Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Urinary Tract Yeast Infection Treatment

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Is It Possible To Prevent Utis And Yeast Infections

URINARY TRACT INFECTION I Symptoms, Treatments, Tips

Careful attention to hygiene may help prevent some UTIs. This includes always cleaning the genital area from front to back. This practice can also help prevent yeast infections, as well as changing out of wet bathing suits or damp clothes as soon as possible. Loose-fitting cotton underwear can help reduce moisture in the genital area and may help prevent yeast infections. Avoiding products with potential irritants like douches or scented tampons can also help prevent yeast infections. However, it is not possible to completely prevent either condition from developing.

Whats Different About Utis And Yeast Infections

Yeast infections occur due to an overgrowth of the Candida fungus, while UTIs result from bacterial infections in the urinary tract. Yeast infections cause itching, pain and odorless vaginal discharge. UTIs, on the other hand, cause urinary symptoms, such as a frequent urge to urinate and painful urination.

Both infection types are quite common, but yeast infections are more common, according to the CDC. Weve listed the symptoms of the more more common infection of the two, the yeast infection, below.

If This Is Your First Yeast Or Vaginal Infection

The key to yeast or vaginal infection treatment is proper diagnosis. See your doctor first if you think you have a vaginal infection. He or she may prescribe an antifungal medicine, either an antibiotic pill or a cream or suppository that you put into your vagina and allow to dissolve on its own. These yeast and vaginal infection treatments may be single-dose or something you use or take for 7-days.

In the meantime, to relieve vaginal infection symptoms try AZO Yeast® Plus tablets the leading homeopathic medicine to provide yeast and vaginal infection symptom relief in one convenient pill.

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Preventing Yeast Infections And Utis

While there’s no guaranteed way to prevent a yeast infection or UTI from ever happening, there are some things you can do to ward off both types of infections.

Avoiding irritating feminine products, like douches, sprays, and scented tampons, can help prevent both UTIs and yeast infections, says the Office of Women’s Health. You should also skip long baths and hot tubs. And if you think the type of birth control you’re using is increasing your risk of yeast infections or UTIs, consider switching to another method.

There are also more specific things you can do to fend off yeast infections vs. UTIs, depending on which one you’re most prone to. You can further reduce your risk of a yeast infection by:

  • wearing cotton underwear

How To Feel Better

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If your healthcare professional prescribes you antibiotics:

  • Take antibiotics exactly as your healthcare professional tells you.
  • Do not share your antibiotics with others.
  • Do not save antibiotics for later. Talk to your healthcare professional about safely discarding leftover antibiotics.

Drink plenty of water or other fluids. Your healthcare professional might also recommend medicine to help lessen the pain or discomfort. Talk with your healthcare professional if you have any questions about your antibiotics.

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What Is A Yeast Infection

Yeast infections most often affect the vagina in women, although they can also affect the mouth, gut, penis, anus, and other parts of the body. Vaginal yeast infections are also known as candidiasis or vaginal thrush.

Pregnancy, antibiotic use, or a weakened immune system increase a womans risk of developing a yeast infection. Yeast infections are also more common in women:

  • With uncontrolled diabetes
  • Using high-dose estrogen birth control
  • Using douches or vaginal sprays
  • Wearing tight underwear and synthetic clothes that dont breathe.

Vaginal yeast infections are caused by an overgrowth of yeast within the vagina, and are very common, affecting around 75% of women at least once in their lifetime. A healthy vagina contains bacteria and some yeast cells, but a disruption in the balance of yeast and bacteria causes an overgrowth of yeast cells and symptoms of vaginal thrush. Symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection range from mild to moderate and include:

  • Intense itching or irritation around the genital area
  • A burning sensation, especially during intercourse or while urinating
  • A thick, white, odor-free, discharge .

Although vaginal yeast infections are not considered a sexually transmitted infection, sexual intercourse can trigger or spread them. Women who arent sexually active can also get them. Some women are prone to yeast infections and get them relatively regularly.

How To Prevent The Occurrence Of Yeast Infection

Except in the cases of pregnancy and hormone therapy, it is possible to control the occurrence of yeast infections. By taking any of the following precautions, you can drastically reduce your chances of infection:

  • Always wear neat, clean cotton panties that allow air to pass through
  • Avoid tight-fitting clothes like pantyhose, especially during humid weather
  • Avoid douching, as it can remove the good bacteria from the vagina
  • Avoid using scented pads and tampons.
  • Avoid unnecessary use of antibiotic

Though they are often lumped together, UTI and vaginal infection are not the same thing. Both infections affect different systems of the body, and should be treated in a different manner. That said, eating a balanced diet and drinking plenty of water keeps you fit and helps you to fight the infections.

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What Are The Treatment Options For Candida Cystitis

Candida cystitis in noncatheterized patients should be treated with fluconazole at 200 mg/d orally for at least 10-14 days.

