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Yeast Infections During Pregnancy: Causes, Prevention And Treatment

Yeast infections are common for a lot of pregnant women. This can be scary if you don’t normally get yeast infections. It’s also important that you pay attention to what your body is doing and make sure you get checked out if you have a yeast infection and follow doctor directed instructions for safe treatment.

Getting a yeast infection while pregnant can be scary. The method of treatment for a vaginal yeast infection is typically to insert a plastic applicator tube filled with medication into the vagina. This may not be safe while pregnant and so precautions need to be taken.

Any type of infection can potentially harm the fetus, so it’s important to seek treatment and to follow your doctor’s recommendations and instructions

Pregnant Woman in a Hospital Room Yeast infections are so common during pregnancy because of the hormonal and pH changes your body is going through as the baby is growing and developing. Most women tend to experience more yeast infections during the second trimester of the pregnancy.

Most yeast infections don’t have a major impact on pregnancy, but any time your body isn’t healthy, your baby has the potential to not be as healthy as well. An infection left untreated can potentially turn into something bad down the road, not to mention add to the discomfort that women are already experiencing during pregnancy.

Yeast infections can be caused by hormonal changes that come with pregnancy and before your period. Taking hormones and birth control pills can also cause yeast infections. Other causes include taking steroids or antibiotics, high blood sugar (commonly associated with diabetes), vaginal intercourse, douching and blood or semen (poor hygiene habits).

It’s very difficult for a woman’s body to keep up with all of the chemical changes her body experiences during pregnancy. The vaginal environment is going through a great deal of change on its own in preparation for childbirth. There is also more sugar present in vaginal secretion, which is what yeast feeds on. This may cause an imbalance, resulting in a fungal infection.

Most women know that they may experience a vaginal cottage cheese-like discharge with a vaginal yeast infection, however, while pregnant, it is not uncommon for women to experience a discharge which is greenish or yellowish in color. The vaginal lips may itch, burn or be red and you may experience a burning sensation during sexual intercourse or urination.

Physicians recommend the use of vaginal creams and suppositories only during pregnancy. Some oral medications have not yet been proven safe for the fetus. If left untreated, your vaginal yeast infection can be passed to the baby’s mouth during delivery. When this happens, this type of infection is referred to as thrush and will require oral medication in order to treat it.

Most women find that it takes 10 to 14 days for a yeast infection to completely clear up during pregnancy instead of the normal 5 to 7 days. Women may implement the use of a starch-free drying powder or Nystatin powder to prevent recurring infections.