Having pregnancy yeast infections are no fun at anytime

Got the pregnancy yeast infections dreaded by all expecting moms?

These pregnancy yeast infections are no fun, but you can get rid of them with the proper remedy. Yeah, it's bad enough that we women in general are more prone to yeast infections. And the news doesn't get any better when we're pregnant ... you guessed it -- pregnancy yeast infections are pretty common because of the changes occurring in our bodies.

You're most likely at this page because you are or think you're suffering from a yeast infection in pregnancy, am I right? And you're probably wondering why or how you can get a yeast infection in pregnancy.

First of all, rest assured, that if you do have a pregnancy yeast infections, you're perfectly normal. And this infection is not life threatening to you or to your baby, nor will it have any major negative effect on your pregnancy. The thing is, yeast (or candida) is a perfectly common fungal organism found in the human body. They're in our digestive tract, on our skin, in our mouths, even in our vaginas. When the environment in the woman's vagina is somehow changed in the favor of the yeast organism, it flourishes and overgrows, overwhelming the other organisms that normally keep the candida in check. The resulting effect is a vaginal yeast infection.

Such is the case with pregnancy yeast infections. When you are pregnant, the estrogen level in your body increases. This increase in estrogen causes the vagina to produce more glycogen (a form of glucose/sugar). How does this make the vagina more hospitable towards the growth of yeast? Well, yeast feeds on glucose ... so, well, you get the point. Some researches also speculate that estrogen may have a more direct effect on candida by both causing it to grow faster and allowing it to better adhere to the vaginal walls. So there you go -- pregnancy yeast infections are, unfortunately, a "by product" of being an expectant mom, particularly during the second trimester.

Here're some symptoms of pregnancy yeast infections --

Abnormal vaginal discharge

Vaginal and labial itching, burning

Redness and/or inflammation of the vulvar skin

Pain with intercourse

Painful urination

If you suspect you have a pregnancy yeast infections, be sure to first see your doctor instead of self-treating with over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal medications. Also, pregnancy can also increases your chances of getting gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is when there is a high level of glucose in the blood. Normally, the glucose from the foods we eat is allowed to move into the body's cells (to be used as energy) through the help of the insulin our pancrease produces. However, in women with gestational diabetes, the hormones produced as a result of the pregnancy blocks the effects of the insulin. So when the glucose can't be transported into the body's cells, it builds up in the blood. Gestational diabetes occurs in about 4% of all pregnancies with recurring yeast infections as a symptom. High blood sugar levels can inhibit or damage the growth of the fetus and potentially cause health complications for both mother and child.

Your doctor will do a physical examination and may also obtain a sample of your vaginal discharge for miscroscopic examination for the candida organism. Click here if you want more information on this candida test. If the diagnosis is positive for pregnancy yeast infections, your doctor will most likely prescribe you an OTC antifungal medication. The typical antifungal OTC creams doctors prescribe either contain the active ingredient miconazole (such as Monistat) or clotrimazole (such as Lotrimin - the product you'll see will say Lotrimin AF as in for athelete's foot. But it's perfectly safe for pregnancy yeast infections. Schering-Plough, the company that makes Lotrimin for yeast infections just repackages the same stuff and call it Lotrimin AF). In general, doctors will prescribe a 7 day treatment instead of the 3 day treatments because the shorter treatments are typically less effective during pregnancy.

Typically with OTCs, you'll see a reduction in symptoms within 2-3 days, depending on the severity of your pregnancy yeast infections. If your pregnancy yeast infections is really severe, the antifungal cream will sting like there's no tomorrow when you first apply the cream, particularly around your vulva area. In the meantime if you need immediate relief from the symptoms of burning and itching, you can try using an ice pack or make a slippery elm paste --

Slippery elm paste
This is not a pregnancy yeast infections treament, but it will relieve any vulvar itching and discomfort you may have. This is only a temporary itch relief, so don't look to it to clear up your pregnancy yeast infections. What you do is add a tiny bit of water to some slippery elm powder to make a paste, and apply the paste as needed / where necessary.

I've also heard of others using aloe vera juice (make sure you get the unsweetened, unflavored kind!) for the same purpose -- applying directly to the area that needs itch relief. Personally, I've experienced itching resulting from using aloe vera (on otherwise non-itching skin), not itch relief! But, it may be I just have overtly sensitive skin!

In either case, you can find slippery elm powder and aloe vera juice from your local health food store or see here to check out slippery elm powder and aloe vera juice.