For Candida cystitis in catheterized patients, the first step is always to remove the nidus of infection. Thus, the Foley catheter should be removed or replaced prior to initiating antifungal therapy. If the candiduria persists after the catheter change, then patients can be treated with 200 mg/d of fluconazole orally for 14 days. Alternative therapy includes amphotericin B bladder irrigation. However, its use for the treatment of funguria is significantly limited, primarily because of the required maintenance of a urinary catheter lack of adequate studies to define the dose, duration, and method of administration restriction of its use to uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections and the availability of more convenient treatment options . The use of amphotericin B bladder irrigation is rarely needed. Administering intravenous amphotericin B to treat candiduria is rarely necessary.

Can Vaginal Yeast Infections Be Prevented

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For most girls, there’s no way to prevent yeast infections. You may feel more comfortable and have less irritation if you wear breathable cotton underwear and clothes and avoid vaginal sprays and douches. Wearing cotton underwear may also help prevent yeast infections.

If you have diabetes, keeping blood sugar levels stable also can help you avoid yeast infections.

If you think you have an infection, call your doctor for advice. Don’t take leftover antibiotics or someone else’s antibiotics or medicine. They might be the wrong choice for your condition, and taking antibiotics when they’re not needed can make yeast infections more likely.

Yeast infections can be annoying, especially if they happen often. To help avoid them, follow your doctor’s advice, wear cotton underwear, and try to wear loose-fitting clothes. Your body will thank you.

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What Causes A Yeast Infection

Yeast infections can develop for a variety of reasons. You may get one around your period or during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. Certain birth control pills may also increase your risk of getting a yeast infection.

Yeast is a fungus that can live almost anywhere. Its found naturally in your body, but your immune system keeps it from growing out of control. When too much yeast multiplies in the vagina, it causes an infection.

Anything that changes the normal balance of bacteria and yeast in your vagina has the potential to cause a yeast infection.

For example, antibiotics taken to treat a harmful a bacterial infection may also kill the Lactobacillus bacteria, the good bacteria in your vagina that keep yeast in check.

Conditions that affect your immune system, such as sexually transmitted infections, can also contribute to yeast infections. If you have diabetes and arent managing your blood sugar, you may also be at higher risk. This is because higher sugar levels promote yeast growth.

Heres how to manage a yeast infection and how to prevent future ones as well.

If youre looking to get rid of your current yeast infection, your first course of action will likely be an over-the-counter medication.

Yeast Infection Std Or Something Else

If you suspect that you have a vaginal yeast infection, youre most likely in a hurry to get rid of it. Yeast infections are uncomfortable, and are usually accompanied by itching, burning, and thick discharge.

Before you run to the pharmacy, though, its important to determine if what youre experiencing is indeed a yeast infection or something else. Other causes of vaginal pain and discomfort include bacterial infections, sexually transmitted diseases , skin irritation, and more. While the symptoms are similar, the causes and treatments are very different.

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How Long Does Each Infection Last

The severity of the infection and the treatment method determine how long both a yeast infection and a UTI lasts. A UTI generally goes away 1-2 days after starting antibiotics. A complicated UTI, on the other hand, can take several days to weeks to fully treat. Similarly, a mild yeast infection can go away after a few days.

Who Can Get It

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UTI and yeast infection are more common in females because of their anatomy, short Urethra.

  • UTI’s are common in sexually active women.
  • Urinary catheterization increases the risk for urinary tract infections.
  • A predisposition for bladder infections may run in families.
  • Anatomic, functional, or metabolic abnormalities
  • Diabetes
  • Voiding dysfunction, not being able to completely empty urine from the bladder.

Yeast Infection is common in:

  • In immunocompetent persons, those who have a weakened or undeveloped immune system
  • Non-trauma emergency surgery patients.
  • Pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptives have been reported as risk factors.
  • Diabetes mellitus and the use of anti-bacterial antibiotics are also linked to an increased incidence of yeast infections.
  • Diet high in simple carbohydrates has been found to affect rates of oral candidiases.
  • Hormone replacement therapy and infertility treatments may also be predisposing factors.
  • Wearing wet swimwear for long periods of time is also believed to be a risk factor.

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Why Do Vaginal Yeast Infections Happen

The loss of chemical balance in your vagina can cause candida to multiply. This can happen for a lot of reasons, including:

  • When you take an antibiotic medication thats treating an infection of any typea urinary tract infection is one example. While treating this infection, good bacteria in the vagina is killed. This good bacteria was responsible for keeping the yeast in check. Without it, the balance is thrown off, leading to a yeast infection.
  • During pregnancy and while using hormonal contraceptives . Your hormones can be all over the charts during pregnancy. This change in your hormones can disrupt the balance of candida in the vagina.
  • If you have diabetes. When you have diabetes, there is too much sugar in your urine and the vagina is impacted by this surplus of sugar.
  • Having a weakened immune system. If you have a disease, like HIV or AIDS, your medications can suppress your immune system.

