Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with yeastinfection

Itchily in love

teraspawn — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:52:50 -0800

Is there any sensible way to remove semen from one's vagina after intercourse? (nsfw) Some background: I am on the pill, my partner and I have both had recent clear STI tests, this question is not about contraception and YANA/MD.

We're in a LDR at the moment and only get to see each other for the odd weekend when we have time off work. Naturally in that time we have absurd amounts of sex. Besides the inevitable back pain, bruising, abrasions and dehydration afterwards (heh), I always seem to end up with a yeast infection.

It stands to reason that a sticky, alkaline, sugary substance coating the walls of my vagina, plus frequent, vigorous aeration would encourage dear ol' Candida albicans, and some googling seems to back that up.

Now, I'd rather live with the yeast infections than go back to condoms, but is there some way I could just clear the stuff out after we've done the deed? All I've heard about vaginal douching is that it is a Bad Thing and encourages and spreads all sorts of nasty infections, so I'm guessing that's not the way? Is there another solution?

Am I baker inside and out?

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:49:20 -0800

Systemic yeast infection? I've got an appointment lined up to check. Symptoms after the jump. YANMD, but some advice would be appreciated. A few weeks ago, I attempted to treat a suspected vaginal yeast infection (with canesten 1 day treatment), and accidentally expelled the tablet before it had had a chance to dissolve completely. The slight burning sensation has been kept under control with intermittent use of clotrimazole cream, but I've noticed a few other symptoms cropping up that concern me:

1st: around the same time I treated the infection initially, I noticed a small area of dried, cracked and sore skin on my perineum. I only noticed because it started to bleed ever so slightly any time I had a bowel movement.

2nd: Straining bowel movements have become constant. I've added lots of fiber and water to no avail. My stools look like rabbit poop, except with bigger pellets. I'm still relatively regular (once a day or so) but it feels like I'm constipated.

3rd: I have 3 cracks in the corner of my lips that haven't come close to healing in over a week. There are also a couple strange patches of dry skin on my body that aren't responding to moisturiser. (on is on my shoulder for example, and about the size of a nickel)

Could any of this be related to yeast? Is it possible that I'm just reinfecting myself through vaginal/oral sex with my husband? He's uncircumcised and I've noticed that there's a off-putting scent under his foreskin that wasn't there before a month or two ago. Even if he's showered that day, it's kind of 'funky'. If he washes immediately before, it's not such a problem.

I've been checked as recently as 3 months ago for STIs and had a pap at the same time which came back normal. We are both faithful and committed.

I'm not on birth control or any other medication, although I did go through several rounds of antibiotics for a series of UTIs back in Dec/Jan.

Am I barking up the wrong tree here? What can I do to weather the storm until my appointment next week?

throwaway email: amiyeasty@gmail.com

How do I prevent yeast infections while taking antibiotics?

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:29:41 -0800

Has anyone prone to yeast infections been able to protect themselves while taking antibiotics? I want to start taking antibiotics (doxycycline) to treat my acne. It's my last resort. However, I am extremely prone to yeast infections. Will taking acidophilus supplements be enough? How much to take? I have been trying many, many routes to treat my acne, and I would now like to try doxycycline. However, a few years ago I absolutely devastated my good bacteria balance by taking a few rounds of Cipro, and I've been extremely prone to stubborn yeast infections ever since. Right now I'm clear, and I would like to stay that way.

I'm going to be taking acidophilus both orally and vaginally, but I don't know if that's enough and don't want to risk it. Has anyone had any experience doing this and succeeding at staving off the yeast?

Another Private Parts Question

jrichards — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:16:46 -0800

I'm not talking about bread... yeast question inside. I have a mild yeast infection that's been getting continually worse for a couple of days now. I keep going back and forth on how to treat it - mainly because the last time I used an OTC remedy I ended up with a bacterial infection that was WAY worse than the yeasty. (I seem to be pretty susceptible to BV, I very very rarely get yeast infections.) I've been eating plain yogurt and taking acidophilus capsules. I just bought some Yeast-Gard suppositories. Am I going down the wrong road here? I want relief STAT! What should I do?