One important thing to remember -- even if you feel all your pregnancy yeast infections symptoms are gone but you're not done with your treatment cycle, be sure to complete your treatment. So if you're on day 4 of your 7 day Monistat and think all your yeast infection is gone, keep using the antifungal cream until you're done with all 7 days. By not finishing the full 7 days of treatment, you may not have killed off all the fungal overgrowth. Then what hapens is the next time you get a yeast infection or a pregnancy yeast infections, the candida organism will be more resistant to the antifungal cream.

I personally prefer natural forms of yeast infection home remedy because they are just that -- from nature instead of using harsh, artificially produced chemicals. One of the reasons being that with chemicals such as those in antifungal creams, the candida organism can become resistant to it with repeated use. The natural yeast infection home remedies I'm recommending come in the form of suppositories. Since you are pregnant, I would not recommend douching as a pregnancy yeast infections remedy as you do not want to be helping unwanted bacterial go up the cervix and to the uterus. Below are a couple of natural yeast infection cures. These are the first ones I reach for when I have a vaginal yeast infection --

Garlic
Garlic? You say? Yup -- that stuff you cook with that makes things taste oh-so-good. Garlic has powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. I discovered this after a particularly bad episode and out of desperation, listened to my husband's constant "nagging" about trying the garlic capsules we were taking as suppositories.

Here's what you'll need ...

Garlic supplements in capsule form
This is the brand I like. I don't know how the other brands stack up as I've been extremely satisfied with this particular brand. So why mess with a good thing, right? Click here for my more detailed discussion on why I like this brand. If you find another brand that works just as well or better, send me an email and let me know!

Reusable antifungal cream applicator

Water-based lubricant or just use the antifungal cream (check out the Safeway Miconazole with Reusable applicator) that comes with the applicator.

Panty liner. I like to use Always as I find it works better at keeping the moisture away from my skin.

Here's what you do ...

Insert 1-3 garlic capsules into the applicator, leaving the top 1/4 of the last capsule peeping from the top of the applicator.

Smear a tiny bit of the water-based lubricant or antifungal cream on the applicator. Make sure you also apply a bit of the lubricant / cream on the tip of the top garlic capsule.

Lying down, insert the applicator and "inject" the capsules into your vagina (duh!) before you go to sleep. Don't insert it too deep or it will take the whole day for the capsules to work themselves out. I find that inserting them about half way works best but you can experiment and see what works best for you.

For the most part, the garlic capsules would've been dissolved by the moisture and heat in the vagina. When you wake up the next day and start to move about, the dissolved capsules and contents would work themselves out throughout the day. You may want to change the panty liner a few times a day to keep the moisture level low and the garlic odor down. For the most part, I found the odor not very noticeable unless I'm sitting on the toilet. Also, while the capsules and their contents will get flushed out by vaginal fluids, I prefer to insert a finger and "help the process" (while in the shower) as often times I find little clumps of of gelatin (from the capsules) still in there. Don't worry ... if you don't, the stuff will still get flushed out in due time.

Continue this treatment for the duration of the yeast infection. I found that the yeast is typically gone within 3 days (5 days tops) with 3 capsules each night. To be on the safe side, you may want to continue this treatment for another few days with a lower dosage. Here's the link again for the garlic supplement I use.

Raw Garlic
I've never tried using raw garlic as a yeast infection home remedy since I'm perfectly happy with my garlic supplements. But various yeast infection forums have recommended this, so I don't see why this wouldn't work. The only thing is that some say the raw garlic method is less potent since it's just 1 clove at-a-time compared to the concentration involved in a single garlic capsule. The brand I use contains an equivalent of 20-30 garlic cloves per capsule. So the relief using raw garlic may take may be less immediate if you have a stubborn or severe yeast infection. To use this remedy, peel a clove of garlic and insert it as a suppository at night. Some have recommended first wrapping the garlic with a bit of gauze and tie a bit of floss around that to help it stay in. The floss is to help pull out the garlic in the morning.

Other forms of natural pregnancy yeast infections treatments include yogurt, boric acid, tea tree oil, and more.

In any case, you want to treat your pregnancy yeast infections even if they are not life threatening to you or to your baby. If you have a yeast infection when you are in labor, it's possible for your baby to contract thrush on her way through your birth canal. Thrush is a yeast infection in the mouth, exhibited by white patches on the tongue and in the mouth. While it's not serious, if left untreated, the baby can pass that yeast infection on to your breasts if you're breastfeeding.

Also, for additional information on yeast infection in pregnancy, click on any of the following ...

* Photo courtesy of Vinícius Zimmer/www.obraprima-id.com.br
** Photo courtesy of Grzegorz Niewiadomski, Lodz, Lodzkie, Poland

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