Vaginal Thrush Symptoms -- How to Know if You Have a Yeast Infection

Candida Albicans

Candida albicans is the name of a type of yeast. This yeast lives in your digestive system, and helps your body to break down food so that you can digest it more easily. But if you have a Candida overgrowth, this can lead to the yeast traveling to parts of your body where it doesn't belong. When this happens, it can cause an infection, and this can lead to vaginal thrush symptoms. Vaginal thrush is more commonly referred to as a vaginal yeast infection. But no matter what you call it, it's not a pleasant condition.

Causes of Candida

The causes of Candida vary. You can get it from direct contact of the infected area with the yeast. You can get vaginal thrush symptoms from taking antibiotics, since your body's natural Candida levels are maintained by bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. You could also get it from eating too much of the foods that yeast likes to feast on:

• Alcohol sugars
• Refined sugar
• Refined flour, such as bread
• Dried or candied fruits
• Energy drinks
• Soda

If you eat too much of these foods, Candida could abound, leading to a yeast infection in your body.

Symptoms of Vaginal Thrush

The symptoms of vaginal thrush are pretty straightforward. It's hard to mistake it for another kind of infection, since these vaginal thrush symptoms are so distinct. These Candida symptoms include:

• Pain, soreness, redness, swelling, itching or burning in the vagina or vulva
• Pain with urination
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Vaginal discharge that looks like cottage cheese and is white or off-white
• Vaginal discharge odor that smells of yeast

These symptoms can range from mildly annoying to extremely painful, depending on the severity of your infection. And many women are also prone to recurring infections once they've experienced one. This makes them all the more eager to start addressing the problem as soon as they start seeing the signs of a yeast infection.

Natural Remedies for Vaginal Thrush

There are several natural remedies for vaginal thrush. Alleviating the symptoms of vaginal thrush could be as simple as changing your diet so that the Candida in your body doesn't have as much to feed on, thus limiting its growth. Minimizing vaginal contact to chemicals, dyes and perfumes, and a daily regimen of probiotics, can further help restore and maintain natural balance.*

Probiotics for Candida introduce more beneficial bacteria into your system, so you can help support your body's natural defense.* Research studies have shown that probiotics may help alleviate occasional vaginal thrush symptoms.* Some examples of probiotics for women include Nutraelle FemCare, Fem-Dophilus, and Ultimate Flora Vaginal Support (www.bestprobioticsforwomen.com).

Disclaimer: Under Section 5 of DSHEA, the content material within this article or webpage is for consumer and educational purposes only. *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.