At some time during their lives, most women will experience an irritating condition such as yeast infection. Vaginal infections are not uncommon in women, and yeast infections are especially prevalent. It seems that pregnancy and yeast infections are a fact of life for many women, you will be more susceptible to yeast infections and at the same time, there may be less you can do to prevent them.
Candida albicans is the fungus most common in vaginal yeast infections. Other medical terms for yeast infection include monilial vaginitis and vaginal candidiasis. However, you should be aware that Candida occurs normally in the human body. The presence of the fungus does not necessarily mean that a yeast infection is present and so should not concern you.
Pregnant women are likely to suffer a yeast infection because of the increase in estrogen they experience during their pregnancy. Higher estrogen levels mean higher production of glycogen, the form of glucose stored in the body. The presence of glycogen is conducive to the rapid growth of yeast. Several studies have shown that glycogen may speed up the growth of yeast and even encourage it to stick to the vaginal walls, making a yeast infection more likely to occur.
Use of antibiotics can cause fungi to proliferate. Long-term use of antibiotics kills bacteria, both good and bad and can weaken the body’s natural ability to fight infection. This allows the bad bacteria to grow uncontrollably because the good bacteria have been reduced in number and is unable to fight the bad bacteria. This is when an infection may occur.
Early signs of infection include itchiness, irritation, soreness, burning, and redness of and around the vagina. Cheese-like liquid discharges might be a symptom of the infection’s further development. As this could bring along some pain and is transmittable to others, it is advisable to abstain from sex while suffering from a yeast infection.
A positive thing in treating yeast infections with a pregnant woman is that many of the same treatments used in non pregnant women are available for pregnant woman. The best thing would be to consult with your doctor to be sure you obtain the best yeast infection medication for your condition and know of any side effects. It may be that an over-the-counter cream may be recommended by your doctor. Or, the doctor might have a special treatment program designed for pregnant women.
The good news is that a yeast infection in the mother will not have any affect on the developing fetus. It is believed that as much as 15% of all pregnant women end up suffering from a some yeast infection complaint during pregnancy. Indeed it may be difficult to avoid a yeast infection during pregnancy given the changes in the hormone levels. With this said, yeast infection during pregnancy doesn’t need to be worrying or miserable as it is fairly easy to treat quickly and successfully.
