Microbial yeast-infection war with my boyfriend

June 21, 2008 9:24 AM

Long distance relationship...and my body is not cooperating??!!! (NSFW)

So every time I visit my boyfriend now I seem to get a yeast infection. My OBGYN said I had nothing to worry about and that she sees this a lot with long distance relationships. Her rationale is that if you are having regular sex, you (and your microbial communities) get used to each other, but in a long distance relationship they don't. So every time we have sex for the first time in awhile, my body is OMGWTFisthis. Usually even if I don't treat the infection, it goes away after a couple of horrible burning days and if the visit is long, we are eventually able to have worry-free sex. She didn't have any ideas for mitigating this effect.

This has happened with other long distance boyfriends before (ruined a vacation once because we hadn't seen each other in awhile), so I don't think it's my boyfriend. And I haven't changed my BCP in awhile and I eat a low-sugar diet. Ive been tested for STDs recently too.

I've never heard of this sort of problem before, is there anything I can do? So far it seems to be better if he doesn't ejaculate the first couple of times we have sex, but it's steal pretty unpleasant. I've thought about stealing his underwear and sleeping with it.

Ugh, every time we have sex I envision this massive war between various armies of bacteria.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (15 answers total)

This seems too obvious, so I must be missing something, but wouldn't a condom work?
posted by phrontist at 9:29 AM on June 21, 2008

Are you eating enough yogurt or other probiotic stuff? I had a string of yeast infections at one point, and now I haven't gotten a single one in a good long while ever since I started eating yogurt a few times a week.

Also, are you using condoms? Spermicide and latex are common allergies and could be causing your infections.
posted by Verdandi at 9:32 AM on June 21, 2008

I used to get yeast infections monthly, but since I started eating yogurt for breakfast, I haven't had any flare-ups. That could be a coincidence, of course.
posted by muddgirl at 9:50 AM on June 21, 2008

I like how one person says use a condom, two comments later someone posts how this could be the problem. Not having the requisite parts under discussion here, I think I would seek a second opinion Just because you doctor says she "sees this a lot with long distance relationships," doesn't mean a different doctor would know how to solve it
posted by cjorgensen at 9:52 AM on June 21, 2008

You can try washing really, really well right afterwards. This has worked for us when the same issue arises.
Probiotic can't hurt either.
posted by strangelove at 9:52 AM on June 21, 2008

Would any of the suggestions in this thread help? It's mostly about UTIs but it could give you some ideas.
posted by juliplease at 10:40 AM on June 21, 2008

I had this problem and I found that if you pee within five/ten minutes after sex, the odds of getting an infection go way down.
posted by youcancallmeal at 10:51 AM on June 21, 2008

It's also possible that he has a yeast infection. Men do get them, uncircumcised men more often than circumcised ones, and can very easily ping it back to you.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:04 AM on June 21, 2008

Vaginas are acidic. Ejaculate is alkaline. The vagina is kept acidic by a consortium of lactic acid bacteria(LAB) producing lactic acid from sugars. This acidic environment provides a little niche for the LAB to thrive in. When a hot, gushing load shows up, it neutralizes the acidic conditions and provides an environment that is a lot more hospitable to organisms that would cause vaginitis. I leave it up to you to think of alternate places for your SO to ejaculate.
posted by demon666 at 11:11 AM on June 21, 2008

I had this problem and I found that if you pee within five/ten minutes after sex, the odds of getting an infection go way down.

Peeing washes bacteria from the urethra, lowering your chances of a UTI. It won't have anything to do with a yeast infection.

You might try using non-spermicidal condoms (and extra water-based lube if you need it).
posted by soviet sleepover at 12:22 PM on June 21, 2008

Peeing washes bacteria from the urethra, lowering your chances of a UTI. It won't have anything to do with a yeast infection.

Except that if you pee right after sex, you also tend to expel more of the semen more promptly than if you lie about in post-coital afterglow followed by nap.

Probiotic stuff in your diet (yogurt or kefir, etc.) and him not coming inside of you (unless w/condom, though nthing the non-spermicide condoms) should keep the yeasties at bay.
posted by desuetude at 2:00 PM on June 21, 2008

It's common. My former boss had this problem with her long distance bf. (The fact such conversations with her were a required part of my job should explain the 'former'.) Turns out he was the carrier, like dirtynumbangelboy said.

Otherwise, RepHresh should keep your PH in sync, but be prepared for the side effect some women describe in the reviews.

Nthing probiotics, they're good for everything - some women swear by dunking a tampon in plain yogurt and quickly inserting/removing. Can't vouch for it but it might be worth trying.
posted by for_serious at 4:15 PM on June 21, 2008

Eeek, some of the commenters re RepHresh are describing BV. Ladies, if you get a fishy odor after sex, that's the smell of semen + bacterial vaginosis. Get antibiotics.
posted by desuetude at 5:25 PM on June 21, 2008

If you're not into eating yogurt, you can also buy acidophilus capsules at health food stores or Whole Foods. My doctor recommended them when I was on antibiotics.
posted by supramarginal at 6:21 PM on June 21, 2008

Another thing to look out for is your lube type. Are you using anything with glycerin in it? I've heard that it "feeds" the yeast infection. Maybe try something silicone-based, or something like Liquid Silk / Maximus.

Random Google result on the matter
posted by jsmith77 at 6:31 AM on June 22, 2008