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Tips for preventing vaginal yeast infections
- Yogurt: Eat a daily cup of yogurt containing active Lactobacillus acidophilus this can substantially reduce the number of vaginal yeast infections. The yogurt must contain live cultures of the bacillus to be effective. Yogurt also provides a portion on your daily calcium requirements.
- Antibiotic usage: Do not take antibiotics indiscriminately for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. Most such infections are caused by viruses that don't respond to antibiotics. Gastrointestinal bacterial flora do respond to oral antibiotic therapy, however, and their growth inhibition by antibiotics is often accompanied by an overgrowth of antibiotic-restraint yeast in the large bowel that can predispose to vaginal yeast infections.
- Moisture in the crotch and vaginal area: Keep these areas dry. Use cotton rather than nylon underpants, avoid wearing tight-fitting panty hose and jeans. Cornstarch-containing after shower powders can be used to help keep the area dry.
- Don't spread yeast from the bowel to the vaginal area: Wipe from front to back after bowel movements to avoid contaminating the vaginal area with yeast organisms.
- Beware of repeated vaginal yeast infections: If you have repeated yeast infections an also have a family history of diabetes mellitus, consider being tested to make sure you don't have diabetes. Also be aware of the fact that certain metabolic disorders that affect your white blood cells may be associated with increased yeast infections.
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