How do I deal with the depression stemming from a really bad year?

Anonymous — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:56:17 -0800

I have been beset by crappy luck and chronic health problems in the past year. It's been extremely stressful, worsened by the fact these very health problems prevent me from employing my normal methods of dealing with stress. I'm spiraling quickly downward into mood-swings and depression and I don't know what to do. How did you deal with your stressful periods? In the past year, I've contracted HPV, had surgery to deal with the subsequent cervical dysplasia, developed bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections on multiple occasions, and due to the necessary multiple antibiotic regimens I'm now into the eighth month of a yeast infection that is not even responding to strong anti-fungals. In the past six months I've also managed to pick up ovarian cysts and chronic kidney stones. I have two sports injuries that prevent me from doing any exercise besides slow walking and just found out I have a repetitive stress injury in my forearms. I've had multiple emergency-room trips for some of these conditions, as well as one a few months ago for an absolutely vicious bout of food poisoning. To make matters worse, in the past year I've also been sexually assaulted and a victim of check fraud, both which were a multiple-month legal headache to deal with, not to mention the psychological toll.

My schoolwork is suffering. I'm completely stressed out--I have never had health problems and they're now all piling on at once. I could deal with any one just by itself, but the sheer mass of them is driving me crazy. I get a lot of relief from hard exercise, but the sports injuries prevent any form--really, any form, I've tried. I get relief from sex, but that's only been possible twice in the past three months due to the yeast infections. Can't drink because of the anti-fungals. Can't even bake, cook, pet my cats, or escape to the internet due to the RSI. I've tried coping with ice cream, but that provides short-term relief, long-term stress due the expanding waistline, and I gotta cut that out again in another effort to treat the yeast infection (I was on a meat-eggs-vegetables diet, the infection died down, I included the sugar again and it's come back with a vengeance).

I'm incredibly depressed. I'm getting inexplicable mood swings. I hate my sick, deteriorating body and want to escape it. I want to lie down somewhere and cry. I have had deep depression before, beat it, and have remained pretty optimistic and upbeat--but after a year of this shit I can't anymore. I've joked with my boyfriend that I hope I get cancer, as that would be a sure sign from the universe that it didn't want me in it and I could take it as a cue to just kill myself.

What did you do with your bad luck year? Do you have any suggestions for dealing with the stress (besides meditation--that hasn't worked)? I'm living my life waiting for the next thing to come around the corner and punch me in the face, while attempting to nurse the bruises I've already received. It's no life at all.

My anti-yeast infection diet makes me sleepy

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:42:22 -0800

I am on a no-sugar/very low-sugar diet to help combat a yeast infection. My diet consists of fish, a little bit of yogurt, good fats, and leafy greens and other non-starchy, non-sweet vegetables. Since I started it I crash every afternoon at exactly 2:00--right at the beginning of a class. How can I avoid this without resorting to coffee or high-glycemic foods? I figure there are two possible reasons for the crash: either my body isn't used to such a paucity of sugar, or I'm not eating enough meals. Usually I try to do 5 or 6 meals a day, one of them being a snack after lunch (like a energy bar or a piece of fruit). I've switched to 3 or 4 bigger meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) since there's no convenient way to do snacks with the foods I CAN eat, as the quantities of spinach or broccoli it would take to make enough carbs for a snack aren't easily transportable around a college campus. I'm lost.

