And What To Do About It
Getting ayeast infectionbefore yourperiodis common.
How Common Are Yeast Infections Before a Period?
As your body goes through the menstrual cycle, your hormones naturally go up and down.
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Estrogenis typically highest during ovulation and then drops slowly before your period begins.
Progesterone typically peaks as you get closer to your period.
Both progesterone and estrogen are the lowest during your period.
Estrogen, in particular, has been shown to affect the overgrowth of the strainCandida albicans.
You should talk to your healthcare provider before trying any diet to manage candida.
The beginning of a yeast infection often feels like intense itchiness inside and around the vagina.
These medications can also cause itching, burning, and inflammation of the vagina and vulva.
Do I Have a Yeast Infection or STI?
Diagnosis
Yeast infections are common and usually easy for healthcare providers to diagnose.
Your provider can take a swab from your vagina to test it for yeast.
They might also want to do other tests to rule out another cause, like an STI.
This could include different swab tests, urine tests, or blood tests.
What If Its Not a Yeast Infection?
What looks like a yeast infection at first could also be a condition called bacterial vaginosis (BV).
Since BV is due to bacteria and not fungi, it needs to be treated differently.
To determine if there are any visible signs of infection, your healthcare provider will likely perform apelvic exam.
This allows them to examine the cervix as well as the vaginal walls.
Treatment
Getting your period wont flush out a yeast infection.
Antifungal medications treat yeast infections.
You may need a prescription, but many can be purchased over the counter at a pharmacy.
Your provider will let you know which treatment to try first.
For mild yeast infections, try miconazole, clotrimazole, or terconazole.
These are OTC products available in cream, ointment, tablet, or suppository.
These products are short-course therapy that you use for one to seven days.
you’re free to use a product like Monistat if youre on your period.
However, this treatment is not recommended for people who are pregnant.
What to Do If Yeast Infections Keep Coming Back?
You will also need to find a treatment that will clear up the fungus effectively.
Other treatments for a recurring yeast infection can include flucytosine, boric acid, andnystatin.
Yeast infections can become resistant to the antifungal medications typically used to treat them.
If this happens to you, you might need to do azole-resistant therapy.
Many symptoms of a yeast infection overlap with symptoms of other conditions.
Its also important to call your provider if youre pregnant and have symptoms of a yeast infection.
That said, most yeast infections are easily treated.
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