yeast infection prevention?

Body: 

Just returned from uro-gyn. Have another yeast infection, the 2nd in 5 months. Hopefully, caught early enough to get a stop to it. The last one developed into a prolonged series of medication and pain.
My question is - given that post menopausal women and women with pops have more yeast infections, what is a good preventative? I'm already taking a probiotic capusle daily (by mouth) and watching my diet. Today the Dr. switched from Estrace to a compounded cream that should cause less irritation. Anything else I could do? Just HATE feeling like I am going to burn forever.

Maybe you need more probiotics? Coconut oil is also anti yeast if you can find a way to incorporate this into your diet, or take a couple spoonfuls daily. Limit sugar, potatoes, pasta, corn, bread etc. Sauerkraut, water kefir & yogurt are also all loaded with helpful bacteria. You can also treat a yeast infection by making a yogurt paste. adding a teaspoon of powdered probiotic to 2 table spoons plain organic yogurt and inserting vaginally. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice! Hard to find organic anything in my small town, but am going into the city tomorrow to the Whole Foods with a list of things to find. I took my diflucan this afternoon, so hopefully it will work. I'm trying to figure out a maintenace plan to ward off anymore yeast infections. I'll go back to dr in 5 weeks hoping to get a pessary. I think that'll make life some easier.

organic is best but not necessary. plain will work just fine. good luck!

Volatile or ethereal oils, such as peppermint oil and oregano oil are capable of preventing fungal growth. There are capsules available that contain these oils and are covered with enteric.

Another effective natural yeast infection medication is caprylic acid derived from coconut oil or oleic acid that can be obtained from olive oil. Both of these have shown efficacy in controlling yeast overgrowth.

Another effective home remedy against the condition is apple cider vinegar. This can be used for washing the vagina when suffering from vaginal yeast infection.

These are just some and there are still more. You can visit this site for more: yeast infection remedies

OK, here is another one. A small amount of clove oil in a spritz bottle of water will kill mildew on ceilings, in bathrooms, etc. It just dries and can be brushed off, and will not regrow. There is a special recipe that I cannot put my hand on at the moment. More does not work better, and clove oil is to be handled with care, like any essential oil.

I wondered if it could be used for killing yeast, and it apparently has been used for this. The active in it is called Eugenol. I wonder what the oral dosage would be, and if it would kill candida from the inside? Here is a website about it. It has a *very* high ORAC score (oxygen radical absorption capacity).

Louise

Just to say thanks for all the info. I learn so much from all of you:) xwholewomanuk

I haven't been on here for several years, but I'm experiencing a yeast infection that won't go away. It may also be what's causing very painful intercourse.

I've been using probiotics and kefir, and I've been doing a vaginal douche with apple cider vinegar, but this has been almost 4 months now

I was taking antibiotics for a bladder infection at the same time as I was using the Monistat7 -- which could have worked against the Monistat7. I also started taking something to increase estrogen (until I realized that the pill I was taking was 'Hormone Replacement Therapy', and could cause other problems)

Can anyone tell me how often it is safe to do the douche ... and how long it should take before the yeast infection goes away??

I should also mention that because of the yeast infection, my doctor found that I am Type 2 Diabetic.

Hi Want2know,

We certainly can’t tell you not to take the advice of your doctors. All we can do is describe the Whole Woman Way to vulva-vaginal health in a very general way. I would never poison my vagina or bladder with antibiotics or antifungals. This is likely what set you up for such persistent infection, which is probably being caused by gram-negative bacteria rather than yeast.

We don’t douche with vinegar, but instead keep a small squirt bottle of half vinegar, half filtered water to spray on the outside (vulva). The post-menopausal vagina benefits greatly from regular use (every 12 to 24 hours) of honey (just raw, local honey from your own area). You insert a small amount of honey high in your vagina rather than taking it by mouth. Like our native vaginal glycogen (which we lose after menopause), honey acts as a prebiotic to call in and feed the beneficial microorganisms from your own environment. Most of these species are from the genus Lactobacillus, which keep the vaginal walls moist, slightly acidic, and pain free.

The bladder microbiome is a mirror image of the vaginal microbiome, and what is in the bladder must migrate from the vagina. This is why keeping a healthy vaginal microbiome prevents bladder infections.

If you want more information, here is our video on the subject:

https://whole-woman.thinkific.com/?page=3

Best wishes,

Christine

Thank you so much, Christine. I will search for the things you suggest.

Although I go to my doctor, even he knows that I am not happy about taking medications of any sort. I usually do all kinds of checking on my own, and I try to use natural methods.

Thanks again

By the way -- does shaving the pelvic area reduce the chance of bladder and vaginal infections??

I can’t offer any scientific information on the subject, but if I had to guess, the native microflora of pubic hair actually protect the labia and clitoris from pathogenic species. Your natural body was made perfectly. Women have a difficult time seeing their perfection because we have been convinced by the medical system that we are defective, dysfunctional and prone to disease. Shaving to look pre-pubescent disrupts entire communities of microorganisms, not to mention damages both men and women psychologically, emotionally and sexually.

I had read that somewhere else, and I felt that it was correct. I wanted your perspective on it.

Whether it's nose hair, underarm hair, or pubic hair, it's there for a reason.

Having used the raw honey now faithfully for 2 weeks, I'm wondering how long it normally takes for it to heal the vagina walls and allow pain-free intercourse.

Any help, please??

Thanks
want2know

Please re-read what Christine wrote above, regarding how often to use the honey, and what the benefits are. - Surviving

but that doesn't answer my question

I assure you that I read and understood Christine's instructions, but my question is: How long does it take for the application of honey to take effect?

I was faithfully using the raw honey twice a day for two weeks, but after two weeks of faithfully applying it, intercourse was painful and caused me to bleed

We cannot tell you how long. It may be that all the mucus membranes in your body have been seriously disrupted by the antibiotics and antifungals.

We also can't know if restoring your vaginal microbiota will help with painful intercourse. Restoration of the vaginal ecosystem will not restore the architecture of the post-menopausal vagina-vulva. The tissues will still be thin and inelastic. Vaginal atrophy is ubiquitous in the older woman.

Christine

I will continue to experiment then.

I'm thinking that the kefir is finally taking effect, but I've been experiencing pain, itching and blood in the past week, so I'll listen to my body and continue to work with the kefir and raw honey

quick question about the vinegar/water spritz - should this be white vinegar? apple cider?
All i have at home is the apple cider - I might give it a go but wanted to know if i should go out and get some white vinegar as well....
i seem to be having some sort of bad bacteria going on... itching and discomfort but only around the clitoris area - not in or around the vagina.... nothing too terrible but definitely something going on that i'd rather nip in the bud.

From reading Christine's posts, I am seeing that it doesn't matter; If one kind isn't working as well, try the other, perhaps?