Reoccuring Yeast Infections

Yeast, or Candida, occurs naturally in the body. However, it can grow and multiply when the conditions are right; this results in a yeast infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "Nearly 75 percent of all adult women have had at least one genital yeast infection in their lifetime." Recurring yeast infections happen in only 5 percent of women.

Symptoms

• If you have more than four yeast infections (also called candidiasis) per year, that is considered recurring. The symptoms of a yeast infection are swelling, itching, redness and burning in the vaginal and rectal area. You may notice little cracks in the skin of the folds of your genitals. You may have pain during urination or sex. According to Women's Health.gov, you could have "a thick white, vaginal discharge that looks like cottage cheese and does not have a bad smell."

Habits That Contribute to Yeast Growth

• When a woman has recurring yeast infections, she should look for an underlying cause or something in her lifestyle that changed and affected the environment in her vagina. Yeast thrives and grows in warm, moist environments. This can be the situation in a woman's genital area if she wears wet or damp clothing. Personal habits that may be contributing to frequent yeast infections are using spermicides, more than one sexual partner, a recent change in sexual partners, soaps, bubble baths, wearing tight underwear, lack of sleep, stress, hot tub and pool usage, douching and oral contraceptives.

  Another personal habit that can contribute to a yeast infection is wiping the wrong way after having a bowel movement. Females should always wipe from front to back, thus avoiding contamination from the anus.

Conditions

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, "Conditions that may put a woman at risk for genital candidiasis (yeast infection) are pregnancy, diabetes mellitus, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and use of corticosteroid medications (steroids)."

Menstrual Cycle

• Some women will notice that a yeast infection occurs at the same time every month, for example near their menstrual cycle. This is due to the increased sugar, or glycogen, in the vagina during this time. The yeast feeds off of the sugar. Usually, once your period starts, the yeast infection will go away on its own.

Sexual Contact

• Yeast infections can be passed through sexual contact, but this is not common.

  It is uncommon for men to get yeast infections. If he does have a yeast infection, you could be passing it back and forth.

  A person with a weakened immune system, such as someone with HIV/AIDS, can suffer from recurrent yeast infections.

Treatments

• Using an over-the-counter yeast infection cream such as Monistat or Mycelex will normally work if you have a yeast infection. However, you will continue to get yeast infections if you do not find out and correct the underlying cause of it.

  If you have frequent yeast infections it is a good idea to see your doctor. You may have bacterial vaginosis, in which the symptoms are similar to yeast infections, but the treatment is totally different. The sexually transmitted diseases chlamydia and gonorrhea have similar symptoms to yeast infections, so see your doctor to confirm that you are not infected with those if you are having recurrent yeast infections.