Very Tmi - Yeast Infection

I'm confused.

Antibiotics would be given for a bacterial infection ... Not a fungal infection (yeast is fungus).

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A note on garlic:

The ER spends a lot of time (usually several cases each week) removing garlic cloves from women who have inserted garlic up their vaginas and can't fetch it back out (threads or dental floss have come undone or clove broke up or clove rotted).

This issue is from inside and you need that will work from inside out. Are you open to healthy supplements? I know of so many who had great benefit with yeast infections and many others.

Regards,
A.

Are you sure your have yeast infections or is it BV?

Antibiotics are not prescribed for yeast infections. Antibiotics cause yeast infections because they wipe out your good bacteria.

BV is an overgrowth of the bacteria. While it mimics a yeast infection it is far more uncomfortable and it does not respond to yeast infection treatments.

Yeast infections are treated with Diflucan pills. BV is treated by Flagyl. When taking Flagyl you can NOT drink alcohol.

Make sure your gyne is taking a sample to determine whether it is BV or yeast. Once you have had it a few times you will be able to tell the difference. If it is BV the earlier you treat it the quicker it will respond to treatment. Otherwise it is liking closing the barn door after the horse is already out of the barn.

Frequent yeast infections can often be directly related to your diet. Everyone has some yeast present at all times, but when your body is a welcoming habitat, the fungus multiplies rapidly.

Do you regularly eat bread, pasta, potatos, and fruit? How about sugars and sweeteners? Drink alcohol? Stop eating all of that for a couple of months.

I'll give you a heads up - if you do have yeast overgrowth in your system, you may start to feel quite ill when it begins to die off. This is normal and should only last 1-3 days.

You really need to see your Gyno get STD tests & Bacterial Vagonisis is worse than a common yeast infection & won't cure naturally.You know you can GOOGLE your symptoms look for natural cures on GOOGLE or BING or go to WebMD symptom checker

You've gotten some good suggestions so far. Are you really taking antibiotics for yeast infections, or did you must misspeak? They don't prescribe antibiotics for yeast infections. If you are taking antibiotics for a vaginal infection, then it is a bacterial infection.

Anyway, have you tried not washing with soap? Your vagina is a sort of self-cleaning oven, and you don't need soap down there. You can just rinse with warm water. That, and taking probiotics may be enough to stave off the infections.

I have heard eating yogurt helps. After reading some suggestions here I want to make sure you know you are eating it..not inserting it in your vagina. Hmmmm...that garlic suggestion sounds like it could work. Garlic is a wonder "drug"....but seriously....the stench.

Soooo...my suggestion is eat lots of yogurt for awhile and see what happens. A healthy yogurt..not a sugary yogurt. You need the live cultures in it...it is a probiotic. Also, an over the counter cream that is inserted has worked for me.

I wish you the best!!!

As someone who has suffered monthly from yeast infections since my very first period (over 25 years), I can hear and feel your pain. Some women, unfortunately, have yeast tied into their female hormones/cycles. I happen to be one of them. I have tried every trick in the book (except for the garlic clove one--I am definitely going to keep that one in mind! Thanks for that idea, Christina N.) and have gone through every pharma and OTC med/remedy there is. None of them worked for me.

So I had to resort to other ways to get rid of/combat/suppress the yeast.

Along with the no thong underwear and no wearing of underwear at night (I wear COTTON pj pants, just minus the underwear), wear COTTON underwear only. Any other type of material traps moisture. That also goes for really tight/skinny pants/jeans. Avoid them.

Never use soap with smells/deoderant/sprays/perfume or anything of that nature down there. I use Dr. Bronner's Castille soap when I shower, citrus (all natural, no synthetic smells or anything).

Try changing your diet and what you eat. Try to get away from/severely limit the amount you eat of anything white and refined (white flour, white sugar, anything made with these--includes all bread, donuts, crackers, etc.) and severely limit SUGAR. Yeast converts the white and refined flour as well as it uses the sugar to feed itself. I use Sweet Leaf when I want to sweeten something or honey. When I bake I use organic raw unrefined sugar. I have severely cut out/curtailed the sweets I eat. I usually have a piece or two of dark chocolate; that fixes my sweet tooth craving. For me, diet change was the BIGGEST difference I have seen in terms of severity of symptoms and how long they last and has cut down on the number I get. Jill K. has a very good post--she is spot on for what to avoid.

If you don't take a probiotic, start. The probiotic will help recolonize the gut/intestine with GOOD bacteria and start knocking out some of the bad (the yeast). Florajen3 is very good--my daughter uses that one. It can be found in the pharmacy/refrigerator section of places like Walgreens, Target, Whole Foods, etc. I personally use Primal Defense Ultimate Probiotic.

I currently take preventive measures by taking supplements that get rid of/suppress the yeast. I take Yeastguard by Solaray and Capryl by Solaray. If I take them continuously, every day, I don't get an infection. I just had my daughter start taking them (she's 13 and just starting with her periods). For her, they actually helped stop a yeast infection she had starting. Make sure you drink a lot of water/liquids. You need to flush the yeast out of your system.

Some women have had some relief from putting unsweetened yogurt "down there" at night when they go to bed. It personally never worked for me. You can also douche with yogurt and water. I had mild success using that route. If you're going to eat yogurt, make sure you're eating an unsweetened brand (you don't want the sugar, because yeast lives and thrives on sugar). You can "sweeten" it yourself with Stevia leaf or by adding a little vanilla or cutting up fruit and putting it in the yogurt.

