question about probiotics

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-26-2007
question about probiotics
3
Fri, 03-14-2008 - 3:20pm

HI all!


my saga continues.. i have had numerous BV infections along with yeast infections.  i started to take a probiotic and it made me feel better but made me bloated so i stopped taking it.. needless to say they came back.  so i am trying again with a different kind.  i had both infections about two weeks ago and i went to see the doctor.  she told me i had both and gave me flagyl and that one time pill you can take to cure yeast.  well a week later i was convinced my yeast didnt go away and it was driving me crazy so i went to the store and picked up a one day medicine package and used it and it seemed to make the infection 10 times worse so i went back to the dr and she gave me the yeast pill again and the very next day i started taking a probiotic.  i am still having discharge.. so my question is.. did my yeast infection not go away or is it still taking time.. and also when you start taking a probiotic does your body need to flush itself?  i was thinking that maybe that is what i am experiencing and i just need to wait it out... i took the yeast pill on monday and its now friday... started the probiotic tuesday.


any advise would be helpful thanks!

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2007
Sat, 03-15-2008 - 5:51am

Taking a probiotic will help your digestive tract, but it will not reach your vagina. Suppositories with acidophilus or probiotic are available. I was given some by a naturopath. You might ask your doctor about this. Also, some women will put yogurt or the probiotic you buy to eat like the Dannon or Yokult kind directly in the vagina. This is messy, but it is the only way to get it localized. Your stomach acids will digest the probiotic you are swallowing and it will go through your small and then large intestine and be eliminated as stool. It does not go to your vagina.

I have found that the regular Monistat 7 day cream is still the best for vaginal yeast infections. I have had no luck with the one time pill or cream.

Also, you might want to have your doc culture the vaginal secretion. I once had an infection that would not go away in my vagina and it turned out to be Staph Infection (Staphylococcus Aureus). I was put on oral antibiotics and it went away. Every cream treatment they tried before they cultured it and found out it was staph made me worse.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-13-2005
Mon, 03-17-2008 - 12:32am

IMHO, probiotics are great if you're trying to balance out the flora in your gut while taking antibiotics. Good bacteria get killed off in your intestines when you're taking an antibiotic, and good probiotics can lessen the effect. To prevent/treat a vaginal yeast infection...well, this would be nice, but it's not always how things work. I guess it would be the equivalent of using Monistat to combat overgrowth of yeast in your gut...

Probiotics can cause bloating, as can eating lots of yogurt. Speaking of yogurt, yes some women will dip a tampon in non-flavored (plain) yogurt and insert it vaginally as a treatment option...I have not tried this myself, but it is an option if prescriptions aren't working. I would think twice about taking an oral antifungal for the yeast repeatedly...this could set you up for greater resistance to yeast in the long run, much more so than you would experience with an OTC or natural remedy. And no, the pills won't always get rid of the infection...sometimes treatment is elusive. If this is definitely a yeast infection, I would look into some of the natural remedies through a simple Google search. It can't hurt, anyway. Just take it light on those prescriptions.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-23-2004
Mon, 03-17-2008 - 4:27pm

Hi buterflyhzleyes.


The ladies gave you great information on probiotics and yogurt.


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