Tuesday, February 2, 2010

How to Prevent a Yeast Infection

Being someone who has had to deal with numerous yeast infections over the years, I have a lot of good advice on things you can do to prevent them.

-I use a PH balanced body wash called Very Private to clean "down there". You can order this body wash online. Before I learned of Very Private, I used Dove sensitive skin unscented soap. The key is to use something very gentle and with no fragrance.

-I try to avoid using tampons unless I'm in a swimsuit and I always use fragrance free tampons on those rare occasions. I know some women think that pads (again, fragrance free, of course) are gross, and I agree, it does put all your business right there for you to see, but tampons have been known to increase your chance of getting yeast infections. Plus, when your vagina is as sensitive as mine, it's really quite uncomfortable to have something even as small as a tampon in there.

-I blow dry my whole crotch area on the cool setting of the hair dryer when I get out of the shower. Yeast thrive in a moist environment, so it's important to keep the area as dry as you can.

-I take Probiotic Acidophilus in a pill form every day (you can buy it online or in health food stores) - it is the live bacteria found in yogurt that can fight yeast.

-I also eat yogurt frequently for the live bacteria.

-I take a garlic supplement every day (I recommend a small dosage so you don't end up burping up garlic all day - I take 100mg)

-I only wear 100% cotton underwear.

-No tight pants. Let the girl breathe.

-I drink lots of water. I find that on days when I get a bit dehydrated, that's when my vagina starts to burn more.

-When I do my dilator exercises, I use lubrication that is glycerin free. One of my physical therapists is actually studying the affects of yeast infections on vaginal pain and she says that you absolutely must use a glycerin free lube. Apparently, glycerin can really irritate a sensitive vagina. I use either KY Sensitive Jelly or Slippery Stuff Gel Lubricant.

-I use fragrance free detergent and dryer sheets.

-I have read and heard of several studies that show that oral birth control can be a contributor to both vaginal problems and reduced libido, therefore, I have stopped taking it. I mean, I can't have sex anyway, so what's the point?

All of these things are so second nature to me now that I don't even really think about having to do them anymore. It sounds like a lot, but once you get used to it, it's just normal life. If I think of any more I'll add them in.

I still get yeast infections. I don't know why, the doctors don't know why. But these things above do help, so try them out. If you have any additional suggestions, please leave them as a comment on this post.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Going commando is also a good option. I was freaked about doing that but it's helped my pain go away and it really does help.

You can put all natural, no sweeter, no sugared yogurt into your "woman cave" to stop yeast. It did the trip and stopped a really bad infection I had.

Anonymous said...

trick, can't spell lol

Sarah said...

Thanks for the suggestion. I've heard of that before but always been a little squeemish to put food in my vagina. But next time I have a yeast infection maybe I'll give it a try. Thanks for reading my blog!

Anonymous said...

try washing with diluted organic cider viniger.. tea tree is also good. I have also added lavender and geranium oil to the diluted cider viniger...

I take Pau Darco in capsule form which really helps. 3 capsules a day during an attack and one a day the rest of the time.

Cut as much sugar, yeast/fungi and vinager (apart from organic cider vinger) from your diet. There are other foods they say to cut out but these are the ones i cut out.

using a bowel cleans such as soaked linseed is also good because the nasties csan live in your gut and bowels.

Sarah said...

When you say a "bowel clense" with soaked linseed, what do you mean by that? Is it a pill that you take, or actual linseeds that are soaked that you put up your bowels? I have constipation issues, so I'd like to know more about this. Thanks.

Jaene said...

I have read that eating strawberries and coconut oil also reduce body wide yeast.