Re-occuring thrush **TMI**

**Turkish Delight** · June 12th, 2009, 11:02 AM

I have suffered from re-occuring thrush since my early teens. Since i got married (9 years ago) i have started to use Canestan cream with the tube inserter. It works and clears it up but it keeps on coming back next month.

It happens after i get my period mostly. I blame the pads and have changed brands several times to find the non-irritating type for my body. Haven't found it yet

But it sometimes happens mid cycle too

I'm finally going to see my doctor about it, as it is driving me nuts atm.

**TMI**

ATM, there is no discharge but just the itchiness. There is no curd type discharge or curdly its in there when i have a look, so i really don't know what it is. I used Canestan last night and it has done nothing for it today. I will keep on using it for the 6 nights as recommended but it will come back, i know.

I know on the canesten pack it says to go back to your dr if symptoms keep coming back. So today is the the day, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH.

Has anyone had/have re-occuring thrush and has it gone away through medication or something else? I am itching (!) to find out.

Ta

**Willow** · June 12th, 2009, 11:07 AM

I used to get it regularly when i was on the pill years ago - I started taking a probiotic from the start of AF till it finished and this worked for me.

I just used to buy either acidopholus capsules (about $10 a bottle) or something like Inner Health Plus (about $30 but probably stronger/more effective) - worked a treat, never had a problem with it again.

**squidipa** · June 12th, 2009, 11:13 AM

no not i just wanted to say

but my sis inlaw did get it lots she just use NATURAL yogurt yep natural yogurt and swears by it me i havnt tried it but she swears by it. Good luck at drs.

**~Raven~** · June 12th, 2009, 11:15 AM

I've hardly had it since I stopped taking the pill TTC our first bub over 9 years ago. Only been a handful of times and I used to get it all the time like you are describing. The migranes I used to get are few and far between too so I'm never going to take it again!

I don't wear pretty lacy knickers anymore on a day to day basis as I found that aggravated it. Menstural pads and tampons irritate me too and when AF comes back I'm considering using cloth pads or getting a cup.

It's a horrible thing to get all the time.

**Turkish Delight** · June 12th, 2009, 11:22 AM

I don't wear nylon undies either. I am a cotton girl too.

i love yoghurt and i eat it almost daily, but probably not enough of it as i am severly lactose intolerant. I did buy the inner health plus capsules for my IBS but then threw them out as they didn't have any effect. I might try yakult and see if that agrees with my body.

Hmmmm. So it may be the pill?? I have a Mirena, so its the pill ineffect.

**BellyBelly** · June 12th, 2009, 11:26 AM

The cream might kill off the infection but the problem keeps occuring because your balance of good and bad bacteria are out, so you need to fix that first and foremost, to prevent it in the first place. Sugar is also a big prob, cut back where you can and even take a chromium supplement which can help with sugar cravings. The pill is also a thrush issue.

Have a read of this and you will understand it better, and grab some Fast Tract too.

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/misc/mivitality-inliven

**belle75** · June 12th, 2009, 11:33 AM

TD. You poor thing!

There are a few things to consider. Firstly, you really need to find out if it is thrush we are talking about. A lot of different infections/irritations can mimic thrush like symptoms. In the absense of discharge, there is a possibility that we are trying to treat a different thing altogether! Going to the doc for a swab is a great idea. That way you will know what is causing it. Thrush is caused by a fungus (usually candida). It can however be sometimes a different organism, so the dr needs to know in order to treat. Canesten won't treat all types of thrush.

Have you had your blood sugar tested? High sugar levels/diabetes will predispose to thrush. Avoid sugary food, white bread, flour products, wheat and drink heaps of water.

Overtreatment over such a long period could have lead to acid imbalance in the vagina. This predisposes you to catching thrush.
Avoid soaps, perfumed body washes etc in the v-jay-jay area.

Avoid taking baths. Quick showers with warm water to cleanse down-there is better. Dry thoroughly and only wear cotton underwear. avoid g-strings, nylons, stockings.
If you use panty-liners, change frequently.
Wipe front to back when going to the loo.

There is a product called Acijel which is a vaginal gel to restore the vaginal pH. I would highly recommend this ( available through your pharmacy).

Like the other girls have suggested, probiotics are great. These restore the good bacteria to your system which helps kill off any fungal growth. Inner health plus is a good product.

I would also suggest Ecovag vaginal pessaries to use overnight for 10 days (or more). this puts the good bacteria directly where it's needed.

