It depends. How often do you change your tampon? Do you wear one to bed? If you don't change it i'd say at least 3-4 times a day depending on how long our awake, it could cause infection. Also if you wear one at night it coudl cause it so you should wear a pad. some people jsut get them after every period and thats pretty much due to a hormonal imbalance. I know someone who gets them after every period but i cannot seem to remember what the heck kind of meds that she takes.

Will a yeast infection kill you if you can't get rid of it?

It isnt likely, but yeast infections can spread, especially in people with HIV. Even if you don't have HIV you should get your yeast infection treated. You're GYN should write you an Rx for a pill that should clear it up. No reason to live with it when its simple to get rid of.

I don't think it can kill you, however it can make it harder to conceive a child depending on how long you have had it. It can scar your insides.

Well I currently have one that won't go away. I am being treating by a new gynecologist now. Two weeks ago, she had me take a double dose of diflucan 3 days apart. That did not work. I have tried monistat, terazol,
gynazole 1, and I have tried diflucan in single doses about 10 times, and then also double doses. My hiv test came up negative and I do not have diabetes. So what is a woman to do? I have been living with this discharge on a daily basis and it has affected my confidence and self esteem. My new gynecologist is very intelligent so I do have confdence in her. Last night I cried myself to sleep because I am so upset about this yeast infection. Do you ladies know of other treatment options available? Does boric acid work? Can they give me any other pills besides Diflucan? And have you heard of this happening before? Could it have something to do with vaginal ph levels?

Diflucan! thats what my friend takes! She has to take it all the time though, like once a day I think because she has reoccuring YI's. Do you eat any yogurt? You have to have a certain amount of bacteria in your hoo ha at all times so you might not have them. I'd go to the store and get some yogurt, like one regular sized container per day and also there are pills you can get from walmart called azo- yeast that you can take daily and also take with any YI cream.

Also you might want to look into changing your diet.

I do eat yogurt. Not every single day, but like 3 to 4 times a week. I am trying to change my diet but its very hard. I cut down on the carbohydrates and sugar. My gynecologist has me taking probiotics. However when I first bought them, I did not stick them in the fridge right away, and found out a week later that they are supposed to be refrigerated. So now I should buy new ones. The thing that bothers me so much is that most of the doctors out there do not take yeast seriously. I had one doctor (a regular md) that refused to give me a stronger anti-fungal medication. I have had this non-stop yeast infection for a long time. And I told the doctor that. He actually told me that he could not help me. Most women go to their gynecologist for yeast infections. But I feel that when you get to the point that you can't get rid of it, that it's a up to a regular doctor to solve the problem.

By the way, Thank You Melissa for giving me advice. I'm just so darn scared that I won't get rid of this. You are so lucky that you don't have to go through this.

They actually *have* stronger dosage for YI? I didn't know that. I thought it was just one dosage and that was it. I think every doctor should take is seriously. If you have it too long it could hinder your reproducion depending on how long ou have it. That isn't something to play with. Those pills, I have some like that. . . Gotta remember what they are but mine I didn't have to put in the fridge until *after* I opened them so you might be ok depending on when you got them in the fridge.


Oh I have been through it and still going through it! Lol I have had an infection on and off for over a year now! First it was a YI, then they said it was trich., them it was yeast again and now I just recently went to the Dr last week and its BV. Hopefully these meds i'm on will work-Metronidazol. . .If not I swear I will die! I so am ready for this to be over so Ican have a normal hoo ha back! So I feel your pain!

I just had an appt with my gynecologist this week. I am taking diflucan once a week for the next 4 weeks. Hopefully this will work! Is it possible that vulvodynia could be causing my constant yeast infection? I know that there is a correlation between hypersensitivity to yeast and vulvodynia. I am getting my hopes up that I will soon get rid of this yeast infection.

I'm not sure what vulvodynia is but i'm going to look it up real quick....

It *doesn't* look like it would cause infection but it does look like it could be mistaken as one although there is no funky discharge. Do you have odd discharge or is it normal? Cause if not it could be the vulvodynia. YI and that sound amost exactly the same minue the cm.

Well I certainly have the discharge. It's gross! It reminds me of cottage cheese. And when I go to the gyno, the slide shows yeast. The discharge does not have an odor, it's just white and thick.

Hm, Ok. My doc said I have bacterial vaginosis. It's only itchy every once in a while and the discharge is yellowish and causes me to go dry very easily. I've had BV before and I don't think I had these symptoms. . .but I could be mistaken because that was long ago.

Melissa, what medicine did they give you for bv? And is it helping you? I read online that they prescribe Flagl for bv. I bet that bacterial vaginosis is easier to get rid of than yeast. I hope you feel better soon.

Melissa, by the way, I added you to my contacts list.

Oh thanks! I just noticed. I don't go on the computer on the weekend so I just got it.

metronidazol is the meds they put me on for this infection. The pills are done with but I don't think they worked. I might need to take the next step up to the gel you have to put in. The pill had only a 60% chance of working and the gel has 80%. . . then there is another pill for $100. . . hopefully it wont come to that. I waner if the doc was right about what this is. . .

Font SizeA A A Recurrent vaginal yeast infectionsA vaginal yeast infection is considered to be recurrent when you have had four or more symptomatic infections, unrelated to antibiotic use, within 1 year. Severe or recurrent yeast infections are a problem for about 5% of affected women, sometimes related to diabetes, pregnancy, or a debilitating health condition.1

If you have a recurrent vaginal yeast infection, your doctor may do a culture to confirm that yeast is present. You may also be tested for certain conditions that could be making you more vulnerable to yeast overgrowth, such as diabetes.

The recommended initial treatment for recurrent vaginal yeast infections includes vaginal medicines for 7 to 14 days or a single dose of oral fluconazole 150 mg, with a second dose repeated 3 days later.1

Initial treatment is then followed by at least 6 months of maintenance therapy, which could be oral or vaginal medicines. Current treatment recommendations are one of the following:2

Clotrimazole vaginal suppositories, 500 mg, once a week
Boric acid vaginal capsules, 600 mg, twice a week.13 Boric acid can kill types of yeast that can't be cured by azole antifungal medicines.3
Fluconazole, 100 mg to 150 mg, orally once a week
Itraconazole, 400 mg, orally once a month or 100 mg, orally once a day
Ketoconazole, 100 mg, orally once a day. Ketoconazole can have more severe side effects. For this reason, it is not often used as treatment for vaginal yeast infections.4
Some women who are treated for recurrent yeast infections do not see improvement in their symptoms. These women may have another condition that is causing symptoms similar to a yeast infection. Additional testing and treatment may be needed.

CitationsEschenbach DA (2003). Vaginitis section of Pelvic infections and sexually transmitted diseases. In JR Scott et al., eds., Danforth's Obstetrics and Gynecology, 9th ed., pp. 585�589. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006). Vulvovaginal candidiasis section of Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2006. MMWR, 55(RR-11): 54�56.

Kessel KV, et al. (2003). Common complementary and alternative therapies for yeast vaginitis and bacterial vaginosis: A systematic review. Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey, 58(5): 351�358.

Antifungal drugs (2008). Treatment Guidelines From the Medical Letter, 6(65): 1�8.