What is Yeast infection, vagina?

Yeast infection, vagina

What is a vaginal yeast infection?

A vaginal yeast infection can feel uncomfortable. You get a discharge from your vagina that is usually thick and white (like cottage cheese). You'll probably feel itchy and sore, and the area outside your vagina will probably be infected, too.

In most women, vaginal yeast infections are caused by a type of yeast known as Candida albicans.

Source:
Sobel JD.
Vaginitis.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1997; 337: 1896-1903.

Source:
Horowitz BJ, Giaquinta D, Ito S.
Evolving pathogens in vulvovaginal candidiasis: implications for patient care.
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 1992; 32: 248-255.

² Yeast is a type of

fungus
A fungus is an organism that is sometimes considered to be a type of plant. A fungus lives by feeding on other organisms. The mushrooms we eat in salads are fungi, but so are candida and cryptococcus, which can cause infections in people's bodies.

fungus. Candida is usually harmless and lives naturally in your body. You can have this yeast in your vagina without getting any symptoms.

In the majority of women, yeast infections are not serious.

But sometimes too much of this yeast can grow. This makes your vagina

inflammation
If your skin or some other part of your body becomes red, swollen, hot or sore, we say it is inflamed. It means that your body is trying to protect you from germs, from something in your body tissues that can hurt you (like a thorn or sliver), or from things that cause allergies (allergens). Inflammation is part of the way the body heals an infection or injury.

inflamed and causes an

infection
You get an infection when viruses, bacteria, fungi or other tiny organisms get into your body. These bugs are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope. For example, an infection in your airways causes the common cold. And an infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot.

infection. The vagina is the most common part of the body for Candida infection. Candida likes warm, moist, airless conditions best. So wearing loose, cotton underclothes and stockings rather than pantyhose may help prevent yeast infections, although there hasn't been research on this.

You can also get a yeast infection on other areas of the body, such as your groin and inside your mouth. Babies can get a yeast infection in their diaper area.

Your vagina also contains mucus and "friendly" bacteria that help keep a healthy balance and protect you from infections like Candida. But some things can upset these natural defenses and make you more likely to get a yeast infection. You are more likely to get yeast infections if:

Source:
Foxman B.
The epidemiology of vulvovaginal candidiasis: risk factors.
American Journal of Public Health. 1990; 80: 329-331.

Source:
Geiger AM, Foxman B, Gillespie BW.
The epidemiology of vulvovaginal candidiasis among university students.
American Journal of Public Health. 1995; 85: 1146-1148.

⁴

Source:
Geiger AM, Foxman B, Sobel JD.
Chronic vulvovaginal candidiasis: characteristics of women with Candida albicans, C glabrata and no Candida.
Genitourinary Medicine. 1995; 71: 304-307.

⁵

You are pregnant. Pregnancy changes your

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

hormone levels, and this can make you more likely to get yeast infections
You have

diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that causes too much sugar to circulate in your blood. It happens when your body stops making a hormone called insulin (type 1 diabetes) or when insulin stops working (type 2 diabetes).

diabetes
You take antibiotics for another infection. Antibiotics are medicines that kill

bacteria
Bacteria are tiny organisms. There are lots of different types. Some are harmful and can cause disease. But some bacteria live in your body without causing any harm.

bacteria. Sometimes they kill off the "friendly" bacteria that help prevent yeast infections
Your

immune system
The immune system is made up of the parts of the body that are devoted to fighting infection. The body is constantly being threatened by infections from things like bacteria, viruses and parasites. The immune system fights these infections in different ways. At the microscopic level, the immune system uses antibodies and white blood cells, which travel in the blood and target infectious agents, such as bacteria. These microscopic parts of the immune system either kill the infectious agent directly, or take it to other parts of the body, like the spleen, where it can be dealt with. The lymph nodes are another important part of the immune system. Within them, white blood cells filter through the foreign material that has entered the blood, to see if there are any infections. When you have a swollen gland during a cold, this is actually a lymph node that is reacting to the infection. Unfortunately, it is possible for the immune system to become confused and to use its destructive powers to target healthy parts of the body. Diseases that result from this type of situation are called autoimmune diseases.

immune system has been affected by illness or by other medicines you are taking. This isn't a common cause of yeast infections. Your immune system normally protects you against infection
You become sexually active.

We don't really know if your chance of having a yeast infection increases if you use certain types of contraceptives, such as the birth control pill or coil (intrauterine device, IUD), or a diaphragm with spermicide. Different studies say different things.

Source:
Sobel JD.
Vaginitis.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1997; 337: 1896-1903.

Source:
Horowitz BJ, Giaquinta D, Ito S.
Evolving pathogens in vulvovaginal candidiasis: implications for patient care.
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 1992; 32: 248-255.

² You might want to ask your doctor about trying a different contraceptive if your yeast infection keeps returning. But you shouldn't stop taking the birth control pill if you get a vaginal yeast infection.

Doctors call vaginal yeast infections vulvovaginal candidiasis. Some women find their yeast infection keeps coming back. If you get yeast infections four or more times a year, doctors call this recurrent candidiasis.

Can I get a vaginal yeast infection from my sex partner?

We know that your risk of getting a vaginal yeast infection goes up around the time you start having sex. Even so, there's no clear evidence that this infection is passed between partners during sex.

Source:
Sobel JD.
Vaginitis.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1997; 337: 1896-1903.

Source:
Horowitz BJ, Giaquinta D, Ito S.
Evolving pathogens in vulvovaginal candidiasis: implications for patient care.
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 1992; 32: 248-255.

² Doctors don't consider it a

sexually transmitted infection
An infection that is spread by people having sex is called a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Examples are HIV, gonorrhoea and syphilis.

sexually transmitted infection.

A few men get symptoms such as a rash on their penis and itchiness after sex with a woman who has symptoms of a yeast infection. Doctors call this balanitis. If your partner gets this, he should seek treatment.

Yeast infections and other conditions

In the vast majority of women, yeast infections are not serious. But a yeast infection that doesn't go away even with treatment, or keeps coming back, may be an early sign of

HIV
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It's the virus that causes AIDS. It makes you sick by damaging cells called CD4 cells. Your body needs these cells to fight infections. You can get HIV by sharing needles for injecting drugs ,or by having sex without a condom with someone who already has the virus.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection. People with HIV or

AIDS
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. People who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) get AIDS when the virus has destroyed most of their immune system. When people have AIDS, their body isn't able to fight infections. So even common infections, such as colds, can cause serious problems.

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) may also get this infection in the mouth, on the skin and in other areas.

Yeast infections may also be an early sign for

diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that causes too much sugar to circulate in your blood. It happens when your body stops making a hormone called insulin (type 1 diabetes) or when insulin stops working (type 2 diabetes).

diabetes or cancer.

Sometimes this infection can be caused by other types of Candida yeast, for example Candida glabrata, but this is far less common.

Source:
Sobel JD, Faro S, Force RW, et al.
Vulvovaginal candidiasis: epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1998; 178: 203-211.

⁶ It may be more common in women who also have diabetes.

Source:
Ray D, Goswami R, Banerjee U, et al.
Prevalence of Candida glabrata and its response to boric acid vaginal suppositories in comparison with oral fluconazole in patients with diabetes and vulvovaginal candidiasis.
Diabetes Care. 2007; 30: 312-7.

⁷

Sources for the information on this page:

Sobel JD.Vaginitis.New England Journal of Medicine. 1997; 337: 1896-1903.

Horowitz BJ, Giaquinta D, Ito S.Evolving pathogens in vulvovaginal candidiasis: implications for patient care.Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 1992; 32: 248-255.

Foxman B.The epidemiology of vulvovaginal candidiasis: risk factors.American Journal of Public Health. 1990; 80: 329-331.

Geiger AM, Foxman B, Gillespie BW.The epidemiology of vulvovaginal candidiasis among university students.American Journal of Public Health. 1995; 85: 1146-1148.

Geiger AM, Foxman B, Sobel JD.Chronic vulvovaginal candidiasis: characteristics of women with Candida albicans, C glabrata and no Candida.Genitourinary Medicine. 1995; 71: 304-307.

Sobel JD, Faro S, Force RW, et al.Vulvovaginal candidiasis: epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations.American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1998; 178: 203-211.

Ray D, Goswami R, Banerjee U, et al.Prevalence of Candida glabrata and its response to boric acid vaginal suppositories in comparison with oral fluconazole in patients with diabetes and vulvovaginal candidiasis.Diabetes Care. 2007; 30: 312-7.

This information was last updated on Jan 09, 2009

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