Causes of Recurring Yeast Infections

At some point in your life, you have most likely suffered from a vaginal yeast infection. Recurring yeast infections are prevalent among women of all ages, and backgrounds. Yeast is a type of fungus that normally resides in the vagina.

However, if you suffer an overgrowth of this particular type of organism, you may find yourself experiencing some discomfort.

What Can Cause a Yeast Infection?

Candida albicans is one of the most common types of yeast and is generally harmless. In fact, it is part of the body’s normal flora. It’s typically found in the oral cavity, vagina, and intestine. When the normal balance of organisms in the vagina is interrupted, it allows Candida albicans to rapidly multiply. There are a number of things that can disrupt the homeostatic balance in the body, including:

  • Antibiotics
  • Harsh soaps
  • Douches
  • Hormone imbalances
  • Weakened immune system
  • Pregnancy

After a few days of taking antibiotics for sickness, you may start to notice an overgrowth of yeast in or around the vaginal area. This happens for a very simple reason — the antibiotics you have been taking destroy bacteria that your body actually needs to function properly.

One of the things that keep the pH of the vagina in check is a bacteria called, Lactobacillus. When an antibiotic destroys the Lactobacillus, Candida albicans will grow out of control with no other organism to stop it.

Harsh soaps or douches can cause excessive dryness, and as a result, can disrupt the pH balance in the vagina. Hormone imbalances associated with pregnancy can also have the same result.

Signs of a Vaginal Yeast Infection

The most common signs of a yeast infection include:

  • Itchiness
  • Redness
  • Pain
  • Soreness
  • Odorless discharge

Signs of a vaginal yeast infection include itchy or reddened skin on or around the opening of the vagina; including the vulva. Odorless discharge is typically seen and will appear white in color.

Pain can also occur, but should not be severe. You may also experience some soreness, and the skin may be warm to the touch.

How Can You Treat a Recurring Yeast Infection?

There are many ways to treat a yeast infection such as creams that you can buy over the counter.

The only drawback is the creams intended for medicinal use, do not actually prevent a yeast infection from recurring. It’s best to address the source of the problem. Medical professionals frequently recommend probiotics to treat vaginal thrush.

Probiotic supplements such as Alaczen work with the body to restore its normal flora. It also boosts the immune system so that your body is more equipped to fight infection.

Probiotics, like Alaczen, are best taken in pill form and are packed with 48 billion “friendly” bacteria. These are bacteria that you actually need to maintain a healthy vaginal pH. Probiotics are specially formulated to treat and prevent vaginal thrush.

Help Seniors Cope with PMS and Mood Changes in Menopause

PMS and mood changes during perimenopause can be more severe and less predictable. PMS describes a constellation of symptoms that include depressed mood, anxiety, irritability, and mood swings as well as other physical symptoms. It occurs before the menstrual period, at which point symptoms typically go away for a period of time.

The exact cause of PMS is unknown but relates to the impact of rapidly changing ovarian hormone levels impacting brain neurotransmitters including, specifically, serotonin. “Perimenopausal PMS” has not been specifically studied but is likely to respond to all of the therapies that work for regular PMS.

Lifestyle approaches

If you’ve ever used deep breathing to overcome anxiety or used a good workout to conquer anger, you may already know that the body has a chemical way of overcoming these powerful emotions. Both exercise and relaxation can help ease the emotional static of PMS. They are actually our top picks for getting out of a “blue mood.”

Exercise, PMS, and mood

Virtually every study on exercise shows that it improves PMS. In addition, women with PMS who stop exercising tend to notice their PMS gets much worse. While the PMS and exercise studies are not randomized controlled trials, the overall health benefits of exercise combined with evidence for an improvement in PMS symptoms make it a first-line therapy for PMS.

A number of studies have shown that regular exercise can help lift depression. In fourteen controlled studies, aerobic exercise worked just as well as psychotherapy in treating mild to moderate depression. Besides relieving depression, exercise lessens anxiety and negative attitudes, and serves to boost self-esteem and life satisfaction.

The relaxation response

Stress has been correlated with increased severity of PMS symptoms. While at the Mind/Body Medical Institute, Harvard psychologist Alice Domar, Ph.D., attempted to test this hypothesis. Collaborating with her colleague Irene Goodale, Ph.D., she designed a study to determine whether utilizing the RR to decrease the body’s response to stress would result in reduced severity of PMS.

In her five-month study of 46 women with diagnosed severe PMS, the women were randomly assigned to three groups. In the first group, women charted their symptoms twice a day. In the second group, the women read leisure materials twice a day. Women in the third group listened to audiotapes to elicit the RR twice a day. At the end of five months, the women who practiced relaxation showed a 58 percent improvement in all PMS symptoms, compared to a 27 percent improvement in the reading group and a 17 percent improvement in the charting group.

Prescription therapies to address PMS and mood concerns

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) constitute the primary pharmacologic therapy for PMS. Two of these antidepressants (Sarafem and Zoloft) are currently approved for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (a severe form of PMS).

Interestingly, these medications work very quickly – within a matter of days. Furthermore, women with PMS can take the medication only during the premenstrual time period and still get relief. (This is unlike the pattern seen in depressed patients who take these medications daily.) However, figuring out just when that premenstrual time period is can be difficult during perimenopause when cycles become irregular.

Estrogen

Can estrogen improve your mood? Some evidence suggests that estrogen has a positive effect on areas of the brain involved in the regulation of mood and behavior. And, in fact, estrogen has been shown to improve adverse mood symptoms, in particular, depressed mood in women during perimenopause. This evidence is based on a few small studies.

GnRH agonists

These suppress hormone activity and induce a menopausal state. Because perimenopausal “PMS” improves after menstrual periods stop totally, a GnRH agonist, like Lupron, can be used to induce artificial menopause. This therapy is now used less often than SSRIs.

There are also some natural herbal supplements, like Menofit, which can help you relieve PMS/menopause symptoms, balance your hormone levels and improve overall health during and after menopause without unwanted side effects. Alternative medicines work for the majority of people and are a great way to ease menopausal symptoms naturally.

 

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