It is vital to understand that what is normal for your vagina and what isn’t. Candida overgrowth affects the vast majority of women for at least once in their life. Candida Infections are caused by candida (which is a healthy bacteria) overgrowth causing irritation, postcoital bleeding, itching, swelling and cottage cheese like whitish discharge. A candida infection can be caused by a lot of factors, one of which can be your lifestyle. Watch out for these 5 factors that contribute to vaginal candida!’
1- A Weak Immune System:
With the majority of the immune system located in your gut, a weak immune system suggests lack of the beneficial bacteria, which puts you at a risk of harmful ones putting your health at a risk by causing an imbalance.
2- Consumption of Too Much Sugar:
Consuming too much sugar puts you at a risk of catching a candida infection. Limit your sugar intake. The more sugar you consume, the more are the chances of candida thriving and overpopulating your system. Avoid carbohydrate, fermented sugar. However, everybody is different, high sugar diet increases the likelihood of yeast overgrowth but it won’t affect everybody so it is better to avoid it.
3- Frequent Use of Antibiotics:
Frequent use of antibiotics can be really dangerous. The issue of taking them in the higher dosage is that they cannot distinguish between the kinds of bacteria that they kill, which be they’d be killing all the good bacteria, that would result in the candida overdose.
4- Taking Oral Birth Control:
Researchers show that taking oral birth control pills can result in recurring yeast infections. The risk doubles, especially in women who are under 25. Estrogen from oral contraceptives can stimulate the overgrowth of candida.
5- Chronic Stress:
Chronic stress is one the major causes of candida infections. Stress releases cortisol which weakens the immune system and a weakened immune system put you at a higher risk of catching an infection. Lowering your stress levels will help you a lot. Stress is one of the root causes of so many health problems. Meditation and exercise also help with chronic stress, by realizing hormones that combat cortisol levels.
Treating Vaginal Candida Infections:
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial to lead a healthy life and improve the quality of your life. Make sure you cut down on sugar, eat fresh and healthy and make exercise a part of your daily life. Leaving it untreated can cause a lot of problems. Your health care provider will probably prescribe you medication and vaginal creams to help reduce the overgrowth of bacteria and maintain the PH of your vagina.
Never hesitate to talk about reproductive health and make sure you discuss everything with your healthcare provider. Proper awareness can save you so much trouble and of course your health. Candida infections are not dead and neither get transmitted through sexual contact, but leaving it untreated can cause serious discomfort so don’t take it lightly. You can also book an appointment with a top Gynecologist in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT Doctor for concerns.
