About 75% of women will have a yeast infection at some point in their life. That more than half! Many women don’t know how to treat it or just ignore it because they don’t know it’s a yeast infection. So here’s everything you need to know about a yeast infection.

So what is a yeast infection? A yeast infection is an infection of the vagina and the area around it called the vulva. It’s an overgrowth of yeast, which is called Candida (which is a fungus). There is always a small amount in the vagina, but when your body produces too much, that’s when you get an infection.

There are some factors that can cause or contribute to an infection. Such as hormonal changes during your periods, having your period, pregnancy, lack of sleep, illness, stress, taking certain medications such as antibiotics, birth control, and steroids, and poor eating habits (high sugar diets). You can also get an infection by having sex and also by mouth. You can also pass this on to your partner, so be sure to treat it as soon as possible.

How do you know you have an infection? The most common symptom is itching around the vagina. Other symptoms include swelling, burning, and redness of the vagina and vulva, pain during and after intercourse, and when urinating. You will also get a white clumpy discharge (like cottage cheese). This discharge will not be in an order and may not always occur in some people.

Stay away from antibiotics when you have a yeast infection. Why? Because antibiotics actually cause Candida colonies to grow at a faster rate.

The way yeast infections are usually diagnosed is that you have to go to the doctors and the doctors will take a scraped sample from the inner walls of the vagina and test for Candida. There are also over-the-counter ways to test for yeast infections, which they do is measure your body’s pH. Knowing your body’s pH can help you know if you have a yeast infection and if you need treatment.

There are many treatments for a yeast infection, oral creams, tablets, ointments, and suppositories. The ones that come in vaginal tablets are called clotrimazole, miconazole, terconazole, and nystatin. The one you would take by mouth is called fluconazole. All of these must be prescribed by a doctor. And with these drugs come side effects and it may take a while to see results. And most of them just treat the infection and don’t prevent the infection from coming back.

A great supplement that treats the infection and prevents it from coming back is called Micro-Nutra’s Candidol. This supplement helps your body maintain a normal balance of yeast without the negative side effects. It boosts your immune system so it can fight Candida growth and helps increase your pH levels.