What is exactly is Candida? What causes it? Are recurring yeast infections common? And can men get yeast infections too? These, along with a multitude of other questions, can plague many people who are suffering from any number of forms of yeast infection. Or if they may have had a previous history of it and are looking to keep it from occurring again.

The technical, medical term for yeast infections is candidiasis. It is an infection created by fungi or yeast. Thus, the name of yeast infection. Yeast inhabits everybody’s body all the time. However, certain factors can trigger the yeast to multiply, which then results in an uncomfortable rash. Over twenty types of Candida are known to exist. The one which causes yeast infections the most is called Candida albicans.

Types, symptoms, causes, and treatments of common yeast infections

There are various types of yeast infections which can occur. The most common tends to be vaginal yeast infections, which affect nearly seventy-five percent of women around the world. Following up, other yeast infections include diaper yeast infection, oral thrush, and nipple thrush. While those are the most prevalent, yeast infections can occur in numerous other places. It especially likes to grow in warm, moist areas of your body, such as in creases of your skin, under and around your fingernails and toenails, in your mucus membranes, and in your gastrointestinal tract.

Vaginal yeast infections

A vaginal yeast infection is a type of vaginitis, which is the inflammation of the vagina. It is extremely common among women, with many women even having two or three or more infections throughout their lives. To calm any fears, vaginal yeast infections are not a sexually transmitted disease, although yeast infection can spread through sexual contact.

Symptoms

Symptoms include itchiness, soreness, and redness in and around the vagina, as well as possible swelling. You may experience burning in your vagina during sexual intercourse or using the restroom. You may have discharge, which will be odorless and look like cottage cheese (recommend not eating cottage cheese for supper after this description).

Causes

Candida Albicans can naturally live inside a woman without causing any irritations or creating uncomfortable situations. However, there are various factors which can definitely irritate and cause the yeast fungus to start multiplying too rapidly for the body to kill it off.

Women who are pregnant, on an oral contraceptive, about to start their monthly cycle, take certain antibiotics, are diabetic, have lowered immune systems, wear tight underclothes, and who even take frequent bubble baths are all prone to yeast infections.

Factors which affect a woman’s hormones (such as being pregnant or on the pill) can cause yeast infections because hormones help keep sugar the right level in the vaginal lining. When the hormones are disturbed, the sugar levels also get rearranged and the ability for the body to fight off the yeast fungus already inside is lowered. A lowered immune system automatically results in any infection getting an easier hold on an individual’s body. Tight underwear which does not breathe well can also cause yeast infections, as the area is then kept warm and moist, especially during hotter weather.

Treatments

Many vaginal yeast infections can be treated with over the counter medications or home remedies.  Most over the counter can cure a yeast infection in a week. These medicines include terconazole, miconazole, clotrimazole, and butoconazole. These are usually creams. There are also pills to take.

Home remedies cannot be medically guaranteed to work, but many women have been cured from yeast infections by using them. Some include changing up your diet and tea tree oil cream. It is highly recommended that you see a doctor if your symptoms increase after a week of over the counter or home treatments, or if your symptoms get worse.

If you have any question at all that your yeast infection might not actually be a yeast infection, make an appointment with your doctor. Sometimes it a symptom of something more serious. If it is just a yeast infection, your doctor can prescribe a single-dose pill for you to take which should clear the infection up quickly.

Yeast diaper rash (baby’s nappy rash)

Anybody who has cared long for a baby is familiar with diaper rashes. While not all diaper rashes are yeast infections, some are. If a rash on your baby’s behind will not go away after typical diaper cream application and frequently changing your baby’s diaper, most likely the baby has a yeast infection. Yeast diaper rashes are not overly common with babies, but it is wise to keep an eye out for any diaper rashes which seem to be worsening.

Symptoms

Obviously, babies cannot speak to let you know what they are feeling with their yeast diaper rashes. However, a deep, splotchy reddening of the skin around the groin area clues you to a rash. A yeast diaper rash will have red raised areas filled with fluid. These pustules can also spread to the thighs and stomach.

Causes

Babies can get yeast infections because the yeast fungus likes to grow in warm, moist environments. Exactly what your baby’s behind supplies, due to being wrapped up in a diaper all day. A diaper rash which is also ignored can turn into a yeast infection. If your baby has recently suffered from an oral yeast infection, the chances it can get a baby’s nappy rash occurs. This happens because the fungus travels through the digestive system from the mouth out into the diaper. This fungus lies next to the skin, making it easy for another yeast infection to start. Babies who are also on antibiotics or mothers who are breastfeeding and on antibiotics can also cause diaper yeast infections.

Treatment

Antifungal creams can be applied to your baby’s backside to help lessen the pain, as well as to reduce the swelling and eventually kill the fungus. These can be gotten at your local drug store over the counter. Your pediatrician may prescribe an oral treatment to help get rid any of the yeast infection which may be inside the baby’s gastrointestinal tract.

