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Yeast infection
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Yeast infection?
Originally Published: March 29, 1996
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Dear Alice,
I was just recently treated for a yeast infection with an over-the-counter product. I followed the directions exactly and used up all the medication. However, I'm still discharging a smooth white substance that smells faintly of yeast. I've been very worried that the nasty little beasts are trying to make a come-back, so I've been drinking LOTS of cranberry juice. I'm wondering if this isn't just keeping a new infection at a stationary point, and if I stop drinking the juice will a new infection flare up? A: am I coming down with another infection and B: what can I do to stop it before I start to itch and burn again. — Anxious
Dear Anxious, Alice is not clear about something. Were you treated for a yeast infection by a provider at Health Services? Who was it who prescribed the over-the-counter product? Who decided you had yeast? This is really important, since some vaginal conditions do not need medication, and over-medicating can cause another kind of vaginal condition, with symptoms similar to the one you describe. In addition, yeast occurs normally in a woman's body. It is only when there is an imbalance of yeast that an infection can occur. Cranberry juice changes the acidity of your urine, however it does not affect a yeast or vaginal infection, if you have it. The white smooth substance might be the medicine oozing out, or it might be another infection. Based upon your description of the events, it is important that you go to Health Services for diagnosis and treatment. Call x4-2284, then press "2" to schedule an appointment. For further information, see the other Alice question, Yeast Infection Prevention, and refer to the bible of women's health, Our Bodies, Ourselves, by The Boston Women's Health Book Collective.
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