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Is It a Yeast Infection? Or Something Worse? Part 2
Part 2.
Once you know the signs and symptoms of a yeast infection, you can decide on the best way to handle it.
The most obvious symptom of a yeast infection is the discomfort in the affected area. This is certainly one of the revealing and most common symptoms of a yeast infection. The kind of discomfort is often described as an intense burning or itching sensation.
Pain when urinating is caused by the irritated lining of the vaginal area. In severe cases. the infected individual may experience extreme discomfort, such that carrying out normal daily activities such as walking can be affected.
Sexual intercourse too becomes painful for most affected women and indeed, should not be undertaken without a condom or barrier because of the risk of passing on the infection and/or getting re-infected. Oral sex should be off limits for the same reason.
Another way which will help you consider the likelihood of a yeast infect ion is by taking note of the appearance of the affected area. Most individuals afflicted with a yeast infection describe the area looking white and having the appearance of curdled milk. Redness and soreness is evident in the affected area most of the time as well.
A discharge may or may not be present, depending on the case. Note that only about 20% of women afflicted the infection report the presence of a discharge in the vaginal area. The discharge may be clear to whitish or slightly yellowish, and may be anywhere from thin to thick consistency.
Lastly, another sign that may help how to confirm a yeast infection is the distinct odor. The discharge may or may not be accompanied by a starchy odor, the kind that resembles bread or beer when it is being made.
Note that yeast is used in bread making as a leavening agent, and in beer making for fermentation. That is because the infection basically is a fungal infection, commonly caused by Candida albicans, a form of yeast.
Some people recommend that if you are prone to vaginal yeast infections, you should avoid eating a lot of products with yeast in them, and eat more yogurt and items with natural bacteria in them. Whatever your decision about diet, beware of using too many over the counter medications to treat yeast infections.
Stay clean, wear cotton underwear that is loose enough to breathe, not synthetics, and beware of thongs, as they can transfer bacteria from the back to the front of your body more easily than a regular pair of panties.
Be sure to go to your doctor for regular pelvic exams. And if you are sexually active but not in an exclusive relationship, then be sure to get a thorough check up and practice safe sex at all times.
Yeast infections can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, but they are not nearly as bad as a sexually transmitted disease. Both can be prevented if you take the right steps to look after your health.
Is It a Yeast Infection? Or Something Worse? Part 1
Part 1.
The best way to confirm a yeast infection is either to make an appointment with your doctor to perform a diagnosis or taking an over the counter test. Your doctor will perform a physical assessment and take a sample of your vaginal discharge. An over the counter test, on the other hand, works much like a home pregnancy kit test. In this case, the pH balance in your system is tested to confirm the presence of a yeast infection.
It is always a good idea to confirm that you have a yeast infection before finally deciding to treat it with over the counter medications. You may end up doing even more harm to yourself if you treat a condition that you do not have.
A yeast infection is a bothersome condition, to say the least. However, self medicating a suspected yeast infection may disrupt the normal pH balance of your body, causing a change in chemistry. You might kill off one bug, if you have it, but could also trigger a proliferation of microorganisms which can then lead to actual infections.
The trouble with resorting to over the counter yeast infection medications right away is that women are using them too often these days, resorting to them at the first sign of trouble now that they are available over the counter without a prescription.
A woman who goes through certain signs and symptoms may immediately think she is experiencing a yeast infection. But the truth is there are many other infections that also demonstrate the presenting signs and symptoms of a yeast infection. These may include bacterial vaginosis, Chlamydia and even gonorrhea.
However, there are three specific signs and symptoms of a yeast infection: discomfort, appearance and odor. If you are experiencing these three signs and symptoms, you are most likely suffering a yeast infection.
However, only a doctor can be really sure. If you are sexually active, but not in an exclusive relationship, or have a partner but are concerned about their fidelity, you should definitely be sure to get checked out.
Knowing the most common signs of a yeast infection can help you decide whether or not to go to the doctor, or use a treatment for it.
Continued in Part 2