How Can I Prevent Yeast Infection?

At some point in her life, most every woman has experienced one. What is it? A yeast infection. Any woman who’s had one knows how unpleasant they can be and how challenging they can be to treat. Here are five tips to avoid a yeast infection before it ever starts.

Avoid perfumed soaps and sprays. Perfumes may be okay for the rest of the body, but they irritate the vaginal area. Candida albicans, the fungus that causes most yeast infections, can grow out of control when the good bacteria of the vagina are thrown off balance by perfumes and soaps. Use water only to clean this delicate area.

Avoid antibiotics when possible.  Antibiotics, especially broad spectrum antibiotics, can cause vaginal yeast infections. One infection is cured, but another that is just as painful crops up. What to do? Eat yogurt. The live bacterial cultures will help keep the yeast in check and reinoculate your bowel with the healthy bacteria. As soon as your doctor prescribes an antibiotic for you, load up on the yogurt, preferably organic. One container a day should be enough. Buy unsweetened since yeast loves sugar.

Shed wet clothing quickly. Fungus and other kinds of bacteria love moist, wet places. They are ideal spots for growth. After a day in the pool or a hard workout at the gym, change out of those damp clothes as soon as possible. You may not feel wet in the vaginal area after a workout, but if you are sweating heavily everywhere else, you are damp there, too.

Tighter is not better.  Tight fitting underwear and pants increase the heat in the vaginal area. There is no way for air to circulate and keep the genitals cool and dry. Loosen up, literally. Choosing cotton underwear over nylon will absorb the wetness and keep it away from the body. Pants don’t have to be baggy, but they should have room to breathe.

Put away douches. Many women feel the need to cleanse their vaginal area after their menstrual period. There are several kinds of douches and sprays on the market for that purpose. There is no need to use anything but plain soap and water to clean the vaginal area after menstruation, and water is beset. Using a cleansing product internally upsets the acidic environment of the vagina, wiping out the natural bacteria.

Vaginal yeast infections are not life threatening, but they can interrupt your daily life. Following a few simple tips will help prevent this pesky problem. If you find that yeast infections are a recurring problem, check out:

Candidate for Candida and Yeast Infections