Yeast infection in pregnancy – a question from a Womb Within visitor
August 11, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Women's Health
I received the following email from a Womb Within visitor and I asked if I can put this out to everyone to see what others have to say. Do you have any words of wisdom for Crystal?
I’m in my first trimester and have been diagnosed by my doctor with a yeast infection I have done some research on the internet about treatment in my first trimester and have found a milder form gentian violet. When I asked my doctor about what I could do to treat this he told me I could not treat it until I was done my first trimester. I am now 9.5 weeks and the discharge has gotten considerably worse. Is there anything I can suggest to my doctor for treatment?
So, readers, can you help?
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Tags: pregnancy blog, yeast infection in pregnancy, genetian violet, yeast infection
I once heard of an old method of using a garlic clove – I never quite had the courage to try it!
That seems weird to me. I self-treated a yeast infection the week before I took my pregnancy test. (Previous diagnosis, classic symptoms caveats do apply to self-treating.)
I mentioned it to my doc and she said it was no big deal and that they treat yeast infections all the time.
I haven’t ever used any home remedies before.
So, the doctor is saying not to treat it at all? Not even a home remedy? Wouldn’t that be a bit miserable?!
Anyway, if your doctor clears you for a home remedy, I recommend yogurt. There’s tons of info about it online, and you can either eat it, or, you know. Put it somewhere else.
The rare times I’ve gotten yeast infections (in the early stages of all three of my pregnancies) I’ve used the clove of garlic. It seems wierd, but has always worked and offered instant relief. To use, take one clove, peel skin from clove. Take a needle and thread and pierce the clove, providing a “tail” and insert as a suppository into vagina. I did it at night time and removed it in morning. I would usually only have to do it once and relief came. On one rare occasion I did it two nights in a row. The garlic helps to correct the PH balance of the vagina, which gets off kilter with all the new pregnancy hormones that are trying to stabilize in the first trimester. I hope this remedy works for you. Good luck! and Congratulations!
Here is a wonderful website talking about the benefits of Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) for yeast infections and thrush. Although it recommends using it as a topical preparation you can also use it internally and the GSE bottle will tell you the proper dosage. http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.asp
You may also take some acidophilus/bifidus capsules (get them from a health food store) to help restore the natural cultures that will help to fight the overgrowth of the bad (the yeast infection).
Also remember that yeast feeds off of sugar and your diet is a big part of taming the infection. Try to limit your intake of sugar and those foods that convert to sugars. Get rid of the simple sugars completely and try to limit fruits and simple carbohydrates until the infection is gone.
I recommend using a douch made up of water and baking soda. Baking soda is the most powerful natural fungacide. Also, start taking probiotics and GET OFF SUGAR. The garlic works well too (it’s anti-candida). Some people also recommend yogurt or kephir balls inserted into the vagina, but those haven’t worked so well for me personally.
I wanted to add a few things that I forgot earlier. I have used vinager diluted with water both as a spray externally and a wash vaginally. It is also a pH balancer like garlic (mentioned above). Although it may burn some initially when applied, it takes the itch away almost immediately (relief) and I see immediate results with the infection.
My midwife also suggested using Slippery Elm powder (from the health food store) for a friend that was in her 1st trimester and suffering a particularly bad yeasts infection. You make it into a paste with water and insert it into the vagina for a few hours or possibly overnight. It can be messy and a little tricky to use but it is worth the effort especially if you do not want to use the standard treatments from the docs. I have never tried this personally but my friend was very impressed and said she had improvement overnight.
Hope these suggestions help.
Hi girls I read that peeling a clove of agrlic then wrapping it with a gause and putttin a string so you can later pull it out, do this over night.
Also eat roasted garlic, try not to over eat since it might affect the baby they are still not sure.
NEVER DOUCHE when pregnant. We should never Douche at all it is not healthy.
I am doing the garlic thing tonight I have done it before, When I did not know that I was preggers. I am now 5 weeks… So hope it works. I will let youguys now what happens