[MommyTrust]

Hi,
I have had a mild yeast infection for a few weeks now. I told my OB about it and he gave me a prescription, saying it's safe and has always used safely in all his pregnant patient. I just picked up the prescription, and found out that it is "Nystatin-Triamcinolone ointment" which is a steroid!!!!

I just can't believe he's telling me steroid is safe during pregnancy! I was just wondering what experiences other moms here have had with prescription meds for yeast infection. OTC meds never help me and I have never tried natural remedies.

Just looking through this board I learned about some natural ways to treat yeast infection, like garlic suppository. (sorry! TMI WARNING!) But my itch is not internal/vaginal!! It's on the very top and outside of my vagina, almost around the clitoris... Now I know that garlic suppository won't help it up there! should I just rub garlic on my skin? (even though it doesn't sound very soothing).. I also have a grape fruit seed extract spray for wounds and skin infections. Can I use it down there? Or rub some coconut oil? I'm so sensitive in that area that everything just scares me. The only thing that soothes me right now is occasional wash with a mild soap! uuuugh.... Please help!

Thanks very much.

 

[HarperCait]

I have huge, recurring problems with yeast and other vaginal infections and discomfort.

I have (finally!!!) found the following to be the most effective treatment:
(Better than store bought remedies)

1. drink a crapload of cranberry juice. Yes I know it's supposed to be for UTI's, but for some reason it works for me for this.

2. take a long bath everyday with a generous amount of baking soda in it. Lowers pH levels. When I say generous, I mean up to 1/4 cup.

3. Keep ALL perfumed substances away from the genital area- this includes regular soaps. Only use Dove Sensitive Skin soap, or other 100% perfume free soap. Be careful of body wash or shampoo running down into that area.

Other people have told me to eat lots of yoghurt. It's never really worked for me, but supposedly works for some people. If the itching/discomfort drives you totally nuts you can try putting some yoghurt on the affected area. It's generally cool and soothing. I prefer the afforementioned soda bath though, because it will work much better to calm the area affected. You don't want to be adding creamy goops where they are not absolutely needed. Better to keep things dry and aired out as much as possible.

 

[StrongFeather]

We just had this discussion in our DDC, here is what I had replied.. I hope it helps!!

Once you get it all under control I recommend taking a Probiotic every day. I like Jarrow Formulas Jarro-Dophilus EPS

http://www.jarrow.com/product/228/Jarro_Dophilus_EPS

Also yogurt, (to eat!!), and a healthy dose of garlic every day seems to help keep those little buggers in check.

Now for a natural non-chemical remedy:
This many be WAY more than you than you are willing to try, but you can wrap a large clove of garlic in cheesecloth and use like a tampon over night. Might be a bit smelly though...
here is a website that explains..
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/garlic.asp

you might want to check and see if it's ok to do while pregnant..but I don't know why it wouldn't be..better than those chemicals..

Sorry if this grosses any of you out..(like I am doing right now telling DH about it now..)

 

[sunshynbaby]

In addition to eating yoghurt, apply a thick layer of plain yoghurt directly to the area. I usually do this sitting on the bathtub or toilet and leave it on for a good 10 minutes before rinsing it off. Good luck!

 

[Miasmamma]

I am dealing with what I think is an external yeast infection. Nothing internal at all, but lots of itching and burning on the outer labia. That and my MW just told me that it could be my dryer sheets. I bought Bounce the last time b/c they were on sale and with all the extra moisture it could be reacting. So I'm off to get a pro-biotic and new dryer sheets, or maybe just some tennis balls today.

 

[sky_and_lavender]

If you have a vaginal yeast infection, one safe treatment is to put boric acid capsules in your vagina. I actually read about this first in Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Healing for Women. She talked about a pregnant woman who just couldn't get rid of an infection and eventually resorted to this.

I thought it sounded odd but later a mainstream OB-GYN encouraged me to try it when I was suffering from recurrent yeast infections (that didn't respond to natural or conventional treatment) following extended treatment with antibiotics for a more serious illness.

You can special order medical grade boric acid from a pharmacy if they don't have it. It is OTC. I got empty "00" capsules from the health food store and filled them with boric acid. I think my usual treatment was 2 capsules inserted once a day in the evening for 7-10 days. Some people experience discomfort, though I didn't. It is a good idea to wear a pad to protect your underwear.

Some sources say boric acid suppositories while pregnant are a bad idea. Here is an old Mothering.com thread in which several people discuss this. Personally, I would rather use boric acid than the usual OTC creams while I'm pregnant (or any other time, really.)

In the end, what "cured" me of chronic vaginal yeast was an extended habit of only wearing skirts and dresses, with only cotton underwear, and lots of going commando when at home. I also changed my diet around a bit, but it's hard to tell if that had anything to do with it.

 

[boscopup]

OTC and rx meds never work for me. What worked for me in previous pregnancies was just spraying the area with ACV/water mixed 50/50 at every bathroom trip. You could also soak in a bath with ACV added.

This time around, that hasn't worked, but a product called Yeast Arrest by Vitanica seems to help a lot. The hard part is keeping it up for 7+ days! It has boric acid and other anti-yeast stuff. Definitely helps with the INSANE itching. Also, my YIs are *always* external symptoms, but treating inside still helps.

 

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I got one of those just like that during my pregnancy. The only thing that helped was grapefruit seed extract, watered down, on a cottonball. I would wipe with it every time I peed or changed clothes. Worked like a charm!

 

[MommyTrust]

Thanks everyone for the great info. I think I'll start with the simple ones and hope one will work. I've started to freak out a little as I'm worried how it's gonna affect the pregnancy.... Specially that it's been going on for a few weeks now!
Thanks again.

 

[boscopup]

If it helps you feel better... I've had mine the entire pregnancy (I'm 32 weeks), and haven't had any complications as of yet. I would like to kill it though, and I'm trying and trying. I have a history of PPROM at 29 weeks, yet I've already gotten past that point and have no PTL or anything either.

 

[MommyTrust]

Thanks again everyone. Just wanted to give you an update. I started with rinsing with Grapefruit seed extract (just because it was the easiest!) and it has worked great so far. I feel much better and I hope it would go away completely and doesn't come back....

Thanks.

 

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I've had the vulval/clitoral yeast infection for a few weeks, and it sucks alot. I can't eat yogurt (cuz it's gross, and barf and ew) but I can take acidophilus pills which helped a lot.

Also, I found that if I'm not terribly well groomed down there that the hair can irritate the clitoris, and shaving helped that a bit.

 

[intrepidmother]

I used to get yeast infections all the time!

As a proactive method whenever I felt "the itch" I shoved a clove of garlic up my vagina over night (and repeated for a week). I freeze my garlic, so it was nice and cold and soothing. Also, plain, no-sugar yogurt works well. Just put the yogurt into latex gloves and freeze them. Over night- you can just pop one into your vagina. It totally soothes the area and fights the infection before it gets out of control!

 

[spitbath]

honestly, it doesn't sound like a yeast infection, that is, candida. it sounds like vulvitis. i treat this with vitamin E oil, or slippery elm bark paste. don't wear tight clothes [to avoid ANY rubbing]. the baking soda bath is a great idea.
good luck!