hi!!!

[giraffemoo.livejournal.com]

hi, i'm new here, and i'm happy to see a women's health community that is actually ACTIVE! lol...a bunch of others i saw haven't been touched in months. so, my name is becky, i'm 20 and i live in shelton, washington with my boyfriend of 11 months. i was looking for a women's health community because for the past 6 months or so i've been having yeast infections....EVERY MONTH! and right before my period. i was taking ortho trycyclen lo (i wanted ortho trycyclen but planned parenthood only had the lo version in stock at the time i got my refills for the year), so the yeast infections would start a week before my period....so if you know ortho trycyclen then it was when i was in the dark blue pills. i went to planned parenthood (i have very little money so i go to the free clinic) and the doctor said to use a full 7-day creme and to abstain from sex for the full week and to also treat my boyfriend's parts with creme too. we tried, and still they came back. i threw away all underwear and pants that didn't fit anymore (i gained weight scince i moved here almost a year ago) and wore only big baggy cotton granny panties and still it happened, so i went back to the doctor because i wanted answers and also my libido had dropped to an alltime low. i know your sex drive drops when you are living with your mate, but with me it was ridiculus....it took me forever to get turned on and even then i wasn't even wet. so i switched to regular ortho cyclen which has more hormones. i'm finishing my first month on that now and its helped my libido so far, but i don't know about the yeast. still to soon to tell. the doctor also said that i might be eating too much sugar and starches (starches break down into sugars in your body)....and that is partly true....i work at a&w in the kitchen and i was always eating fries and drinking pepsi all day long. so i quit drinking pepsi and drink strictly ice water all day, and i cut back majorly on the fries. i have maybe one plate for lunch, or i have a little bit of fries with my lunch, instead of nibbling on them all day. so i'm all paranoid now that i should be getting a yeast infection any day now...and i'm kinda dry and itchy down there but i haven't gotten any discharge yet so i'm keeping my fingers crossed and sum up the itchiness to just pre-period stuff...or stress.
i know this is technicaly a period community....but i think its is a legit post, right?
has anyone else had the same kind of problem i have? and what else could be causing my uncomfortable-ness?

Comments

[eras3r.livejournal.com]

It is quite possible that your birth control is the cuplrit of your yeast infections. I would strongly suggest that you tell whomever gave you the pills that you are having chronic yeast infections. It may be your diet, or it could be many different things. But, if you didn't start having them until you went on OTC Lo, that should be a strong inclination that this is the problem.

You are not alone (http://www.livejournal.com/community/birthcontrol/635069.html)

Another.. (http://www.epigee.org/guide/yeast.html)

[eras3r.livejournal.com]

Also oral contraceptives can cause a loss in libido, etc. It's a good idea to read as much information as you can pertaining to whatever pill you are taking at the time. Asking questions is a good practice as well. :)

[giraffemoo.livejournal.com]

yes...thats why i switched to regular ortho cyclen instead of ortho trycyclen lo. if i am still yucky after this month then i'm going to try and get a different brand maybe. but yes, i knew that my pill could be a culprit. thanks :)

[eras3r.livejournal.com]

Honey, I have NO idea how you're able to deal with them like this. *hugs*

[giraffemoo.livejournal.com]

tell me about it....i usually would catch them early on and use that monistat one dose ovuolle thingie which would always nip it in the bud. but yes....VERY annoying indeed.

[eras3r.livejournal.com]

I've always been told NOT to use the one day treatments because a reoccurance is more likely...

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

totally legit post! Women's health is completely on topic.

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

If you're still getting them after you've been on this for a while, TRY SOMETHING ELSE. Just because they gave you a ton of months worth of one kinda of b/c, don't think you've gotta take em all before you switch.

Also, if there's no other meds you've been taking, the b/c probably is the reason you've been getting these.

[aechei.livejournal.com]

try vagina_pagina. it is active daily (much more than this one) and is great for all these sorts of Q's. no offense, guys.

[overdrive-xx.livejournal.com]

Yep, VP is great! (So's menstrualhut too though!)

[faetal.livejournal.com]

I've had my share of yeast infections, and i DO belive that diet is part of it. I've gotten a yeast infection in my gi-tract and had to stop eating sugars, refined flours..bread... alcohol... had to stay away from things like mold and fungus (aged cheese and mushrooms) etc..
yeast is everywhere, and it is EVIL!
Yogurt is your friend, yogurt with natural cultures is your friend, say it like a mantra..
Nancy's yogurt or another all natural, unsweetened yogurt is awesome.... eat as much as you can handle (i used to mix frozen fruit and splenda into it for a low sugar tasty treat)
you can even use it to treat a vaginal yeast infection by dipping a tampon into yogurt and inserting it.. messy, yes, but effective and soothing.
also look into buying some pro biotics..
acidophulous, bifidophulous etc... you can find them in a lot of health food stores, people recomend me Primal Defense which can be found online, i've not tried it yet as the cost is prohibitive for me.

I wish you the best!

[lisbet.livejournal.com]

you can even use it to treat a vaginal yeast infection by dipping a tampon into yogurt and inserting it.. messy, yes, but effective and soothing.

Yes! I did that when I was living overseas and was afraid to go to a GYN. It worked beautifully, cleared up everything. Remember to use plain yogurt:)

[urania.livejournal.com]

First, I'd echo what everyone else said and suggest a link to the Pill, but you know that *g*

Second, it's worth noting that recurring yeast infections can be a sign of diabetes. If you have any other signs of diabetes, or even if you don't, it's worth asking the doctor about.

Also, I'd echo what was said above about eating lots of yogurt can be a good prevention idea. It's good stuff.

It must really be a major pain, though! Hope they clear up!