Vaginal Candidiasis ("Yeast") Infections

• Vaginal yeast infections are also called Candida vaginal infections or candidiasis.  These are common fungal infections that result from an overgrowth of the fungus Candida albicans. Candida is normally present in the body - in the vagina, mouth and gastrointestinal tract - in small amounts. However, when an imbalance occurs, Candida can multiply and symptoms of candidiasis appear.
• Most cases of Candida infection are caused by the person's own Candida organisms. Candida is not passed from person to person through sex; it is not considered a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
• 75 percent of all women are likely to have at least one vaginal yeast infection during their lives; up to 45 percent of women may have two or more yeast infections.
• Vaginal yeast infections are the second most common cause of vaginal discharge in the United States (the first is bacterial vaginosis).
• Women tend to be more susceptible to vaginal yeast infections if their bodies are under stress from poor diet, illness, or lack of sleep.  Yeast infections also occur commonly when women take antibiotics or corticosteroid medications. These conditions can destroy the so-called "friendly bacteria" that normally inhabit the vagina keeping yeast fungus in balance.
• Yeast infections are also common during pregnancy and in women with diabetes, perhaps due to a chemical change in the vaginal environment -- there is more sugar in the vaginal secretions on which the yeast feed.
• Other precipitating factors may include wearing tight clothing, which traps heat and moisture and doesn't permit sufficient air circulation to allow the area to dry thoroughly.
• Although it is rare, men may also experience genital candidiasis.
• About 5 percent (one in 20) of women with vaginal yeast infections develop recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC), which is defined as four or more symptomatic vaginal yeast infections in a one-year period. Although RVVC is more common in women who have diabetes or weakened immune systems, most women with RVVC have no underlying medical illness that would predispose them to recurrent Candida infections.  It is important to differentiate a recurrent vaginal yeast infection from one that was not properly treated in the first place.

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Created: 10/23/2001  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.