grow out of control when antibiotics or other causes reduce the population of lactobacilli. Yeast infections are usually caused by a species known as Candida albicans, but there are other Candida species that can also invade your body. These other species may be harder to treat because doctors aren’t used to them and may not be as well prepared.

Risk Factors For Yeast Infections

Risk factors for yeast infections include:

Using antibiotics, especially broad-spectrum antibiotics. These medicines are very effective against harmful bacteria, but they can also wipe out healthy bacteria and create an environment where yeast can thrive.
Excessive estrogen. If you are pregnant, or using estrogen-based birth control or hormone treatments, you may be at higher risk for Candida
Poorly controlled diabetes. High blood glucose levels can feed yeast and allow it to grow out of control.
A weakened immune system, caused by some medicines, HIV, or other health problems, may put you at risk for more frequent Candida infections

Diagnosing Yeast Infections

To diagnose a yeast infection, your doctor will start by asking you about:

Your symptoms
Your medical history
Your sexual history
The hygiene products you use–particularly douches, which could upset the balance of bacteria, and harsh cleansers that may irritate the skin around your vagina

Your doctor will also perform a pelvic exam. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may take a sample of the fluids from your vagina to send to a lab for testing. Lab tests are not always necessary for simple yeast infections or trichomoniasis.

Symptoms of Yeast Infections

Symptoms of a yeast infection include:

Thick, white, lumpy vaginal discharge that looks a little like cottage cheese
Itching and irritation in and around the vagina
Pain and soreness
Redness and swelling in the outer vagina, or vulva
A burning feeling when you urinate, or when you have sex

In a complicated yeast infection, the swelling and itching may escalate into open sores, cracks, or tears. You may also have a complicated yeast infection if you’ve had more than three yeast infections in the past year.

Prognosis

Vaginal infections are usually not serious if they are identified early and treated. However, it is important to identify the infection and get the right treatment.

Sometimes yeast infections can be harder to treat. These are known as complicated yeast infections, and they may need stronger treatments and/or a long-term maintenance plan to keep the infection from coming back. Factors that can complicate a yeast infection include:

Severe symptoms, such as open sores
4 or more infections in the past year
An unusual strain of Candida
Pregnancy
Uncontrolled diabetes
A weakened immune system

Untreated vaginal infections may cause pelvic inflammatory disease, or increase your risk of sexually transmitted diseases or complications after surgery. If you are pregnant, an untreated vaginal infection can lead to early birth. If you have trichomoniasis while you are pregnant, you may pass it on to your baby during birth.

Living With Yeast Infections

For the most part, vaginal infections go away with treatment. You may need to abstain from alcohol temporarily, or take special precautions if you have sex during treatment, but most people don’t need long-term management.

If you have recurring bacterial or yeast infections, you may want to take precautions to keep them from coming back as often. For instance:

Don’t use douches
Avoid hot tubs and very hot baths
Also avoid scented soaps that may cause irritation
Wear loose-fitting cotton underwear and avoid tight jeans, leggings or pantyhose
Change out of bathing suits and other wet or sweaty clothes as soon as you reasonably can

Screening

Most medical guidelines don’t recommend routine screening for vaginal infections. Screening tests for trichomoniasis are available to your doctor and may be used if you are at high risk—for instance, if you have been diagnosed with another sexually transmitted disease.

If you are concerned that you might have a vaginal infection, but you’re not sure you should see a doctor, home tests are available that are similar to the tests your doctor would use. These tests are available at drugstores and pharmacies.

Prevention

Sometimes infections can happen no matter what you do, but there are steps you can take to make them less likely. Being careful about sex can prevent trichomoniasis and help you avoid some bacterial and yeast infections, but not all. Other things you can do to avoid yeast and bacterial infections include:

Bathe in warm water–not hot–with mild, unscented soaps. Rinse the outside around your vagina thoroughly after washing, and dry it well when you leave the tub.
Don’t douche. Douching can harm the healthy bacteria that prevent infections, and create a place for yeast and unhealthy bacteria to grow.
Avoid hot water such as hot tubs and whirlpool baths.
Avoid tight jeans. Wear comfortable cotton underwear and skirts or loose-fitting pants.
Change out of wet or sweaty clothes right away, when possible.

Common Treatment

Yeast infections may be treated with topical antifungals used inside the vagina. Topical antifungals for Candida include:

Miconazole (Monistat)
Clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin)
Butoconazole (Gynazole)
Terconazole (Terzol)

These antifungals are available without a prescription in your local drugstore. As with antibiotics, make sure to finish your course of treatment even if you feel better. These treatments may damage condoms or diaphragms, so if you use barrier contraceptives you should avoid sex or use a backup birth control method until you finish treatment. If your infection doesn’t clear up after you finish treatment, call your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe a different topical treatment, or the single-dose antifungal fluconazole (Diflucan) taken by mouth

Complementary and Alternative Treatment

A very common home remedy for vaginal infections is yogurt. The idea is to restore the proper balance of bacteria by introducing new Lactobacillus bacteria into your body–either by mouth or directly into your vagina. This method has not been as extensively studied as medical treatments, but it seems to work in small studies and according to word of mouth.

If you use yogurt to treat a vaginal infection, be sure to choose a brand that says on the package that it contains live, active cultures. And use only plain yogurt–nothing with extra sweeteners or fruit mixed in. You can also purchase Lactobacillus acidophilus as a pill or suppository. If you suffer from frequent yeast or bacterial infections, you may want to make yogurt a regular part of your diet, or even apply it topically once a week to prevent infection.

Other home remedies for vaginal infections include:

Garlic supplements, or a clove of garlic a day, taken by mouth or as a vaginal suppository
Vitamins C and E
Eating more fish and nuts, and cutting back on fats from land animals
Calcium and magnesium, as supplements or in food
Pau d’arco bark tea as a drink or cooled off and applied directly to the vagina
Pearl barley tea (about 1 tablespoon of barley boiled in a full saucepan)

Always tell your doctor about any treatments you use, including complementary and alternative treatments. Some of these treatments may have side effects, or they can affect the way other medicines work.

Care Guide

Vaginal infections generally clear up with treatment. If you have recurrent yeast or bacterial infections, there are steps you can take to make them happen less often. Things you should avoid to prevent yeast or bacterial infections include:

Douches
Hot tubs and very hot baths
Harsh or scented soaps
Wet clothes
Artificial fibers

You may also want to consider introducing more yogurt or acidophilus supplements into your diet, or trying another of the home remedies listed in the Complementary and Alternative Treatments section.

When To Contact A Doctor

Vaginal infections often clear up with over-the-counter treatment, but they should not be ignored. Call your doctor if:

This is the first time you’ve had a vaginal infection, or the symptoms seem different from past infections
Your symptoms don’t clear up with over-the-counter treatments
You’ve recently had sex with a new partner

Questions For Your Doctor

Your gynecologist or your primary care doctor can treat most vaginal infections. If you don’t have a gynecologist, you can find one in the online directory provided by The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Questions For A Doctor

Vaginal infections often clear up with over-the-counter treatment, but they should not be ignored. Call your doctor if:

When you go to see your doctor, it’s good to have a list of the questions you’d like to have answered. Take a moment to write down some of the things you want to know. Your questions for your doctor might include some of these: