reoccurring yeast infections

[Mr. Truelove]

Mrs. Truelove has had for the past six months had more frequent yeast infections than we can ever remember before. Seems like at least once a month now.

Thought we had it narrowed down to soap, went back to what we had been using for years, no change.

Thought it was maybe an allergy to lube. It wasn't.

We have been abstaining (for other reasons) and she is getting another one after a week of abstinence.

We've spoken to the doctor and they did the usual advice. Wipe properly, pee after sex, etc.. So sick of hearing those words and still having problems. And they aren't really offering any new advice.

Only medicine she is on is the same birth control she has been using for 6 years. No change in laundry detergents or soaps.

Any thoughts?

[DigginIt]

Wow, so this is interesting. Mrs. Diggs used to never get yeast infections and as of late it seems like she has gotten a whole string of them.

The only thing we changed in our routine is more toy play and we thought it could be the lube (Silk). We clean the toys very well. Our doctor recommended taking things that help keep her pH in check. It seems like every 5 or 6 weeks now. He just said our bodies change as we get older...like we needed to hear that.

She feels like she needs to invest in whichever pharmaceutical company that makes Diflucan.

[TNT]

I had never had a yeast infection in my life until we started playing. Talk about being freaked out the first time I got one

A lot of women report getting yeast infections right before their period and alcohol consumption also contributes to them. Different partners can also cause them.

One thing to remember is that most men don't think they can get them, but they can. When treating a yeast infection both partners should be treated or you're just going to pass it back and forth.

The Monistat cream (or any of the OTC yeast meds) applied to the penis works well and should be used the full time an infection is being treated on the woman.

I also started taking AZO yeast (OTC) a few days before we're planning on playing, if I know I'm going to be drinking a lot and/or spending a lot of time in a pool. Of course, eating the old stand-by of yogurt never hurts.

I haven't had one in well over two years.

Teresa

[ALilOEverything]

I had one this fall after antibiotics and my doctor said that the OTC creams are only 90% effective. That would leave behind 10% which would lead to more reoccurence. She said the oral Diflucan is much more effective and even though I had no symptoms after the cream she still wanted me to take the oral to make sure I didn't run into persistent problems later on. It was in two doses, not just a one time pill, 7 days apart. I haven't had another one since.

[JustAskJulie]

TnT is right about the guys picking it up and passing it back without knowing it. I went through a phase years ago where I kept getting them.

Some things I changed (and I have rarely gotten them in the last many years)

- ALWAYS pee after sex
- sleep with panties on (for some reason I get really moist down there without them)
- minimize toys. I can't/won't use any toys that are made out of that rubbery feeling stuff, I prefer hard plastic or metal toys (or even glass). There's nothing porous to hold germs.
- RePHresh is a an awesome product. I try to keep it on hand and use it after playing now
- Never re-use towels. If you use a re-usable sponge or scrubby thing throw it away and get a new one after any infection.

I would definitely say have the Dr treat you (Mr. Truelove) and make sure you aren't passing it back and forth.

[Mr. Truelove]

Thanks for the advice. She has had doses of Diflucan, which clears them up for a few weeks.

Julie, We've hit your entire list as it is. With the exception of RePHresh, I'd never heard of that, might be something to look into.

I also never heard of passing it back and forth. I am circumcised, which I am sure lessens the risk, but we'll keep that in mind too. Right now we're not getting jiggy anyway, so that eliminates that.

She did have an abnormal pap, which resulted in a colposcopy a week ago, and the biopsy came back benign. I didn't think that would affect anything, and it didn't seem like the doctor correlated the two either.

The very first one she had last fall was antibiotics. Then she got sick again and the antibiotics did it again. But the last 3-4 go unexplained.

[Pretty Blue Eye]

I would suggest using antibacterial hand gel between partners during play. For example, If a woman has a symptomless yeast infection (either early in the infection and she doesn't yet have symptons, or she has treated her yeast infection and experiences no symptoms) and is fingered by someone who then fingers someone else, a yeast infection can be transferred from one woman to another.

Also, another consideration, frequent yeast infections can be caused by certain medical conditions, such as diabetes or immune systen disorders. If you experience frequent yeast infections, please consult your physician, and request testing.

[PB&J]

I would suggest using antibacterial hand gel between partners during play.

Anibacterial gel won't kill a yeast infection. Yeast is not bacteria. In fact, as we all know, taking antibiotics is one of the most "reliable" ways to end up with a yeast infection, because killing the "Good" bacteria can pull the yeast growth way out of whack. Washing hands is a good idea, but don't count on a gel like that. Good old soap and water would work better.

[erotichugs]

do you guys use condoms? if so what kind?

Mrs. started getting those as well, figured out that she had developed a sensitivity to LATEX condoms and was getting Yeast Infections constantly... (especially due to frequent use) the doctors gave us the same recomendations as you guys have been given..

The doc. never asked us how many time we were having sex.. :-)

in short.. moved to NON-LATEX and the infections went away...

[PB&J]

About lube, by the way... I switched to a formulation without glycerin and that has helped me a lot.

[JustAskJulie]

do you guys use condoms? if so what kind?
...

moved to NON-LATEX and the infections went away...

This is what I was trying to remember when I mentioned the toys I avoid. I can't use latex toys at all (condoms don't bother me as much). That said if you mix latex and spermicide together, kill me NOW and don't even think about touching me.

The RePHresh product I posted about is something one of my Gyno's told me about. You get a yeast infection or a bacterial infection depending on which direction your PH level gets imbalanced. RePHresh helps to keep your PH level balanced. I'd swear by it, it did wonders for me.

[Fundamental Law]

A note from a physician...

Yeast infections are common. Common treatments such as Diflucan(R) (generic name is fluconazole) treat most but not all yeast infections. There are strains of Candida that are resistant to this common drug.

If your infection does not respond to the typical treatments, see a physician who deals with such things commonly and be sure to get your partner treated at the same time. The "ping-pong" thing --trading the infection back and forth--is real.

[MsGoneWild]

Seconding the AZO yeast pills.

I generally take one the day we play, and the day after.

I had some health problems going on AND switched BC pills last year that caused me to get like 3 yeast infections in a row. I wanted to kill everything in site. After getting checked out by my dr, grabbing some meds and figuring out what the culprit was, I've been using the AZO as part of my routine. I have also started taking a probiotic to help keep everything in check until I'm all done my meds and they are out of my system. (After getting the yeast infections out of the way I got BV and then needed to solve that. Treated that and then got oral thrush. Treated THAT and am now on probiotics and the AZO. Jesus christ , body please). Sorry to go into my medical history.. What sucks is that this is happens when your body gets out of wack :/

Yeast infections are lame, and BV sucks and womans vaginas should LOVE THEM ALWAYS.

[Chicup]

Are you actively swinging?

While we were the Mrs. kept getting frequent yeast infections. We take a break for a year and a half and guess how many she had? Zero.

I've read/heard this from others as well. I think the problem is we get competing bugs between the women, which throws it out of balance and let yeast infections develop.

[bjersr]

The wife use to get them semi-regularly. She did two things and I can't remember when she has had one. The first was to shave her pubic area, which doesn't seem to be much of an issue with most Lifestylers. Everyone we have encountered has been "clean" down below. The Second, and Julie not to discount what you posted, wear no panties to bed. She started do this after hearing about a study done in Japan that found fewer Yeast Infection in women that slept with no panties. You might already be doing all of this so I don't know if this will help, but I know it worked for us.