I have been keeping an eye on things "down there" since I took the last ring out, had my period, then put the new ring in. BAM - after 3 days, more irritation and discharge. I don't know if the ring is the sole cause of me getting recurrent yeast/irritation, but it's definitely contributing to it. My body apparently does NOT like having it up there. But I love not having to worry about getting pregnant... I really don't want to give it up *especially if it's not the cause*! Seems like it doesn't matter what I do, I'm just prone to getting yeast infections and discharge at any time and frequently. The doctors can't give me an answer either. I'm taking probiotics and I try to keep everything clean and dry down there when I can. Blah! Its kinda depressing! I don't know what else to do at this point. With it being so hot here, I sweat like crazy. That's kinda unavoidable (even when using powder and such!).

Suggestions???

Wait, you're using powder down there?

Talc powder? Please tell me more.

Talc must be avoided, vaginally. It's not good for mucous membranes, it's actually an irritant and it shouldn't go into the body at all. Corn starch is a better option, but it also shouldn't be used near the vagina.

Do you think the powders might be a factor, because if you're using it every day, I do!

Very rarely do I use it, but i only put it on my inner thighs and the "crease" where the hip and pelvis meet (if that makes any sense), and even then it wasn't much. I tried not to get any on the vaginal area at all. I honestly haven't done that in the last year or so though. It didn't keep the sweat or moisture at bay so it was kinda pointless. I was just trying stuff to see if it would work.

Hormonal BC increases the amount of and slightly thickens the consistancy of my vaginal discharge, but it's not a yeast infection (no burning/itching)

Are you sure it's not just that?

Well the last few times its happened, I thought it was BV because it had a slight odor along with the itching and discharge. When the doc tested me, it was yeast every time. Which was odd! This time the symptoms look and feel exactly the same. I'm going to try tea tree oil and see what happens, that's supposed to get rid of yeast and bv right? I refuse to go give those folks another $20 copay for them to tell me what i already know LOL.

We with yeast issues sometimes overlook the fact that our male sex partners reinfect us. In most cases, men have no symptoms when they do have a y infection and are often not motivated to treat it, especially if they are casual or infrequent partners. Diabetic males can have severe symptoms. If you are having chronic y infections, has your provider thought to test for high blood sugar readings which may point to diabetes?

To avoid excessive wetness, we must dress so as to allow maximum evaporation of water from the pelvic area. Evaporation causes cooling and thus less sweating and helps to break the moisture cycle. Sleeping without underwear helps. Another tip is to avoid reinfection from jeans and other pants which might be worn for several days at a time without changing. This habit combined with no panties is often a factor.

The old blow dryer is useful after bathing to aid in reducing moisture. For really bad cases, if you are already taking oral contraceptive, you could try delaying your period 2-3 cycles so as not to feed the yeast with menstrual fluid.

When using hydrogen peroxide and maybe boric acid, is there a risk of causing tissue damage like severe irritation and thereby making things worse. Salt water bathes, if too strong, can cause tissue damage by burning vaginal tissue. This happens when a too strong concentration of salt water causes water to diffuse from the vaginal tissue into the bath solution. The same things happens to plants when too much fertilizer is applied. In this case, the fertilizer is the solute that causes water to diffuse out of plant tissues. Be careful with concentration levels.

What helped me treat my Yeast Infection was I used Boric Acid powder which I put in a capsule and then inserted vaginally. I bought it online. I used it for 14 days before I went to bed. That's like the only thing that Doctor's prescribe to kill stubborn Yeast Infections, that you can find online without buying illegally, that actually works.


Best Wishes from Sweaty in Social Studies

Chachaheels:

I'm on oral BC because it's been the only thing I can find that relieves the pain and constant bleeding caused by my endometriosis. And believe me, I've tried a lot of things.

Do you think that taking the big-dose acidophilous as a preventative measure (a prophylactic, so to speak) will help to counteract the BC to prevent yeast infections?

Thanks for all of your posts...you're really helpful!