Are you looking for some natural remedies that can help you with that itchy vagina?
Have you actually thought of considering a doctor for your itchy vagina?
Well, itching in the vagina has been a common problem faced by many women.
But most of the women choose to ignore it and go ahead with their normal routine thinking it to be a mere situation that doesn’t need attention.
But dear readers, you must know that an itchy vagina is the most common symptom of many sexual diseases that you probably don’t know about.
One such disease or in simple words infection is – The vaginal yeast infection!
When you read the below sections, you will find out how grave a situation can be when you choose to ignore your itchy vagina.
In the following blog, we bring you a detailed account of Vaginal Yeast Infection and how you can prevent it from occurring.
So dig in below and find out whether that itchy vagina is pointing towards this serious infection or not!
What is Vaginal Yeast Infection?
Nobody actually likes talking about their vaginal problems.
Moreover, this yeast infection is all about itching and irritation, which obviously makes one uncomfortable.
But don’t you worry, Vaginal yeast infections are quite common in women these days.
In fact, almost 70% of women undergo one yeast infection in their lifetime.
However, if you choose to ignore it, we might say that this common issue will take up its uncommon form!
A vaginal yeast infection, also famous as Candidiasis is a fungal infection that causes severe itching, irritation, and discharge!
This is caused by the interference in the proper balance of healthy bacteria and yeast living in your vagina.
Normally the infection can subside within a few days if proper care is taken.
But this might also take weeks depending on how grave the situation is.
Since many If you might be thinking if sexual intercourse can be a reason behind this, then let us clear away your doubts.
Vaginal Yeast Infection is not majorly caused by sexual transmission as women who are not sexually active can also develop this infection.
With that being said, let us now have a look at the Yeast infection symptoms before getting into how can someone get a yeast infection.
Yeast Infection Symptoms
There are two types of vaginal infections, the simple one which shows a mild range of symptoms, and the complicated one that has got some serious symptoms.
First, we look at the mild range of symptoms:
- Itching and irritation in the vagina and vulva
- Burning the sensation during urination or intercourse
- Redness and swelling of the vulva
- Pain and soreness in the vagina
- Rashes at vagina
- Thick, white, odor-free vaginal discharge which appears like cottage cheese
- Watery vaginal discharge
Next, we look at the symptoms that point towards you being infected with a complicated yeast infection.
When you can be seeing signs of complicated yeast infection:
- You spot extensive forms of common symptoms like redness, swelling, and itching which often lead to tears, cracks, and sores
- Suffer from more than four episodes of yeast infection in a year
- You are pregnant and seeing redness and soreness in your vagina
- Uncontrolled diabetes
Since now you have an idea about the symptoms, we move on to a very important question – how do you get a yeast infection?
Thus, let us move forward to what causes yeast infection in our next section.
Yeast Infection Causes
The yeast infection is mainly caused by the imbalance of the fungus – Candida which is a healthy dweller in your vagina.
Its growth is checked by the Lactobacillus bacteria, but the imbalance results in fungal infection.
Several factors that contribute to this imbalance of the bacterial colony at your vagina are:
#1. Hormones
There are many hormonal changes during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or even menopause that lead to a change in the balance of bacterial levels.
Moreover, the birth control pills that you take can be a reason too.
#2. Diabetes
Uncontrolled diabetes increases the sugar levels in your vaginal linings (the moist mucus lining) that creates a place for the yeast to grow.
Thus, make sure you have your diabetes under control lady!
#3. Antibiotics
Since antibiotics focus on the killing of the bacterias, they can actually act on the good bacterias residing t your vagina too.
Thus make sure you don’t depend on the antibiotics too much.
#4. Vaginal spray
You must have heard many influencers talk about how you should not use any external perfumes or sprays to enhance the smell of your vagina or any such thing.
Ever wondered why?
Well, the vaginal spray causes an imbalance of your vaginal bacterias leading to infections.
#5. Weak immune system
Any immune disorder like HIV can result in an imbalance of bacteria in your vagina leading to infection.
#6. Sex
Even if a vaginal yeast infection is not a Sexually transmitted infection, it can sometimes spread from genital contact.
These were some of the common causes, but some risk factors must be checked if you feel you are suffering from Vaginal infection.
Risk Factors Associated With Yeast Infection
In the following cases, the chances of a yeast infection go very high:
- Over usage of antibiotics – Yeast infections are very common in people taking antibiotics.