Asymptomatic Candiduria Previously Healthy Patient

The presence of candiduria should be verified with a second, clean-voided urine culture. Many times it is found that the first culture was contaminated, especially in samples from female patients. Once the presence of candiduria is confirmed, a careful history and physical examination and screening laboratory studies to look for symptoms or signs of predisposing factors are essential because occult diabetes mellitus, genitourinary structural abnormalities, diminished renal function, and metabolic abnormalities may be discovered . If no explanation for candiduria is found, a follow-up examination of the urine is generally all that is necessary because candiduria can be expected to resolve within weeks to months without therapeutic intervention in the vast majority of individuals .

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Candiduria In Clinically Unstable Patients

For critically ill patients, candiduria, whether symptomatic or not, should initially be regarded as a harbinger of disseminated candidiasis , since the kidney is the target of candidemia in 80% of patients . Indeed, the finding of yeast in the urine may be the only clue that the patient has a life-threatening infection. It follows that an astute physician will immediately consider disseminated candidiasis in such a patient and examine the optic fundi, the skin, and vascular access devices and obtain fungal blood cultures. Fortunately, most patients are not fungemic even when desperately ill, and their urinary tract is simply colonized by Candida, especially if an indwelling bladder catheter is present.

If the candiduric patients clinical condition is too unstable to permit an incremental approach to determine its cause or if clinical evidence for disseminated candidiasis is sufficiently compelling, systemic antifungal chemotherapy should be given immediately with fluconazole in a loading dose of 800 mg followed by 400 mg daily or with appropriate adjustment for renal insufficiency. An echinocandin is preferred if the patient has had recent azole exposure . The reader is reminded that an echinocandin has proven efficacy in disseminated candidiasis but cannot be expected to completely eradicate resultant lower urinary tract foci of infection. In the unusual circumstance in which the collecting system is the source of candidemia , relapse could occur.

How Is A Vaginal Yeast Infection Diagnosed

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A vaginal yeast infection is diagnosed by your healthcare provider. You will need to go in for an appointment and discuss your symptoms. Your healthcare provider may need to take a sample of discharge from your vagina to confirm the yeast infection. The combination of your symptoms and the sample of discharge will tell your healthcare provider what type of yeast infection you have and help determine the best way to treat the infection.

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How Long Does It Take To Recover

Both UTIs and yeast infections should clear up after taking medications within days or a few weeks. You must make sure to take prescribed or over-the-counter medication as directed for the entire recommended length of time to prevent the infection from returning.

You may be able to prevent both UTIs and yeast infections by practicing good hygiene and making changes to your wardrobe. Here are some prevention tips:

  • Wipe from front to back after a bowel movement.
  • Avoid tight-fitting clothing around your genital area, such as pantyhose and restrictive pants.
  • Change out of wet swimsuits quickly.
  • Do not douche or use vaginal spray or deodorizers near your genitals.
  • Avoid scented feminine hygiene products.

Further prevention of UTIs include:

  • using the bathroom frequently
  • regularly drinking lots of fluid
  • urinating before and after sex

Its also possible that drinking cranberry juice can prevent UTIs. The research results are mixed. Make sure to choose a sugar-free version. If the juice is too tart, you can water it down to make the juice more palatable.

You may also be able to reduce your chances of contracting a yeast infection if you:

  • avoid hot baths and hot tubs
  • change your feminine products often
  • control your blood sugar if you have diabetes

What To Do When You Suspect You May Have To Begin Treatment For A Vaginal Yeast Infection

Youd recognize that telltale itchy, burning, and the infamous cottage cheese discharge anywhere. Yup, feels like its a yeast infection.

Making an appointment with your doctor should be the first item on your list for treating a yeast infection, especially if youre a first timer. Only a professional can diagnose the cause and prescribe the right vaginal infection treatment for you.

Even if youre convinced its a yeast infection, treating yourself for a yeast infection when you actually have another type of vaginal infection may make the problem much worse. But with accurate diagnosis, treatment cures most vaginal infections within two weeks or less, often within a few days.

For symptoms such as vaginal itching, burning, odor and discharge caused by a yeast or vaginal infection, trust AZO Yeast® Plus.

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Yeast Infection Treatmentreach For Monistat

Talk with your doctor about any drugs you are now takingyou are more likely to get a vaginal yeast infection if you are taking certain drugs such as antibiotics, steroids or birth control pills. Do not stop taking these drugs without first asking your doctor. A doctor may need to see you to make sure that you do not have other medical conditions such as diabetes or a weakened immune system.

Diagnosing Utis Vs Yeast Infections

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To diagnose either of these infections, your doctor will start by asking about your symptoms and any previous infections. They may also ask if you have any concerns about sexually transmitted infections .

If you have had a UTI or a yeast infection before, let your doctor know if the symptoms you have right now are similar or different.

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What Are The Symptoms Of A Vaginal Yeast Infection

There are several tell-tale signs of a vaginal yeast infection. These symptoms can include:

  • An itchy sensation in the vagina and vulva.
  • A thick, white vaginal discharge with the consistency of cottage cheese.
  • Redness and swelling of the vagina and vulva.
  • Small cuts or tiny cracks in the skin of the vulva because of friable skin in the area.
  • A burning feeling when you urinate.

In some cases, another symptom of a vaginal yeast infection can be pain during sex.

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