How to stop reoccuring yeast infections

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:45:04 -0800

I've had a yeast infection/yeast infection + bacterial vaginosis one to two weeks before my period for every month since December. I've read all the old AskMe threads and tried the home remedies on this page. I'm about ready to start scheduling a monthly appointment with the doctor to get my dose of antibiotics and buying Gynelotrimin wholesale (I'm allergic to Monistat). Help! I:
- go commando more often than is probably decent
- often wear skirts in combination with the above
- wipe with hydrogen peroxide when the itching starts
- have tried sticking yogurt, tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide, acidophilis, and garlic in my cooter (not all at once)
- dry off with paper towels
- wash with Cetaphil
- don't take baths
- maintain a trimmed exterior
- pee/wash after sex
- take acidophilis
- cut down on sugar
- exercise regularly/sleep well
- use cotton underwear (when I wear underwear)

Given that I rarely got yeast infections before I started hormonal birth control, I'm almost positive it's due to the BC. I've tried Ortho TriCyclin Lo and now I'm on NuvaRing, and the yeast infections still come. But for convenience reasons, I would prefer to not abandon hormonal BC for condoms and don't feel ready to invest in an IUD (I'm worried about the spotting side effects).

So--short from that, is there anything, anything else I can try? I got myself waxed once and that seemed to help a little. I'm not a fan of the look, but I'm willing to do it if it produces results--has it helped anyone else?

Ugly discharge equals ugly bubbles.

kmennie — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 08:25:28 -0800

Bath bubbles change in the presence of a yeast infection. Why? When I have a yeast infection, the bubbles in my bath take on an odd characteristic. The edges of the normally round bubble patches become ragged; it's a bit reminiscent of the (detailed) outline of countries on a map. An (unsurprisingly?) clotted, curdled look.

This happens so reliably that it's a better early indicator of when something's wrong than anything else. The bubble alteration gradually decreases as the Monistat kicks in.

I use a baby body wash; no bar soap. Regular soap has been banned from the tub (allergies), so it's not a reaction to anything saponified.

What's going on there that makes the bubbles change?

And: would be fascinated to hear if anybody else has noticed this, though given the popularity of showers over tub baths these days, I'm not holding my breath.

Are yeasts nocturnal beasties?

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 10:40:12 -0800

Why do (maybe just my) yeast infections itch worst at night? Every time I get a yeast infection, the associated itching/sensitivity is pretty minor during the day; without fail, however, as soon as I get into bed at night, it attacks with a vengeance, often keeping me from falling asleep or waking me up scratching (bad, I know). Sometimes just getting out of bed and moving around will calm it down temporarily. Is the reason for this physiological or psychological?

To treat or not to treat (a potential yeast infection)?

tastybrains — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:42:57 -0800

Should I use an OTC yeast infection treatment? I'd prefer answers from women who aren't going to scare the crap out of me with worst case scenarios...if you think you can help, check out the Will the world end if I use an OTC yeast infection treatment even though I am not 100% positive that I have a yeast infection? The box has scary warnings not to...but I have reasons to believe it should be ok.

First and foremost, it's Presidents Day Weekend and I can't see my doctor until Tuesday at the earliest. So if I do have something else, I'm not going to postpone treatment by using the OTC stuff.

Second, I went to my gyno in late December. She said it looked like I had a little yeast and that if it didn't bother me I didn't have to do anything, but if it itched to get an OTC treatment.

I have never had a yeast infection before, and while I itched a little back around the time of my dr's appointment, it wasn't bad and I just ignored it. I've increasingly got itchier since then. I've had very little discharge and it's really no color whatsoever with no odor whatsoever.

Is it safe to assume that this is just a progression of the yeast my doctor saw in late December and that it's ok to use the OTC treatment I bought?

I'm a little nervous because I'm really anxious about health problems - if you tell me it might be cancer or rabies or bird flu, I am going to jump to the worst case scenario. So after reading on the box that a vaginal infection can cause permanent damage to your ability to have children - well, I'm freaking the hell out right now.

Would appreciate some advice!

Best methods of preventing vaginal yeast infection

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Oct 2004 21:07:47 -0800

Ladies of AskMe: Help! What are your best tried & true methods of preventing a yeast infection?