The Women’s Health Practice Pearls to Prevent Yeast Infections

1. Modify Sugar consumption, yes, moderation is reasonable! But look for hidden sugars that you aren’t counting (like that goblet of red wine in your hand!)

2. Diabetes and un-diagnosed glucose intolerance. This is the consequence of your body having sugar it cannot metabolize, a simple blood test can make the diagnosis.

3. Antibiotic overuse, a ubiquitous American Problem. The FDA even had to weigh in on dog antibiotic overuse! This could be from dietary exposure, think twice before taking antibiotics for respiratory conditions that may be viral.

4. Untreated gut yeast colonization, this is the ultimate reservoir that causes many infections. Your gut health is one of the most important ways we control all infections. For some it’s poor diet, for others probiotics are needed, and for others we look to testing for food allergies.

5. Untreated vaginal dryness or atrophy, this may be due to menopause, changing hormones, or stress. Medical treatments are available but simple vaginal health regenerating procedures that can keep the lining tissue healthy without introducing hormones to your body that you may not need

6. Wearing chronically tight clothing and not changing out of wet workout gear, probably only makes existing infections worse but be smart about workout wear.

7. Weak immune system: from too much stress, to too many cigarettes, to too many late nights, any health behaviors that weaken your immunity will lead to less resistance to infection, even yeast infections.

8. New partners: not completely confirmed, men have yeast (more typically in a foreskin rather than someone circumcised) they could pass on, but we actually have our own colonies that we harbor that are more likely the cause. So condoms, and condoms with spermicide might be protective against yeast infections.

9. Wearing tampons too long: not a confirmed cause of yeast infections either, but anything that changes pH of the vaginal environment can have the effect of triggering another infection. We suggest wearing pads at night.

10. Hormonal imbalances. Oral contraception can balance some women’s hormones, and yet for some women the balance is tipped in the direction of getting infections. Pregnancy hormone levels are far greater, and being pregnant can predispose a woman to yeast infections. This is a matter to work out with your gyno..