Changing your baby’s diaper frequently and making sure he or she gets a regular bath helps keep the risk of diaper yeast infections down. It is also recommended that you let your baby have some time with his or her diaper off, allowing the diaper area to air out and not always be trapped inside an environment which could easily breed yeast infections.

Oral thrush

Candida albicans found in the mouth is called oral thrush, thrush, or thrush mouth. Yeast infection in the mouth occurs mainly in babies or older people. Both women and men can get oral thrush.

It is also the most common opportunistic infection for HIV. This means that while oral thrush does not cause HIV, if you already have a weak immune system, it leaves your body very susceptible to developing HIV.

Symptoms

Obviously, oral thrush appears in your mouth. It can show up on your tongue, the roof of your mouth, inside your cheeks, gums, back of your throat, and even tonsils. The spots are off whitish, rather creamy in appearance. They sit on top of red bumps, which can bleed some if they are scraped. Besides being very unsightly, oral thrush usually causes notable pain and discomfort. This yeast infection can start out small inside your mouth and gradually spread throughout.

You may also lose your sense of taste due to oral thrush, and the sides of your mouth may painfully crack.

Causes

Yeast infection in the mouth usually occurs in infants and older people, mainly due to the fact that their immune systems tend to be lower than most adults. However, those whose immune systems are weak are very vulnerable to oral thrush. Consequently, this makes oral thrush a symptom to watch for if you are susceptible to AIDs. Lowered immune systems could also be due to high stress in an individual’s life or a recent, severe illness.

Elderly people who wear dentures are prone to oral thrush, especially if their dentures do not fit well. The space between the dentures and the gums is moist and warm, making it the perfect breeding ground for a yeast infection. Also, those who smoke or who have tongue piercings can get oral thrush.

It is possible for babies to get oral thrush from their mothers. Some mothers develop nipple thrush and consequently pass the infection on to their babies when they breastfeed. However, it is not exactly known why infants can be more prone to yeast infections than others are.

Those with diabetes are also very prone to getting yeast infections in their mouths. This is due to the increased sugar which is in the mouth’s saliva. The sugar provides the food for the yeast fungus to feed on and consequently promotes it grown. Therefore, if your diabetes is uncontrolled, the likelihood of getting oral thrush is greatly heightened.

Treatment

Most oral thrush will thankfully clear up within a week or two of appearing. However, because it is uncomfortable–and even painful–, it definitely does not hurt anything to attempt to attack the infection as soon as you see the onset of it.

For both babies and adults, you can get a prescription from your doctor for Nystatin. You can either directly put this on the sores in the baby’s mouth, or, for adults, you use the liquid form which covers your mouth before swallowing. Another option is Mycelex, which is like a cough drop. As it dissolves, it can remain in your mouth longer and work on treating the oral thrush.

Untreated oral thrush can results in diaper yeast infections in babies and vaginal yeast infections in women. This is a result of the yeast infection working its way from the mouth down through the digestive tract. It is important, then, to quickly and efficiently treat oral thrush to prevent later problems.

Nipple thrush

Nipple thrush is a yeast infection on the nipples. Usually it is associated with women who are breastfeeding. It can occur in men, too, though it is not as common.

Symptoms

Nipple thrush tends to be extremely uncomfortable, especially as the nipple is already a sensitive area of the body. Since it typically occurs with breastfeeding, it nipple yeast infection can be very painful and even force the mother to stop breastfeeding altogether.

The nipple will become red and swollen, and sometimes have a shiny appearance. They can be cracked or seem as if the skin is flaking. They are very tender and painful, even after the baby pulls off the nipple. In worst cases, sometimes nipple thrush can also affect deep into the breast.

Causes

If you are breastfeeding and your baby has oral thrush, you could easily get nipple thrush, due to the obvious contact which is made. Your nipples could also become infected if you are taking antibiotics or already have a low immune system, as with the other types of yeast infections. Nipple piercings can also bring on yeast infections. While you can breastfeed with nipple piercings, it is recommended you do not. Not only are you decreasing your chances to get nipple thrush, you are protecting your baby from a choking hazard (a rather common sense approach to breastfeeding, anyway).

Treatment

Your doctor will prescribe you a topical cream to apply to your nipple to help eliminate the nipple yeast infection. Gentian violet is a popular home remedy used and can be purchased at most health stores. It is applied directly to the nipple area. It does stain everything with a dark purple. Your baby will have a purple mouth for a while, but it does not harm your baby at all. Top help prevent nipple thrush to begin with, make a habit of washing your nipples off after each breastfeeding and be sure your nursing bras are always clean.

Systemic Candida

Typically, yeast infections themselves are not serious health problems. However, yeast infections which spread and are uncontrollable can be life threatening. Systemic Candida is when a yeast infection does not just stay limited to one area of the body (such as oral thrush), but spreads throughout the body. It can affect various organs, including the brain, liver, and kidneys. Systemic Candida mainly occurs in people with severely lowered immune systems (low white blood count), but it can happen with any aggressive yeast infection which remains untreated.