Avoiding douching and scented hygiene products is also recommended. Probiotics have not been found to be useful for active infections. Around 75% of women have at least one vaginal yeast infection at some point in their lives, while nearly half have at least two. Around 5% have more than three infections in a single year. It is the second most common cause of vaginal inflammation after bacterial vaginosis. Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of vaginal thrush include vulval itching, vulval soreness and irritation, pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse (superficial dyspareunia), pain or discomfort during urination (dysuria) and vaginal discharge, which is usually odourless. Although the vaginal discharge associated with yeast infection is often described as thick and lumpy, like paper paste or cottage cheese, it can also be thin and watery, or thick and of uniform texture. In one study, women with vaginal yeast infection were no more likely to describe their discharge as cottage-cheese like than women without.As well as the above symptoms of thrush, vulvovaginal inflammation can also be present. The signs of vulvovaginal inflammation include erythema (redness) of the vagina and vulva, vaginal fissuring (cracked skin), edema (swelling from a build-up of fluid), also in severe cases, satellite lesions (sores in the surrounding area). This is rare, but may indicate the presence of another fungal condition, or the herpes simplex virus (the virus that causes genital herpes).Vaginal candidiasis can very rarely cause congenital candidiasis in newborns. Causes
Medications
Infection occurs in about 30% of women who are taking a course of antibiotics by mouth.
Unnecessary or inappropriate use of topical preparations is common and can lead to a delay in the treatment of other causes of vulvovaginitis, which can result in worse outcomes.When there are more than four recurrent episodes of candidal vulvovaginitis per year, a longer initial treatment course is recommended, such as orally administered fluconazole followed by a second and third dose 3 and 6 days later, respectively.Other treatments after more than four episodes per year, may include ten days of either oral or topical treatment followed by fluconazole orally once per week for six months. About 10-15% of recurrent candidal vulvovaginitis cases are due to non-Candida albicans species. Non-albicans species tend to have higher levels of resistance to fluconazole. Therefore, recurrence or persistence of symptoms while on treatment indicates speciation and antifungal resistance tests to tailor antifungal treatment. Alternative medicine
Up to 40% of women seek alternatives to treat vaginal yeast infection. Example products are herbal preparations, probiotics and vaginal acidifying agents. Other alternative treatment approaches include switching contraceptive, treatment of the sexual partner and gentian violet. However, the effectiveness of such treatments has not received much study.Probiotics (either as pills or as yogurt) do not appear to decrease the rate of occurrence of vaginal yeast infections. No benefit has been found for active infections. Example probiotics purported to treat and prevent candida infections are Lactobacillus fermentum RC-14, Lactobacillus fermentum B-54, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus acidophilus.There is no evidence to support the use of special cleansing diets and colonic hydrotherapy for prevention.