However, it depends on which antibiotics you take, like broad-spectrum antibiotics kill a wide range of bacteria including the healthy bacteria in your body.
- High estrogen levels – Yeast infections are very common in women with high estrogen levels.
Thus, if you are on high estrogen birth control pills or estrogen therapy, keep special care of your vaginal itchiness. - Uncontrolled diabetes
- Impaired immune disorder
Next, we talk about how you can get a confirmed report on whether you are suffering from yeast infection and what to do for treating it.
How Are Vaginal Yeast Infections Diagnosed?
Many people get nervous while visiting the doctor for getting their case of vaginal yeast infection confirmed.
Thus before we tell you how to get rid of yeast infection, let us give you a guide on how the doctor diagnoses the infection.
Yeast infections are quite easy to diagnose. When you visit the doctor, you are just asked to present your medical history.
By medical history, we mean information about whether you have suffered from any such infection before. You might also be asked about any history of STIs.
The next step in the process is examining your pelvic.
Your doctor will examine your vaginal wall and cervix along with an examination of the surrounding area for any external signs of infection.
Depending on what your doctor finds out, you might be asked for an examination of the cells in your vagina.
Lab tests are mostly done for women who have a positive history of yeast infections in the past.
However, many women consider self-diagnosis by sticking to the symptoms. We highly recommend you not to do so, as the symptoms can match both simple and complicated vaginal yeast infection.
This will lead to confusion and wrong treatment.
With that being said, we move onto our next segment that deals with yeast infection treatments.
How To Treat A Yeast Infection?
Yeast infections are of different types, thus your doctor will know what’s best for you. Treatments are best described depending upon the severity of the symptoms.
Simple infections:
For simple yeast infections, doctors usually prescribe a 1-3 days regimen of an antifungal cream, ointment, or a yeast infection treatment pill.
These medications are easily available on prescription or over the counter.
Some of the common medications are:
- Butoconazole
- Clotrimazole
- Miconazole
- Terconazole
- Fluconazole
However, you should not take these medications before consulting your doctor and make sure that you have your follow up to see if the yeast infection medicine has actually worked.
Next, we see what treatments are prescribed to women suffering from complicated infections.
Treatment for complicated infections:
In severe or complicated cases your doctor might treat you with:
- 14-day cream, ointment, tablet, or vaginal treatment with the suppository
- Two or three doses of fluconazole
- Long term dosage of fluconazole or a topical antifungal medication
Moreover, if you see any recurring episodes of fungal infection, make sure you have a check on your partner to see if he has any of it.
You can also use barrier methods to protect yourself from getting any such infections.
Since many of you might want to go all-natural for your vagina, we also have the following section giving you home remedies for treating your infection.
Home Remedies for Vaginal Yeast Infection
You can definitely get your infection treated with the help of some natural remedies. But these remedies won’t be as effective as the medications.
Some popular natural remedies are:
- Coconut oil
- Tea tree oil or cream
- Garlic
- Boric acid vaginal suppositories
- Plain yogurt has taken orally or applied to the vagina
Pro Tips To Treat Yeast Infection
When using any topical application on vaginal linings make sure that your hands are clean.
You might also try consulting your doctor for these natural remedies. This is quite important as the symptoms might match the symptoms of other diseases and lead to confusion.
Your doctor will diagnose you with the right disease and give you the best medication.
Also, make sure that you speak to your doctor before taking herbal remedies and over the counter medications for your infection as they might react and lead to serious troubles.
However, even if you know the treatments – Prevention is better than cure!
Thus, let us give you some tips on how you can protect yourself from encountering such infections.
How To Prevention From Yeast Infection
To reduce your risk of getting a fungal infection, the most important thing that you must do is replace your panties with cotton panties that don’t fit too tight.
You might also avoid doing:
- Douching, that takes away the healthy bacteria from your vagina
- Using scented feminine products like pads and tampons
- Hot tubs and very hot baths
- Unnecessary antibiotic usage
- Staying in wet clothes for a longer duration
Conclusion
Vagina yeast infection is very common among women who wear tight panties and do not take care of their vagina.
However, the infection can be easily treated by visiting a doctor and taking the right medications.
But many women don’t open about the disease much and end up following some google answers which might lead to serious troubles.
Taking this into the consideration we have formulated a detailed blog on Vaginal yeast infection to help you understand its symptoms and treatments well.
Our blog also highlights some common home remedies that you can try for a natural treatment.
However, we strictly believe that these infections must be handled by doctors’ medication and not natural remedies.