Also, (very important) you should treat your partner at the same time. If you have thrush, he will also be infected and re-infect you, so you can't shake off the cycle. He can use Canesten/Daktarin cream on his boy bits.

HTH for now. GL at the doc's. You shouldn't have to put up with this for so long!

**butterfly_warrior** · June 12th, 2009, 01:55 PM

I think Belle has covered things very well!

I wasn't aware there were special pessaries for it, but when I had stubborn thrush, the only thing that cleared it in the end was probiotic capsules... but I used them as pessaries rather than swallowed them.

I had thrush again while pregnant, and the canesten soothed it only while I used it, and the end of the treatment it was still itchy and sore - once again the probiotic capsules did the trick.

You should also ditch the soap, and rinsing the area with a warm water with salt and bicarb soda added should also give some relief (and I believe helps restore pH).

BW

**AnyDream** · June 12th, 2009, 03:01 PM

I had what I thought was recurring thrush when I lived in Darwin (similar thing - itching but no real discharge, definitely no curds). I went to the dr a number of times (back then you couldn't buy canesten over the counter, you needed a script, you can imagine what a pain in the vuhjayjay that was!) Anyway after a zillion swabs it turned out it wasn't thrush at all - i just had an overgrowth of 'normal' skin bacterias in the area. Wasn't the sort of thing that even needed to be treated with medications. In the end I got relief from using the Acijel product that Belle mentioned - used it just before and during my period and that took care of it.

I did notice years later that when I modified my diet to a low-GI one, that seemed to fix the problem permanently and now I only ever need thrush medication when I've been on ABS for a while.

**Snoozie** · June 12th, 2009, 04:33 PM

Pretty much everything has been covered. Just wanted to add that if it is thrush and you take Yakult the amount of sugar in that could exacerbate the problem.

I thought I had thrush but turns out it was a bacterial infection so yes definitely recommend seeing Dr... I saw Dr with no result until I finally asked for referral to gyno. Fingers crossed it's all fixed now!

**Turkish Delight** · June 13th, 2009, 02:56 PM

The dr will do a swab tomorrow. I had being using canesten, so she said its best to do the swab when i haven't used canesten. She has also recommended that i have urine test for chlamydia and gonorrhea (sp?). If the tests come back clear, i'll give acijel and using the probiotic tabs as pessaries in the evening a go.

So i can get acijel over the counter??

i am sooo over it. You wouldn't believe it. I had to go to bed early last night just so i could scratch it in peace. I had very canesten left so just used it as a topical cream rather than inserting it.

Thanks girls, i really, really appreciate it.

**AwesomeFoursome** · June 13th, 2009, 10:20 PM

I hope you get it sorted out quickly.

**Turkish Delight** · June 14th, 2009, 12:36 PM

Had the swab done this morning and the dr said it definitely looks like thrush. I'll wait till i get results on the urine and swab. In the mean time, i'll just use the canesten.

Do you aply the acijel when you have thrush or is it a daily thing??

**belle75** · June 14th, 2009, 12:55 PM

Hi TD,
So glad you had the diagnosis confirmed! Acijel is available over the counter. I would suggest using it in the morning and using ecovag pessaries at night (ask your pharmacist for this).

Might also be a good idea to take Diflucan (or cheaper version) oral capsule to get rid of the infection quicker. You can take a non-drowsy antihistamine like claratyne for the itch. Sounds like a whole heap of stuff to take, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Keep on top of it by using preventative measures, acijel and maybe diflucan each time it flares up for the next few weeks/months and hopefully it'll go for good. The main thing is to let the vaginal environment and pH settle, so don't use harsh treatments, cleansers, scratching

etc for now.

Don't forget to treat your partner and use a condom until you've fully healed up! GL and hope it all settles soon, hun.

**belle75** · June 14th, 2009, 12:56 PM

PS:
Forgot to mention acijel is a daily thing. use it for the next few months to get the vaginal pH sorted.

**Turkish Delight** · June 15th, 2009, 11:56 AM

Thanks hun.

Just another question... what do you use to treat DH with?? Canesten too?

**belle75** · June 15th, 2009, 01:42 PM

Yes. Canesten's fine for DH (or any generic anti-fungal cream like clotrimazole, which is the active ingredient in canesten). Twice a day for at least 4 weeks (with men fungal spores can stay underneath the skin surface for longer). If he prefers use canesten for a week then use the lamisil once cream (you need to only apply this once. It will remain in his skin for 4 weeks). However, canesten is preferable.