Yeast Infections

Many women wear sanitary pads daily or nearly every day for reasons like:

1. heavy periods
2. urinary stress incontinence (when you laugh or sneeze)
3. interstitial cystitis causing urinary leakage 24 hours a day
4. *other vaginal wetness

Many women use non-cotton underwear as well, which does not let wetness evaporate. Teens and women should always use full cotton undies or at least cotton-crotch underwear.

The most common reason for an area of redness in any skin fold is yeast. Skin folds include:

• at the panty's leg lines
• at the panty's waist line

The hallmark sign of skin yeast infection is skin burning in a skin fold and extreme burning.

Further, any itching and redness on the genitals, with white cottage-cheese like vaginal discharge is caused by yeast. This typically starts as a vaginal yeast infection, but can spread from pubic bone to anus. The hallmark sign of a vaginal yeast infection is the type of discharge with extreme itching and burning.

Yeast prefers to grow in areas that are:

• dark
• warm
• moist, wet

Vaginal yeast over-growth can occur more often for:

• teens / women who are sexually active
• teens / women during reproductive years
• within 2-7 days after just having had sex
• after using oral antibiotics
• after menstruation when there is extra moisture

Skin-fold yeast over-growth can occur more often for:

• females with larger breasts
• females who nearly always wear bras more than 12-14 hrs a day
• males or females who are overweight and have more folds that rarely get air
• males or females active in sports who then experience excess sweat and "moisture"
• males or females who do not get completely dry after showering, such as hurrying after gym or sports

You cannot always prevent yeast infections. Some tips, however, include:

• any larger person can fold up a cotton cloth and place between any folds to keep skin apart; an ideal cloth is an infant size receiving blanket because it is small and soft and will help dry excess moisture
• locking your bedroom door and closing the drapes, then going without underwear for the night so air can reach the genital area
• always completely drying after a bath or shower
• air drying in addition after a bath or shower
• always practicing good hygiene--taking regular baths/showers, for example, to control yeast that normally grows on the skin
• using cotton underwear
• avoiding antibiotics unless absolutely necessary; alerting all your doctors if you are prone to yeast infections

So, can a woman be allergic to sanitary pads? Yes, however, most often the explanations for redness, itchiness, and burning is friction irritation from the plastic on pads, or a yeast infection.

1. It is important to recognize the differences between friction irritation versus yeast. Vaginal yeast will always have white cottage-cheese thick discharge. If it is green, that is a different infection ("trich"). It will burn and ITCH.
2. If friction irritation, it will feel more like the burning of a paper cut. If on the genital area, one spot (often one part of the labia) will swell and BURN, but not really itch.

Home remedies for SMALL genital irritations, SMALL abrasions/friction irritations and for yeast infectionss include:

1. tepid warm baths
2. no bath oils or bubbles!
3. use MILD soaps
4. be gentle with washing
5. rinse thoroughly
6. PAT dry but completely dry
7. a folded up cotton cloth to put between skin folds

In addition for vaginal yeast infections, you can use a warm compress:

1. Within hours after a bath, llay a towel on your bed
2. undress so you just have a robe on
3. get a folded washcloth and hand towel
4. run water until it is the hottest you can stand from the TAP -- do NOT boil water on the stove for this. The tap water will make a steaming wash cloth, which is hot enough.
5. wet the washcloth with hot-hot tap water. Press out excess water. To keep the wash cloth hot, wrap the wet cloth into a dry hand towel.
6. Take to your bed; lay down and carefully put part of the hot washcloth on the area of itch. *Remove if too hot ! Try again. Let it sit 5 to 10 minutes as long as it is not burning your skin.
7. Remember, do not use the same cloth for breast or other skin folds that you use on your genitals. You CAN transfer live yeast from one body area to another area-- yuck--so you want to avoid this from happening. Always use a different cloth for a different area.
8. PAT and AIR dry after using a warm compress.
9. You can repeat a warm compress every 4 to 6 hours.

In addition, for vaginal and skin yeast, your doctor can prescribe or suggest:

• Monistat (TM) vaginal cream for vaginal yeast infections
• another non-prescription over the counter topical med
• Diflucan (TM) - oral tablet (one only unless the doctor orders more)
• other oral anti-fungal medication, for example, Lamisil
• Follow all directions. Report any adverse reactions. Report if the infection continues OR returns after finishing the last dose of the oral medications

Lastly, do not assume you have an "allergy" to your usual sanitary pad. Follow the suggestions given, and try your preferred pad again after you've gotten rid of the infection.