by Michele Blacksberg

Created on: March 03, 2009   Last Updated: March 06, 2009

Preventing a yeast infection can become an obsession if you have been unfortunate enough to have had several in the past. One thing that is important to remember is that yeast can normally "live" in a woman's vagina. It is not that a woman has been invaded by a foreign fungus, but in reality the normal balance of yeast and bacteria has become disrupted and there are too many yeast cells growing.

When the amount of yeast becomes too high, a woman often develops the classic symptoms of a yeast infection: irritation, itchiness, redness, thick white discharge and sometimes an odor like baking bread. Medication can treat the infection but to keep it gone and try to maintain the vagina in better balance, other changes need to be made.

What is yeast?

Yeast are not bacteria. They are part of the fungus family called Candida. The most common yeast infection is Candida albicans, though Candida non-albicans is becoming more common, due to excess use of drugstore yeast preparations. Yeast can live in the vagina, but in extremely small amounts.

Role of lactobacillus in preventing yeast infections:

Lactobacillus are the "good" bacteria that live in the vagina and they maintain the normal environment. Lactobacillus does this by giving off hydrogen peroxide, the same stuff we use as an antiseptic to clean cuts which keep infections at bay. I refer to lactobacillus as the police in a woman's vagina, because they make sure that the yeast and other "bad" bacteria don't get out of line.

Conditions that make yeast overgrow:

The vagina is supposed to have an acid environment. Acid is checked with special paper called ph paper. Normal vaginal acid level is supposed to be 3.2-4.5. When the ph gets out of balance, the vagina is more susceptible to both yeast and bacterial infections. Lactobacillus counts become reduced and are unable to keep the vagina in balance.

Hormones, specifically estrogen levels affect susceptibility to infection. Pregnant women and woman on high estrogen dose birth control pills are more susceptible to yeast infections. Sperm and menstrual blood are alkaline and can change the ph of the vagina. Combine that with the heat and moisture from tight clothes or wet bathing suits, then the lack of good airflow can all contribute to yeast infections.

Medication that treats yeast:

Vaginal yeast is often first treated with an oral anti-fungal called Diflucan. If Diflucan doesn't work or if the yeast overgrowth reoccurs too soon, then vaginal antifungals are often used, such as

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