Vaginal Thrush... Why do women get it and how to get rid of it longterm?

[ntl_marc]

 My wife suffers from a lot of vaginal thrush, is there anything that we can do to get rid of it longterm?

Everything that the doctor prescribes usually works but only short term ie a month.

Is there a trusted and tried way to get rid of it?

Can it affect every day to day life??

Also in what other way can I become infected other than genitally? ie Orally?

Does anyone else suffer from it on a monthly basis?

Genuine answers please!

[fibifooz]

Sometimes thrush is caused by too much yeast in your diet.  There's a lot of yeast in bread, yoghurts and mushrooms, maybe if she tried cutting these foods out it might help.

[Corkyb]

Hello ntl_marc.
I'm sorry your wife is having such a tough time at the moment. Have a look at this link as it gives lots of good information about the causes, treatment and prevention of thrush.

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068842/

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/27000589/

Perhaps a further visit to your Dr. would be an idea once you've read the info and request tests to see if there are any other reasons for the recurrances?

Hope things improve for you wife soon.

[dirtyharriet]

Having been a long term sufferer in the past, I can empathise. What works for me is acidophilus tablets. I buy mine from Holland and Barratt they are called Quest. Since I've been taking them (you have to keep them in the fridge) I haven't had any more bouts of thrush.
It may also be a good idea to cut down on sugary and yeasty products which can make thrush worse.

[becks]

Hello ntl_mark, like your wife i suffered for about five years. First of all, if she's going to her GP to get treatment all the time she should ask for a referral to a specialist gynae (if you have BUPA this will cover it), if she hasn't been going to the GP and buying it over the counter she should do so and explain how long it's been going on and that nothing works anymore - be firm about getting a referral.

The reason for this is firstly to make sure that what she's got is thrush - not suggesting it's an STD or anything but when i saw a specialist the tests showed no sign of thrush - even tho i was adamant that's what it was, and was in fact a kind of eczema that affects only the ladies area (and about one in a billion, lucky me) and isn't something you can catch, you just get it - most likely it isn't but you should make sure you're treating the right problem.

Secondly, your wife MUST cut out all bread and try and consume as little yeast as possible - no mushrooms, vinegar, anything with yeast in. Believe me this in itself will make a difference,  the yeast in her diet is accelerating all the little germs that cause the thrush.

Thirdly avoid bubble baths, unless it's pure oil from body shop, wear only cotton knickers (your wife, not you mike unless you're into that sort of thing), try and avoid tight trousers, don't use soap in the shower use aqueous cream (big pot from boots about �2), and definitely don't use any feminine sprays or perfume or anything like that.

Lastly go to a health food shop and buy acidophilus, i started taking this every time i took antibiotics as they cause thrush, and the acidophilus stops it. However i now take it all the time as it stops it coming on and this has made a big difference.

As you can see i'm well versed in this area but believe me it WILL make a difference! Thrush is miserable, but it can be beaten, hope she feels better soon.

[happy_face]

Hi ntl_marc.

All the above answers are excellent but also just wanted to add my own experience. A good few years ago I was on a specific contraceptive pill which used to give me trush once a month about a week before my period was due. I went to my GP and requested to have different contraceptive pill and since then I've hardly ever had it.

Just wanted to let you know that sometimes it can also be something as simple as this. Hope she gets better soon

[secretspirit]

Have you been tested for it yourself ntl_marc? It's highly possible you're just passing it right on back to her once you start having sex again.

[purification]

hi ntl_marc
It's quite common for women to get a bout of thrush just before their period. You can get thrush orally (known as candidosis or moniliasis) though its not all that common and is normally due to a reaction to antibiotics or a reduced immunity due to an infection that causes a change in the ever present "candida" in your mouth. It is quite common for denture wearers and babies to get oral thrush.

Try those friendly bacteria drinks, they're meant to help!

try this web site it exaplins a fair bit.

http://www.womenshealthlondon.org.uk/leaflets/thrush/thr ush.html

hope that helps!