- Hi, I'm Dr. Goje
And I'm here to debunk some of the myths
about yeast infections.
Yeast is very common.
It is the second most common vaginal infection in women.
75% of all women will have at least one yeast infection
in their lifetime.
More than 650,000 women in
the United States will have
recurrent yeast infections.
Many will have more than three yeast infections in their life.
So what are the common myths?
First of all,
is yeast infection a sexually transmitted disease?
Let's start with that.
No.
Yeast infection is not a sexually transmitted infection.
We have some theories
that we will have pockets
where we keep yeast.
And then when your immune system is decreased, it comes up.
So for example, the bowel,
you might hear people carry yeast in the bowel or that men
who are not circumcised, who have it in the foreskin,
but that doesn't mean it's an STD.
I mean, you might have discomfort having sex,
but you cannot spread this infection by
having sexual intercourse.
- Yeast infections are not contagious.
They can be in various parts of the body,
whether it's the vagina or the vulva,
or for men,
they could be in the foreskin, but they're not contagious.
That is incorrect.
Men can have this infection.
It's called balanitis.
They can have a yeast balanitis
when they have the yeast on the skin.
Some people have yeast in the vagina.
We call it a colonization.
Meaning it's just a yeast element sitting in the vagina
that can be there for awhile.
You see it on their pap smear,
but when you truly have an infection that is making you
uncomfortable,
it doesn't go away on its own.
Vaginal itch creams do not treat yeast infections.
They alleviate symptoms.
They make the symptoms better,
and everyone wants the symptom of itchiness to go away.
Some antifungal medications also come
with vaginal itch cream.
And the idea is, while the antifungal is working,
you have some instantaneous relief of the itchiness.
But the anti-itch cream is not what is the medication,
it's the antifungal.
The answer is no, especially reproductive age women.
When we are young, we have estrogen in our bodies,
estrogen in the vulva, estrogen in the vagina.
It produces the necessary things that allows the vagina and
the vulva to clean itself.
Using water or a mild hypoallergenic soap
as you take a shower is good enough.
It's good to stay healthy.
Garlic, yogurt, probiotics,
there are healthy things like supplements,
but they don't treat yeast infections.
Not every itch is a yeast.
And if you think it's a yeast infection,
because you've had something similar,
you can start with an antifungal over the counter.
If within one to two days, you're not feeling better,
you need to call your provider and be examined.