How I Treat a Vaginal Yeast Infection

Disclaimer: I do not provide medical advise or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA. Consult your doctor before following anything you have read on this website.See my full medical disclaimer under Terms of Use.

I tend to get vaginal yeast infections.  I seem to have always gotten them even when I was younger - even in my teens.  Over the years, I have discovered that the more I eat sugar (desserts and candy) the more likely I will get a yeast infection.  And, because I know this, I try not to eat too many sweets.  However, around Halloween and Christmas time -with so much candy and home baked cookies and cakes around - I get tempted and I most likely will have a flare-up.

What is a Vaginal Yeast Infection?

It is the overpopulation of a yeast called CANDIDA which thrives on glucose and the more sugar I eat the more glucose is produced.  The candida will wipe out the normal friendly bacteria that is present in the vagina and will produce a white cheesy like discharge.

What do I do when I feel a Vaginal Yeast Infection coming on?

I take probiotics orally.  Pro-biotics are friendly bacteria that populate your stomach, gut and vaginal area. I do not insert the probiotics vaginally (tried that once, and I came down with an bacterial infection - it is not necessary).  I only  take the pills orally.

How Do I Take the Probiotics?

What I will do is to take several pills, several times a day. This is more that the recommended dosage on the bottle - but it will repopulate the vaginal area with nice friendly bacteria which will overwhelm the Candida yeast.  I just play it by ear on how many pills to take.

• If the yeast infection is just barely there, I'll take 2 or 3 pills, three times a day for 2 days.


• If it is a raging yeast infection, I may take 3-4 pills every 3-4 hours for 3 to 4 days.

I have been doing this process for over 30 years now.
30 years ago, they only sold Lactobacillus Acidolphilus - so that's what I took - and it worked fine.  Nowadays, there are so many different friendly bacteria out there, I have many choices.

Here are some typical probiotics that I tend to use (from my affiliate):

There are some strains of bacteria that are supposed to be very good for the vagina as well - so if they are available to me - I get these:

L. Acidolphilus (the L. stands for Lactobacillus which means it is a lactic acid producing bacteria) - Lactobacillus Acidolphilus normally resides in the vagina and helps to restore the acid balance in the vagina. (This is my old standby for treating yeast infections and it really does work wonders.)

L. Reuteri  and L. Rhamnosus - these pro-biotics cling to the vaginal and bladder and intestinal walls.  See Probiotics for Women's Health by Jarrow

L. Sporogenes - this friendly bacteria is also reportedly effective in treating nonspecific vaginitis caused by gram negative bacteria. see Flora-Balance.com for more info.

L. Bifidus - helps to restore the acid balance in the vagina.

L.Fermenti - helps to restore the acid balance in the vagina.

Are there Side Effects from taking Large Doses of Probiotics?

I have never had a reaction to any probiotics.  However, I have read that there is a possibility of diarrhea, and if that happens - to cut down on the amount taken until the diarrhea stops.

Notes About Taking  Over-the-Counter Anti-Fungal Yeast Infection Suppositories:

I realize that I can buy a few different brands of antifungal creams/suppositories for vaginal yeast infections over-the-counter at my local drugstore.  What they normally do is to  kill off all the Candida yeast.  I have used these many times in the past, but what happens to me is that I become very uncomfortable for about 1 week after using them (I think it's because my normal bacterial or flora need to re-populate the vaginal area on their own).   I also found out that if I then started taking the oral probiotics it would help repopulate my friendly flora faster after the candida die-off.  Currently, I skip taking the anti-fungal suppository and  only use the probiotics - it works just as good and I feel better faster.

*Disclaimer: I do not provide medical advise or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA. Consult your doctor before following anything you have read on this website. See my full medical disclaimer under Terms of Use.