Way off topic...yeast infections &Pill

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Way off topic...yeast infections &Pill
8
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 1:43pm
I just got a call from My doctor informing me that my pap smear shows I have a yeast infection. I have absoluty NO SYMPTOMS. I'm not really that itchy, I have no discharge nor smell. NOw I'm not freaked out about it but if I have no symptoms, how am I going to know if the future if I get it again? Its just a little spooky that I can get one without even knowing I have one. I know this isn't even that serious since she told me to pick up over the counter medicine..but she did mention birth control pills can cause yeast infections. I guess the change of hormones.

Also, I don't believe I can transmitted it to my fiancee...has anyone heard anything different?
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2003
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 1:59pm
If it is so minor that you didn't know you had it, I really wouldn't be too stressed!!! Take the medication & don't worry too much. Some hormonal birth control can have an effect on yeast infections, for some women.

My understanding is that your partner can only carry a yeast infection (the issue is re-infecting you, I think) if he is not circumcised. If he is circumcised, there is no where for the infection to live! If your partner is un-cut, I would suggest you call your doctor's office & ask them what you should do to prevent re-infection from him.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 3:13pm
Thanks!!! I just find it so strange that I have no symptoms whatso ever. The receptionsit at the doctors office said it is up more in the cervix area and nothing to be worried about.

Thanks again!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2004
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 7:27pm
I never had them until I started the pill. I have had them and didn't realize it. But they get aggravated by antibotics, I know I am going to get one bad if I take antibotics. Do you take a lot of baths (especially with bath oils)? That can cause it. I don't think you can pass it on to your fiance. I have never passed it on to my husband. Good Luck!
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-26-2003
Wed, 05-12-2004 - 12:46pm
When I first started the pill I had constant yeast infections, both because of the pill usage and because my boyfriend would pass it back to me. I have always heard that is possible. There are a lot of resources on the internet for this (luckily) and there are other things you can do besides the medication. One thing I found worked very well for me was to take a bath with 1/2 cup of white vinegar as it kills the yeast. You will probably need to do this in addition to medicine, but it helps a lot. Also eat lots of yogurt or take the acidopholus pills!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-11-2004
Wed, 05-12-2004 - 1:16pm
Thanks for posting that because the exact same thing happened to me! I am not on the pill yet, I will be starting next month, so it wasn't because of the pill, but I was freaked out that you could have a yeast infection and not know it. I had gone to the doctor just for my yearly exam and to get on the pill and when she examined me she told me she couldn't do the pap because I had a yeast infection. I had no symptoms--no discharge, no itching, so I thought I was crazy. Anyway, I went back to the doctor to get my pap, and she said it was all cleared up. I have been concerned that I could have something wrong with me and not know it, so thanks for letting me know that this has happened to someone else. Now that I am getting on the pill, I hope I don't continue to have this problem...
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-13-2004
Wed, 05-12-2004 - 3:55pm
Mizcookie, I have a couple questions for you - first, where did you hear the thing about taking baths with the vinegar? That seems like genius! (Does it make you smell like a salad though???)

Sounds like it would really help though, cool.

And yes, I too had this experience of having a YI and not knowing. I had a UTI recently and in the urine they said they found some yeast (we all have it, it's normal), but they were concerned it would get worse on the cipro so they made me take a diflucan at the end of my cipro treatment.

I asked if, aside from the UTI being present, would this normally be considered a Yeast Infection? And they said no not really...

weird though.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-26-2003
Wed, 05-12-2004 - 4:55pm
Well, this was about 8 years ago, so I don't remember where I read that about the vinegar. but I had them continuously for well over a year (YUCK!) and I did every kind of research from the library to the internet to magazines. I would start with a search on google for homemade or homeopathic remedies and it might give you more options. The vinegar is supposed to fight the yeast and kill it or something like that, and, as far as I know, it doesn't make you smell like a salad! Though at that point, do you really care? :)

I had much more luck with that and the acidopholus and also you should watch your sugar. I found that contributes to the yeast production. There is always the presence of yeast in your system, but there are things you can do to keep it balanced. having a UTI may have made the level rise a bit so the doctor wanted to treat it.

Good luck - I know this is not fun at ALL.

Vicki
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Thu, 05-13-2004 - 12:39pm
I had a friend in college with recurrent, resistant yeast infections. she actually did her thesis on drug-free yeast therapies and yeast drug resistance. anyway, she was a wonderful font of advice when i had my first YI. Here are some of the pointers that worked best for me:

- wear cotton underwear, it reduces moisture buildup and keeps the temperature of the area low.

- if you take a bath (which can relieve the itching nicely), don't use any fragant oils or soaps, just plain water.

- avoid sugary or yeasty foods, such as candy, bread, and beer. pasta should probably be avoided, too. basically try to keep your blood glucose from getting too high, this can promote yeast growth and inhibit the growth of good, acidic bacteria.

- take garlic supplements. it's way less stinky than eating a lot of garlic and it's more concentrated. this inhibits yeast growth. Cranberry supplements also help lower the pH of your vagina, promoting the growth of good bacteria and the death of yeast. Plus, if you have a concurrent UTI, the cranberry will help clear that up, too. Cranberry juice coctails are too sugary and can make both of those problems worse, so either take concentrated supplements or drink 100% cranberry juice.

- EAT LOTS OF YOGURT! this is the most common remedy for YI, just make sure you buy a yogurt that contains active cultures including L. acidophilus. Pretty much all of them do, even Yoplait (which didn't always have active cultures). Stonyfield Farm has the most active cultures of any yogurt on the market. Very good for the digestive system as well.

- You can buy L. acidophilus supplements in health food stores, but I don't know how effective they are. My yeast expert friend was not too stoked about them, she found that cranberry and garlic supplements worked much better.

One time my sister, who also has recurrent YI, got so frustrated with nothing working to get rid of them that she took a glob of plain yogurt and put it up there. apparently it cleaned up the infection in a hurry, but I don't know if I'd recommend that procedure to other women. ;)

For the record, that first yeast infection in college was also my last. I never had to take any medication or use over the counter antifungal suppositories (monostat, etc), i just changed my diet appropriately and it cleared up in about 48 hours.