Have You Ever Wondered What Is An Yeast Infection?
What is an yeast infection?
What if I told you that at least 75% of all women are likely to have at least one episode of an yeast infection in their lives. In fact up to 45% will have two or more episodes during the course of their lives.
Vaginal yeast infections usually affect adult women but may also affect older girls. There are even some types of yeast infections that occur in infants. And men are not totally immune since some men have been known to catch an yeast infection during sexual intercourse.
What are some of the causes of yeast infections?
The main cause of an yeast infection is an imbalance of the Candida Albicans fungus. However, why this imbalance occurs is not really known. There are certain known things that can increase the likelihood of having an yeast infection.
Sometimes antibiotics or other medications may be the cause.
Women under stress are more prone to having an yeast infection especially if they are not eating right and not getting enough sleep.
The hormonal changes associated with pregnancy or menopause are also know to increase the risk of an outbreak.
Sexual intercourse can lead to an infection.
The clothes you wear can affect your chances of getting an yeast infection especially if you wear tight clothes.
Using a deoderant on your genitals may help you to smell nice, but may not be so good for you since the spray can increase your chances of getting an yeast infection as well.
Women with HIV or Diabetes are also more like to have yeast infections.
Certain foods are also known to cause an infection.
What are some of the symptoms of yeast infections?
If you have had an yeast infection before you will probably know when you have one again.
If you have never experienced one then lookout for:
Soreness around the vagina and itching around the area.
There might be a thick, white, cream-like discharge from the vagina.
There may be some burning when you urine or during sex.
Beyond that yeast infections hardly ever result in more serious complications. Although, symptoms may continue if you leave it untreated. In rare cases, left untreated, it can result in a severe blood infection known as sepsis.
How do you confirm that you have an yeast infection?
In most cases you will have one or more of the symptoms described above. However, for your peace of mind, seek advice from you health care provider. They will discuss your symptoms with you and probably perform a pelvic examination to look for inflammation and a white discharge.
Prevention or Treatment of Yeast Infections?
The majority of yeast infections go away within two weeks with proper care and treatment. Only a small number people will have another episode. However, yeast infections are better prevented than cured. For this reason it is important to know its causes and symptoms. Learning through reading and research can be a big help when it comes to preventing the disease from occurring.
So now you should have a basic understanding of what is an yeast infection.
