Why yeast infection

The symptoms of a yeast infection may look like other skin conditions. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Your healthcare provider will consider your age, overall health, how widespread the infection is and other factors to determine your treatment.

Health Home Conditions and Diseases. Yeast is a fungus normally found on your skin. When too much yeast grows on your skin or other areas, it can cause an infection. This infection is also called candidiasis. What causes a yeast infection? An overgrowth of candida or penetration of the fungus into deeper vaginal cell layers causes the signs and symptoms of a yeast infection. Candida albicans is the most common type of fungus to cause yeast infections. Yeast infections caused by other types of candida fungus can be more difficult to treat, and generally need more-aggressive therapies.

To reduce your risk of vaginal yeast infections, wear underwear that has a cotton crotch and doesn't fit too tightly. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview A vaginal yeast infection is a fungal infection that causes irritation, discharge and intense itchiness of the vagina and the vulva — the tissues at the vaginal opening.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references AskMayoExpert. Rochester, Minn. Ferri FF. Vaginitis, fungal. Though it may be tempting to self-diagnose a vaginal yeast infection, since effective over-the-counter OTC treatments exist, experts recommend you see a doctor.

Several other conditions — notably bacterial vaginosis vaginal infection caused by bacteria , trichomoniasis a sexually transmitted infection , and dermatitis irritated skin — can cause symptoms similar to yeast infections, making self-diagnosis difficult. To diagnose a yeast infection, your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and medical history, perform a pelvic exam, and take a sample of vaginal discharge.

A lab technician will examine the discharge to determine if there is an overgrowth of candida. Your doctor will make a diagnosis based on all the findings — a positive fungal culture alone does not mean you have a yeast infection, because women can have candida in their vagina without showing symptoms.

Most yeast infections clear up within a few days, depending on the severity of the infection and the medication used. But up to 8 percent of women develop recurrent or chronic yeast infections at least four infections per year. These infections are typically due to non- albicans species, and may require different treatment. Vaginal yeast infections are treated with over-the-counter or prescription antifungal creams, ointments, tablets, suppositories, or oral medications.

You will need to take the medication for 1 to 7 days, depending on which medication you are using. If you have recurrent yeast infections, you may require multiple doses of fluconazole in the first week of infection, followed by at least six months of maintenance therapy periodic fluconazole doses depending on the presence of symptoms. Can home remedies and natural cures help treat and prevent vaginal yeast infections?

Many women wonder what else they can do to deal with yeast problems. Despite the documented effectiveness of over-the-counter products and prescription medication for vaginal yeast infections, some women prefer to treat their ailments with natural or home remedies. Home remedies for vaginal yeast infections include:.

While they are very popular, the effectiveness of home remedies for treating and preventing yeast infections is not very well known or understood.

Some remedies, at least, appear to be helpful for vaginal yeast infections, though more research is needed. For example, using probiotics as an adjuvant therapy could help cure yeast infections, but the quality of evidence is low or very low, according to a review published in November in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews And boric acid, at least, is recommended for the treatment of non- albicans species. Yeast infections are not considered sexually transmitted infections STIs , as most are not transmitted person to person and they can occur in people who have never had sex.

But having sex with a vaginal yeast infection can be, well, complicated. While the infections are not dangerous, they are uncomfortable and annoying enough that women may want to help prevent them. Risk-reducing steps include: Left untreated, vaginal yeast infections may cause a number of different complications, including:. About 70 to 75 percent of women will get a vaginal yeast infection at least once in their lives.

And 50 percent of these women will experience more than one infection. What's more, 5 to 8 percent of women experience recurrent or chronic yeast infections, and come down with four or more yeast infections in a single year.

Vaginal yeast infection is the second most common type of vaginal infection, after bacterial vaginal infection, in the United States. It results in 1. Candida yeast colonizes the vagina of at least 20 percent of all women — and 30 percent of all pregnant women. Research suggests that vulvovaginal candidiasis is especially common among pregnant women; because of this, the infection is sometimes considered a complication of pregnancy.

Both the increased candida colonization and yeast infection rates during pregnancy appear to be caused by several pregnancy-related factors, including increased estrogen levels , reduced immunity, and increased concentrations of sugar a food source for yeast in vaginal secretions. The symptoms and severity of yeast infections are no different during pregnancy, but treatment varies slightly.

Applying a topical azole for seven days is the recommended treatment for yeast infections during pregnancy; oral azoles have not been proved safe for pregnant women. In fact, research published in January in the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA suggests oral azoles increase a pregnant woman's risk of spontaneous abortion. Vaginal yeast infections are also considered a complication of type 2 diabetes, as the metabolic disease makes you more susceptible to the infection.

Diabetes mellitus also makes you more prone to infections by the azole-resistant species of yeast C. If your diabetes is uncontrolled, you'll have high levels of sugar in your blood, which also affects the levels of sugar in other areas of your body. Specifically, the mucous membrane in the vagina and vulva becomes saturated with sugar, allowing Candida to rapidly reproduce. A diet high in refined sugars may contribute to a diabetic woman's risk of yeast infection.

Though the term "yeast infection" is most often used to refer to a vaginal infection, it also applies to other types of candidiasis. A yeast infection of the mouth and throat is called thrush , or oropharyngeal candidiasis. When a yeast infection affects the esophagus tube connecting the throat and stomach , it's called esophageal candidiasis, or Candida esophagitis. A yeast infection of the skin — which typically occurs in warm, moist areas, such as the armpits and groin — is called cutaneous candidiasis.

And if candida gets into the bloodstream, such as from using a contaminated intravenous catheter or as a complication of thrush, the yeast can cause a deadly infection called invasive candidiasis. Here, it enters your bloodstream and travels to other parts of your body, including your lungs, liver, and heart valves. It can cause infection or inflammation in various body parts, such as meningitis infection of the membranes of the brain , esophagitis esophagus , endophthalmitis eyes , endocarditis heart , urinary tract infections UTIs , and arthritis joints.

Candida can cause an infection of the bloodstream itself, called candidemia. Invasive candidiasis most frequently affects people who are critically ill and in intensive care units, such as from yeast that travels to the bloodstream from the gut, or leakage after abdominal surgery. Doctors typically treat the infection with antifungal medication, but up to 40 percent of people with invasive candidiasis die regardless of treatment.

Additionally, men can get yeast infections in their genitals candidal balanitis , mouths, and other areas. For more go-tos on preventing, diagnosing, and, of course, treating yeast infections, here are some additional sources of information that can help. Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic is a well-respected, integrated clinical practice, education, and research institution that prides itself on offering the most up-to-date medical information to the public.