Everything You Need to Know about a Yeast Infection

What causes a yeast infection? How is it treated? Is it contagious? Can I have sex if I have a yeast infection?

A yeast infection can be an unpleasant sort of thing, but with the proper attention and knowledge about them, you can be infection-free in no time. Lets get down to the nitty gritty detail.

A yeast infection is caused by a type of fungus that everyone has in their bodies (men and women) called candida. When there’s an overgrowth of candida, you get what’s known as a yeast infection. Healthy levels of candida can get out of hand if you douche, wear damp underwear, wear very tight underwear or pants, or have a reaction to antibiotics or birth control pills.

You’ll know you have a yeast infection if you experience a few of the following symptoms: vaginal irritation, swelling, itchiness, redness, burning, a whitish-gray cottage cheese-like discharge, and smell of yeasty bread.

There are loads of medications that will treat a yeast infection. You can use depository creams (like Monistat) or pills (such as Diflucan, also commonly referred to as fluconal). Treatment usually lasts between one and seven days before you’re symptom free.

During that time, it’s highly recommended that you skip sex. There are no serious medical risks involved, but yeast infections can be transmitted, either to your partner’s penis or orally. (Oral symptoms include a sore throat, whitish spots inside your mouth, and burning of your lips or tongue.) Penetration may be painful if you have a yeast infection, and some medication can wear down the latex in condoms which put you at a risk for pregnancy. Semen can also worsen your condition.

Men and women can both get yeast infections, but because of the way women are made up hormonally, they are more susceptible to them. If men do get a yeast infection on their penis, they likely won’t experience any symptoms, which is why you’ll rarely find a man who’s concerned about yeast infections. Some men do, however, experience some discomfort such as pain while urinating and itchiness.

Last word: Yeast infections are unpleasant you don’t want to risk passing it on your partner. If you can hold out then you should – you’ll both be thankful that you did!