I know a girl who was constantly getting yeast infections. She also didn't like going the antibiotic route. She got infections so regularly, she was leery of putting all that in her system all the time. She swore by wearing loose pants and cotton panties only. She said she was home, she often went commando. And she also swore by yogurt. She ate it daily. But when she had an infection, she used plain yogurt like a lotion. She said she wore a panty liner to avoid messes.

And when my daughter got a yeast infection, her pediatrician had us use lotrimin cream. It's meant for foot fungus, but it also helps with a yeast infection.

take probiotics .. they really have helped me with battling yeast infections. Also if it's a really bad one you can use gentian violet.... I used this also for thrush while nursing and for a bad yeast infection once just painted the outside area with it but wear undies you don't care about because it's dark purple but totally relieves the itching and fights the yeast. If you have very sensitive skin it could burn/sting a little when you first apply but it will go away quickly. Good Luck!! I have also taken something from natures sunshine products as kind of a fungal/yeast cleanse and didn't have a yeast infection for about a year! along with probiotics from whole foods PB8..

As mentioned below, take probiotics on a daily basis to keep yeast in check. Alternatively, I use Avo Yeast; it's a daily supplement. Also, definitely wear strictly cotton undies. And if you are very sensitive to soaps, etc., I would check out Dr. Bronner's Soap. Very gentle, minimal natural ingredients. I swear by it. You can find it at most healthier markets, Trader Joe's, Target, etc. Hope you feel better soon!

AVO
http://www.drugstore.com/azo-yeast-natural-symptom-preven...

Bronner's soap
http://www.drugstore.com/dr-bronners-all-one-hemp-pure-ca...

I was having a rough time with yeast infections and started taking probiotics. No more yeast infections!

I've heard eating yogurt helps, too.

from my understanding-eating yogurt really helps balance the bacteria in your system-i had the same problem-but after my full hysterectomy-never had one since...thank god!!!..i cant stomach yogurt so i had to suffer it out..good luck,,

My daughter had to take white vinegar baths two to three times a day for about a week . Just pour a couple of cups in a warm bath and sit in it for ten minutes . It worked for her .She had to sit in a small container of it a foot soak size tub in the bath with about half a cup . Just so you know the amount for kids . Dont want to confuse anyone !

Garlic. Peel a clove and use a needle to run a length of thread through it. Insert it like a tampon. Change it twice a day. Three days and the yeast will be gone.

ETA: I know from experience that it does work - it's what I use on the rare occasions that I get a yeast infection.
As for smell, I've asked family members if they could smell it when I was using it, and they could not.

I have also had issues with frequent infections. These tips have really helped me:

No scented soap. Wash the surrounding area with unscented soap and warm water only on actual area.

After shower blowdry the area on low setting.

No thong underwear ever. Go without underwear and pants while sleeping.

Launder bath towels frequently. Make sure they dry out completely between showers.

If you use OTC cream use the seven day treatment instead of the one or three day.

Antifungals are what are prescribed or used OTC for yeast infections, not antibiotics.
You can eat yogurt and take probiotics to help get rid of it faster, but to cure it you need antifungal medication. If the pills bother you, use the creams like Monostat. If you're dealing with recurring yeast infections, you really should see your doctor to see if there is another problem causing the yeast.
I am sensitive to soaps also and have been using the Summers Eve Feminine Wash to clean my privates for the last 15 years with no irritation.

I take Caprylic Acid when yeast strikes... 1 supplement usually does the trick. However, because it goes into your intestinal track kills off the yeast, you MUST drink lots of water with it for at least one day... this is because as the yeast dies off, it needs to leave your body one way or another, by drinking water you help it along, if you don't and say you were to workout and sweat, then the yeast might show up in an itchy rash for example, on your arm.. again, it's the yeast trying to leave your body... Anyway, it's been the BEST cure EVER!!!! On a rare occasion, I have had to take two supplements.. but most of the time one.. you can buy the supplements at Whole Foods or wherever they sell vitamins..

I can't tell you how great this stuff has been...... it works remarkably well.

good luck

I used to have this problem ALL the time. The best remedy I got from my chiro/naturalpath. She had special capsules made for her that she gave me and others. We figured out how to make them ourselves since I moved far away from here. You take an empty gel capsule, you can get these at Fred Meyers's or any health food store, and fill it with Boric Acid. I know it sounds strange, but for some reason it works. I used one once or twice a day for as long as I needed. I have also tried yogurt inside as well as meds, but for long term natural care, these worked the BEST!! and its super cheap once you invest the original money.

But, like many others said, it might not be be yeast. I went to the doc because nothing was working at getting rid of my infection and it was bacterial, which is why nothing for yeast was working. Also, you should look into a probiotic if you aren't already. Good luck!!! but go see the doc just to be sure.

I used to work with a woman who had severe yeast infections. Sometimes she would just break down she was so miserable. She tried everything, and her doctor decided to start having her actually use yogurt (of course plain with active yogurt cultures) on her vagina. Not inside, just on the outside. She told me that she would apply it and just lay in the bathtub for awhile, then take a bath afterward. I don't really remember how long she had to keep it on, but I do remember she said it made her feel better. I think it is a little weird, but if you are so miserable you are willing to try anything, I thought I'd pass this along.

Flagyl is used to treat protozoan or bacteria, if you wipe out the bacteria you are disrupting life down there and will get an overgrowth of yeast!

Has the doc actually swabbed and looked under a microscope to see what is going on or sent it to a lab? Oral Diflucan is a great start, not as natural as putting garlic up there but I'm concerned you were not treated for the proper organism from the get go.

Good luck!