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Yeast infections grow because of a fungus. The most common fungus that causes yeast infection is Candida Albicans. You normally find this fungus in your body and on your skin in small amounts. Occasionally, something happens to upset the balance of microorganisms in your body and yeast overgrowth will occur, causing a yeast infection. Yeast infections do not always breed in the vagina. They can develop on the skin, mucus membranes, heart valves and esophagus. The good news is you can now buy yeast infection medication at your local drugstore or discount store. Long gone are the days of prescription only yeast infection medication.
If you have ever had a yeast infection you now how miserable it can be. The burning, itching and pain can become unbearable if left untreated. Luckily, yeast infections are easy to cure with an antifugal agent. The antifungal drugs inhibit the ability of fungus to multiply and form new cell membranes. If this is your first yeast infection, visit your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and his recommendation for a yeast infection medication. This is a lot better than trying to cure your infection using creams you are not familiar with.
Your doctor may prescribe an oral antifungal agent to cure your yeast infection. The two main oral antifungals are Diflucan and Nizoral. The oral yeast infection medications have the advantage of being able to cure a yeast infection in one or two doses and you don't have to deal with messy creams. The disadvantage to oral yeast infection medications is they may have side effects or interact with other medication you may be taking. Diflucan has a higher incidence of side effects such as, headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and dizziness. Nizoral has a lower incidence of side effects, but you cannot take it with many other medicines. Always tell you doctor or gynecologist what medicines you are taking. You should not take either of these oral antifungals while pregnant or breast-feeding.
Another class of antifungal drugs are the vaginal agents. These are creams that you can insert directly into the vagina. There are no known drug interactions with any of the antifungal creams. The side effects can be burning or itching at the application site. There have been few studies on the effects of the antifungal creams and pregnancy. It is up to your doctor to weigh the risks against the benefits of the treatment. The good thing about the antifungal creams is that this yeast infection medication is available without a prescription at your local pharmacy.
The choice of oral antifungal or vaginal antifungal agents can depend on a few things. It can depend on the severity of the infection, if the infection is recurrent and your personal history. Sometimes your doctor will prescribe an oral antifungal in combination with a vaginal cream. For people that are immunocompromised, your doctor can prescribe a maintenance dose to prevent yeast infections from recurring. The right yeast infection medication can get you back to normal within a short period of time.
Present within the female body are different types of yeast. Their presence is significant in maintaining our general health and helping in the digestive system. These non intimidating strains may be there in the digestive tract, oral cavity, on the skin and also found in the vagina. These kinds of yeast give no infection danger to the body.
However, an infection that is prevailing and found in over half of sexually active women tested is the female yeast infection. When you sense an itching and burning feeling in your vaginal area and the feeling seems to continue, you may be suffering from an yeast infection. It is anticipated that 50 percent of the women in the planet will experience vaginal yeast infection in their lifetimes. So you are absolutely not by yourself. Nevertheless, various conditions can be more serious than the other.
Yeast infections are caused by the organism recognized as Candida albicans or Candidiasis. Vaginal yeast infections occur because of imbalances in the pH levels of your vagina, and their symptoms are unlikable, to say the least. There are ample of explanations why women can wind up with vaginal yeast infections. Birth control pills, antibiotics, sensitivity to soaps or douches, sexual intercourse, pregnancy and diabetes are some of the most general reasons why women end up with that itching reddishness and discharge they hope would just get away. Although the presence of this infection is present in the most sexually active women, there is no proof to verify that a female yeast infection is transmitted through sexual intercourse.
Symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection may include pain and discomfort when performing normal bodily functions such as urinating, during sexual activity or following sexual intercourse. There may also be an itching and irritation or burning sensation of the vagina. In addition, an infected person may have a vaginal discharge. This discharge can vary from person to person. The consistency of the discharge may be dense or watery and milky-like in color. Also present may be a non-offensive odor.
Some people may leave their yeast infection untreated. This may be okay for some people as they see the infection go off after a few days. But for some people, untreated yeast infection may persevere. This may be a sign of a more severe health matter.
If the yeast infection is left untreated, the symptomatic pains of this infection may continue and this may worsen the severity. It is important to note that sometimes, the infection may progress normally and the body wonderfully clears up the condition on its own. But that does not mean the yeast infection is gone. It is simply a temporary relief. One such example is during the menstrual cycle. During menstruation, blood flow increases the pH level within the vagina. This reduces the activity of the yeast cells because these cells do not grow in high pH environment.
Besides the pain, itchiness and discomfort that arise from yeast infection, the chance of an untreated yeast infection developing into other complication is rare. Nevertheless, it does occur, especially in chronic yeast infections. One such medical condition that may develop as a result of an untreated yeast infection is a blood condition called sepsis. This is a deadly condition of the blood stream that results from the spread of bacteria.
Another medical condition that may arise if the yeast infection is left untreated is vulvovaginal candidiasis. It is an inflammation of the vulva and the vagina Such condition is more common for women who have three or more yeast infections in a year.
The cure for the female yeast infection is rather simple. The treatment of preference is the use of an antifungal agent. Pharmacies sell over-the-counter antifungal medicines that are simple and fast to apply and that will clear up vaginal yeast infection symptoms within three to seven days. These agents can be directly applied to the vagina using suppositories or creams. Also available are anti-fungal tablets that can be consumed orally.
The rate of this treatment for the female yeast infection needs treatment over a period of time. Often, the purpose of the anti-fungal creams is to be applied twice a day for seven days. Usually, symptoms are mitigated within the third to fourth day of application.
No matter what yeast infection treatment you employ, do be flexible and sensible enough to check with a practitioner if symptoms do not start to clear up after a couple of days. You may not have a yeast infection at all, but something more severe that requires medical treatment.