Chronic Yeast Infections: Understanding
Symptoms and Causes
If you are a grown woman, there
are chances that you have experienced chronic
yeast infections at least once; maybe you felt the symptoms such as
recurring itchiness and dampness in your private part, combined with vaginal
discharge that colors your underpants white-greenish or even slightly brown
depending on the level of infection. Although this is not essentially life-threatening
condition, chronic yeast infections
are very annoying and not good for vaginal health if you do not do something to
cure and prevent it. In addition, you sexual partner may experience unpleasant
side effects if he has sex with you without condom.
Furthermore, chronic
yeast infections now are considered as very serious condition that every
woman must take precaution about. This is because scientists have begun to see
the relation between this vaginal infection and more serious conditions such as
cervical cancer, pelvic inflammation and even pregnancy complication. Clearly,
when the symptoms of chronic yeast infections come, you must know what to do
and consult with doctor to get the best treatment.
Chronic Yeast Infections:
Why Does It Happen?
Basically, the so-called
‘yeast’ is always present in your vagina, but in small amount. It is impossible
to get rid of this organism because it is naturally present in your vagina, so
if you can still control the amount of yeast, it is fine. However, there are
certain times when the yeast may overgrow and cause chronic yeast infections,
which show the symptoms in the common forms that some of you may already know
(itchiness, rash, sticky sensation, etc).
Why can the yeast overgrow?
There are many causes of this; usually, it is caused by bad habits such as
wearing underpants made of fabrics that do not absorb sweat well, or wearing
tight jeans that hamper circulation around your vagina, creating warm and
sweaty area that is an ideal place for vaginal yeast to grow and cause chronic
yeast infections. In addition, the infection can also happen if you use
perfumed soap, the so-called vaginal hygiene wash, douche or feminine perfume,
which also can disturb the balance of acidity in your vagina and cause yeast
overgrowth.
In addition to the bad
habits factor, chronic yeast infections can happen when a woman is in special
condition, like being pregnant, having diabetes mellitus, or consuming
medications such as certain antibiotics and contraceptive pills. They are not
the causes, but rather triggering factors that lead to higher prevalence of chronic
yeast infections occurrences.
Symptoms of Chronic Yeast
Infections
Many of you may already be
familiar with the symptoms of yeast infections, which are recurring itchiness
in vaginal area, often accompanied by irritation, slight redness or rash and
even burning feeling. On the more severe level, often the painful sensation
also comes when you are urinating or having sexual intercourse. Many women
associate chronic yeast infections with thick, mucous vaginal discharge that
often stain underpants with its specific characteristic: the color is white
with greenish, grayish or even slightly yellowish tone, and it can be either
liquid or thick like cottage cheese.
Many women associate this
vaginal discharge with chronic yeast infections, but actually, yeast infections
do not have to be accompanied by vaginal discharge. Meanwhile, male sexual
partner of the woman may experience slight rash or itchiness after having sex
with woman that has chronic yeast infections without using condom. Therefore,
looking at vaginal discharge only is not enough to determine whether you have
yeast infection or not; doctor must do the test of your vaginal secretion to
see the amount of yeast present.
Other Possibilities for
Chronic Yeast Infections
Remember, if you experience
the abovementioned symptoms, that does not always mean that you have chronic
yeast infections. Itchiness and burning feeling in your vagina may be caused by
other factors. If you have the history of unprotected sex, those may be signs
of STD infection. If you do not have such history, you may experience allergic
reactions such as from new detergent you use to wash your pants, using feminine
products for the first time, eating something new, and even gel or certain
brand of condom used by your sexual partner. They can show similar symptoms
with chronic yeast infections, although of course the treatments must be
different.
Conclusion
If you experience symptoms
that have been described above, they may not always be symptoms of chronic
yeast infections. Whether the cause is yeast infection or others, you should
visit doctor immediately to find out. If the symptoms do describe chronic yeast infections, make sure you
get the right medications because these infections can grow into serious
conditions.