Overview
Vaginal Yeast Infection is caused by a fungus called candida which lives naturally on skin and inside your body. Candida or in other words yeast when overgrows for some reason causes yeast infection. You will get an itchy and burning sensation with a thick vaginal discharge indicating yeast infection. Every woman gets it once in a while. Pregnancy is one time when risks of yeast infection increases significantly as the hormonal balance changes. Home remedies like yogurt and honey come to rescue.
Is Yogurt Really Good for Yeast Infections?
Yogurt has been in use as a home remedy for vaginal yeast infection around the world for ages. It contains a friendly bacteria named lactobacillus. Yeast infection is overgrowth of harmful bacteria, so adding yogurt balances out the good and bad bacteria to give you relief.
Scientific studies( details stated later in the article) have also proved its effectiveness to treat vaginal infection. The probiotics in yogurt also helps balance the good bad bacteria in the guts also which indirectly helps to reduce symptoms of vaginal fungus.
What Causes Vaginal Yeast Infection?
Yeast infection is caused by the overgrowth of candida which otherwise lies dormant in our body. When your immunity gets weak due to any reason, your risks of getting yeast infection increases.
Following are some of the causes that act as catalysts for the fungus to grow resulting in yeast infection.
- Lack of proper hygiene in the vaginal area
- Use of birth control pills
- Antibiotics
- Steroids
- Pregnancy
- Acid Reflux and GERD
- Diabetes
- HIV/ AIDS
Symptoms of Yeast Infection
Every woman gets vaginal yeast infection on time or more in a lifetime. It can happen at any age to any girl or a woman as it is not a sexually transmitted disease but is caused due to overgrowth of a fungus that resides in the body.
Following are the main symptoms of vaginal Yeast Infection
- Thick vaginal discharge
- Itching
- Burning
How to Use Yogurt to Treat Yeast Infections?
There are a number of different ways you can use yogurt on your Vaginal Yeast Infection. You can use it topically as well as insert in the vagina.
Make sure that your yogurt is plain organic yogurt without any added sugar or other additives. Sugar is a food on which candida thrives so avoid sugar added yogurt.
1. Topical Application
Apply yogurt by smearing generously on your vulva (the outer lips of vagina)
2. Tampons
Dip a tampon in yogurt and insert it in the vagina.
3. Finger Application
If you do not use tampons then you can insert yogurt in the vagina with your fingers. Clean your hand and fingers and apply yogurt with a finger inside your vagina.
Yogurt and Honey
Scientific research as stated above has proved the effectiveness of the use of combination of yogurt and honey in treating yeast infection.
Mix equal quantities of yogurt and honey and apply it on your vagina in any of the above 3 methods.
Honey has both antibiotic as well as antimicrobial capabilities, therefore it works well with yogurt to curtail and cure yeast infection.
Doctors Views
Most doctors do not recommend yogurt to treat vaginal yeast infection. They believe that while yogurt may give a soothing effect it can not be cured.
When actress Gabrielle Union wrote in her book published in 2017, that she has used Yogurt to treat her yeast infection, most doctors' reaction was against the use of yogurt.
Many home remedies get such negative reaction from qualified doctors. Only more research can prove it one way or the other.
There are at least two research papers that show yogurt works well on yeast infections.
A study published in July 2012 in the Global Journal of Health Sciences revealed that a mixture of Yogurt and Honey was able to cure vaginal Yeast Infection in pregnant women.
Another study published in the same journal in April 2015 comparing commercial clotrimazole based antifungal cream found that yogurt and honey mix was more Effective than the commercial cream to cure the symptoms of vaginal candidiasis.
Risks
There are no known risks in using yogurt for vaginal Yeast Infections. If you are pregnant then it is always better to use natural products than the chemicals. Since initial research suggests it's effectiveness you can go for it.
If your infection is severe and doesn't go with yogurt then you can always go for conventional treatment for yeast infection.
The best is to let your doctor monitor it while you are using yogurt to cure yeast infection.
Tips and Precautions
Following tips and precautions will not only help you to get rid of your yeast infection fast but will also assist in preventing it in future.
- Keep your genital area dry and clean. Moisture creates breeding ground for candida to overgrow and cause infection.
- Avoid wearing tight clothes particularly when you are already suffering from yeast infection.
- Use cotton undergarments to reduce moisture
- Do not use scented tampons. Always use unscented ones to avoid fungal infection
- Ensure that your soap doesn't change the pH balance in your vaginal area. Use mild shower gels to clean the area.
- Avoid using estrogen based contraceptives as they impact candida overgrowth due to hormonal imbalance.
- Sleep well
- Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily
- Avoid stress
Though yogurt has been found effective in dealing with the vaginal Yeast Infection, it is still safe to keep your doctor in the loop. This is especially important when you are pregnant.