Tag: Oral Yeast Infections

The Yeast Infection: Its Causes and Symptoms

What Causes a Yeast Infection to Occur?

An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure, especially when it comes to yeast infections. Once you learn the yeast infections causes and symptoms, you will be armed in the fight against it. While you may not be able to avoid all yeast infections in the future, you will know how to protect yourself from most of them.

Yeast infections are caused by levels of yeast that have gotten out of control. This can happen due to a number of factors. Fingers and toes that develop yeast infection in their webs were infected due to excessive sweating. Invest in some loose, cotton socks; they help your feet get more air and dry the sweat that invariably occurs when feet are confined in shoes.

Vaginal yeast infections can come about when a woman is having her period or is pregnant. This is due to hormonal changes that occur in her body at these times. Birth control pills and steroids also contribute to vaginal yeast infections. A stressed-out emotional state or a compromised immune system can also allow a yeast infection to spring up. Yeast infections have been known to occur due to vaginal injuries.

All types of yeast infections can be caused by taking antibiotics. In the normally functioning human body, the yeast fungus is kept to reasonable levels because our good bacteria kills some of it. However, if we take antibiotics to kill off bad bacteria, we often get rid of the good stuff along with it. This leaves the yeast with no natural predator; so much yeast is allowed to grow that an infection takes place. This is a good reason to take antibiotics only when absolutely necessary.

How Can I Recognize a Yeast Infection?

The answer depends on which part of the body is being attacked. Oral yeast infections, also known as thrush, are fairly common in babies. Thrush will appear as a red patch of skin in the mouth; often, this rash will be coated with what appear to be milk curds. However, this is not milk; do not try to clean it off, or bleeding will result. A rash on the skin from a yeast infection will usually have a scalloped shape and may have several patchy, red areas on the surrounding skin.

A vaginal yeast infection will have symptoms including redness, irritation of the tissues, and swelling. There may be a white discharge that is noticeably thicker than the discharge that occurs with ovulation. In some cases, it may be clumpy to the point that it resembles cottage cheese. There may be discoloration. Urination is likely to cause burning pain, and intercourse may also be uncomfortable. The vaginal area will probably be very dry and itchy.

I Have a Yeast Infection; Now What?

Not so fast you still need to see a doctor to make sure that you do, indeed, have a yeast infection and not some other kind of infection. Your doctor will be able to prescribe a medication to help your body fight off the yeast infection.

Symptoms of a Yeast Infection

What To Expect From a Yeast Infection

It is vital to know the symptoms of a yeast infection; most people will develop this condition at least once in their life. No matter where the yeast infection is located, the area will be red and inflamed. Pus may be present, especially if the infection is found in the mouth. The rash on the skin may have similarly affected patches of skin close by; these are called satellite lesions. The yeast infection rash often appears to have a lacy border.

Ear infections that are caused by improperly high amounts of yeast will lead to sharp pains in the affected ears, swelling of the ears, and possibly a whitish discharge that resembles cotton. If the webbed skin between your toes and fingers is dry, red, and itchy, it may be a symptom of a yeast infection caused by excessive sweating. Oral yeast infections often cause wide-ranging symptoms, from a flat, red rash topped with a milky white coating to pain when eating or drinking. Do not attempt to clean off the white areas; even when this is done gently, it is likely to cause bleeding.

Vaginal yeast infections may cause a burning sensation during urination. Often, it causes intercourse to be either uncomfortable or actually painful. Often, the typical redness and swelling will extend to the entire area surrounding the vagina. A thick discharge from the vagina is another telling symptom of this type of yeast infection. It will probably not have a bad odor, but it may be a different color than that of the womans normal discharge. The vaginal area will be itchy and irritated, and will be dry. In some cases, the yeast infection may make a woman feel the urge to urinate more often than she would in a normal situation.

When You Should See a Doctor

You should make time to visit a doctor as soon as you can after identifying the condition as a yeast infection. This is to confirm that you have only a yeast infection and not a more serious medical issue. Some STDs are known to have symptoms that mimic those of a yeast infection. Without treatment, these copycat diseases have been known to cause severe and lifelong health problems, including infertility.

Your doctor will be able to help you decide what medication should work best for your yeast infection. If you were to treat yourself for a yeast infection when you actually had some other type of malady, you could easily cause problems for yourself down the road. Yeast infections can become resistant to certain drugs if the drugs are used when they are not needed.

For children, you should visit the doctor at your first opportunity. Again, this is partly due to a need for guidance on which medication to use. If a child has been avoiding drinking due to the pain of an oral infection, he or she may be dehydrated and need further treatment.

In Summary

Knowledge of yeast infection symptoms is key to successful treatment; familiarize yourself with these indicators so you can keep yourself and your loved ones healthy.