Ever seen the movie ‘White Chicks”? Every time I hear yeast infection, I am reminded of that movie and a line in the film between two FBI agents who asks the other who he who he would rather have sex with - Pamela Anderson or Carmen Electra if both of them have a yeast infection. Yeast infections are mostly present in women rather than in men though men are also found to be infected with it. You may think that yeast infections are dangerous but the fact is it is not dangerous but still needs to be treated as it can cause various other infections such as Urinary tract infections.

Yes, girls. Like it or not, we women are all prone to yeast infections at some point in our lives. Vaginal yeast infection is the most common form of vaginitis which is the inflammation of the vagina. Vaginitis is common among women and is reported by at least 75% of women and is caused by a number of infections such as from bacteria and protozoa as well as yeast. Vaginal yeast infections are also known as Candida yeast infections since Candida is the scientific term for yeast.

Vaginal yeast infections are caused when there is new yeast introduced to the vaginal area or if there is a significant amount of yeast already present in the area compared to the quantity of normal bacteria. Yeast can multiply, invade tissues and irritate vaginal linings if the protective bacteria are less or not present or even eradicated by antibiotics. In our body, there is both bad bacteria and good bacteria. Of course you know what the good bacteria does- it helps balance out the ph level in women’s vaginal area and keeps it healthy, naturally. Apart from these reasons, yeast infections also occur if there is injury in the inner vagina such as after chemotherapy is done or if the woman’s immune system is suppressed as a result of taking medication such as prednisone. Oral contraceptives, douches, diabetes and even pregnancy can cause yeast infections to develop.

Though that, Candida yeast infections are not caused by sexually transmitted diseases as Candida is present in the normal vagina and this condition does occur in celibate women. Men to can develop symptoms of skin irritation of the penis if he has sexual intercourse with an infected partner. There are a number of symptoms associated with vaginal yeast infection and the most common would be itching around the vaginal area. Apart from that, women suffering from this infection also experience burning sensations; soreness which can be extremely painful, pain during intercourse or during urination as well as vaginal discharge with a texture like cottage cheese and it does have a certain odor.

Because yeast infection is a common problem, finding a yeast infection treatment is easy. If you think you have symptoms of yeast infection, you can get a diagnosis from your doctor. You doctor or gynecologist will take a specimen scraped from the affected are to conduct a microscopic analysis. This is the fastest and accurate way to establish the diagnosis and you can know the results instantly. Once your doctor has diagnosed the infection, you will be given antifungal medications to treat the infection.

This yeast infection medication involves either only a topically applied cream or a combination of cream, vaginal wash as well as antibiotics to be taken to stop itching. Antifungal creams normally include Terconazole, butoconazole, clotrimazole and miconazole. There is also antifungal tablets that include clotrimazole (Lotrimin, Mycelex), miconazole (Monistat; Micatin), terconazole (Terazol), and nystatin (Mycostatin).

Alternatively, over the counter tropical yeast infection treatments are also available. Though that, if the infection still persists even after application of the over the counter products, then patients should consult the doctor for further consultation. Vaginal infections are commonly treated with tablets or creams rather than oral treatments as these treatments can cause side effects such as nausea, abdominal pain as well as headaches. That’s why doctors prefer using vaginal treatment that has no side effects.

So when you do feel itching down south or even foul smelling discharge, get your doctor to look into it, especially if it is the first time you are getting this infection. Sometimes, even vaginal infections do not respond to vaginal infection medications and this can be a sign to a more serious problem which can result in more essential action taken by doctors as the problem may be due to other factors in the body.