Chronic thrush in women: can it be cured?

Causes of the chronic form of the disease

Candida fungi are in a dormant state in the body of every person, regardless of gender and age. Their active reproduction begins for a variety of reasons, but most often this impetus is a weakness of the immune system , for example, during an exacerbation of a disease or the presence of acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections or influenza.

If you start treatment on time, without waiting for everything to go away on its own, the body quickly recovers, sending the fungi back to its usual dormant state. But in some cases, the disease can become chronic. Causes of chronic thrush in women :

In case of untimely treatment.
With an incorrect, unbalanced, indiscriminate diet , without following a regimen or diet. With excessive consumption of sweets and yeast baked goods. Such eating behavior leads to dysbiosis, which in many cases results in the proliferation of Candida fungi.
In the presence of various diseases caused by infections or viruses.
When using inappropriate antibiotics to treat thrush in the early stages.
If women have various diseases of other organs in a chronic form , for example, the stomach and gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys.
When using hormonal contraceptives for a long time.

Thrush goes into a chronic stage even if there is an STD in the body, as well as in cases where a woman has any hormonal and endocrine disorders, for example, diabetes, overweight or obesity, or ovarian dysfunction.

What kind of disease is thrush?

Today, this disease is very popular, as it develops due to a weakened immune system. The correct medical name for thrush is candidiasis. The causative agent of the disease is represented by yeast fungi belonging to the genus Candida. As far as is known, there are more than 150 species of fungal agents in nature. Perhaps many do not know that about twenty of them live quietly in the body of every person. The disease overtakes women, men, and children in cases where good conditions are created for the life of these opportunistic microorganisms (we'll talk about them later).

In the absence of a favorable environment, the quantitative indicator is normal, the mushrooms are completely harmless, and beneficial bacteria prevent their reproduction. In order to preserve their life, fungi have a protective shell that helps them survive in poor conditions. When immunity decreases, mushrooms begin active activity through reproduction. Then they lose their protective shell, increase in size and take on a more round shape.

Reproduction occurs thanks to spores located in the inner part of the cell, with the help of which candida manage to form colonies and infect the mucous membranes in a relatively short period of time. They penetrate the membrane and poison cells with toxic substances. If they penetrate very deeply, the symptoms of thrush are pronounced. There are many types of illness: thrush of the intestines, oral cavity, skin, nails. But the most common is thrush in women on the internal and external genitalia.

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Diagnostics

To make a diagnosis, you should contact a qualified gynecologist, who, during the examination, will collect all the materials of the vaginal flora necessary for the study.

It is important to accurately determine the type of Candida fungi , of which about 150 varieties are known today. As a rule, material from a collected smear is used for research by inoculation on media, after which, after a few days, the characteristics of the grown colony of fungi are assessed, which makes it possible to determine their type and determine the drugs to which they are sensitive.

The gynecologist can refer the patient to other specialists . For example, if you have diabetes, see an endocrinologist, since it will be impossible to cure thrush unless you take full control of the underlying disease. A woman can be referred to an immunologist, as well as to doctors in other areas, depending on the existing diseases, since any of them takes away the strength of the immune system, thereby weakening it and allowing fungi to develop.

Baking soda for thrush

Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda cannot completely eliminate the causes of infection and destroy its causative agent, but is the safest folk remedy for treating thrush. Washing or douching with a solution of this substance helps create an alkaline environment that negatively affects the functioning of the fungus. The use of a soda solution (prepared at the rate of 1 tsp of powder per 1 liter of water) helps to get rid of heavy vaginal discharge and itching after the first 2-3 procedures.

Washing is alternated with the douching procedure, performing one of them in the morning, the other in the evening. After its completion, you should lie quietly and relax for 15-30 minutes. The recommended duration of the course in combination with antifungal agents is 7-10 days; in case of recurrent thrush, it can be increased with the permission of the attending physician. The use of soda solution is contraindicated during pregnancy and after childbirth, for certain diseases of the reproductive system (for erosions, etc.).

Symptoms of chronic candidiasis

Symptoms of the chronic form of thrush in women are almost the same signs that are characteristic of candidiasis in the initial and acute stages. Symptoms may include :

The presence of intense burning in the genital area and perineum.
Periodic occurrence of unbearable itching , which, as a rule, intensifies at night.
Redness of the skin in the perineal area.
Swelling of the mucous membranes of the genital organs.
The presence of white discharge with a cheesy structure . Many patients note the scarcity of such discharge and only a periodic increase in its quantity, which is actually due to the fact that the presence of burning and itching forces the woman to wash herself more often in order to get rid of such discomfort, and at the same time the discharge is washed away.

Compared to the usual form, with chronic candidiasis all these symptoms are more intense and differ in the frequency of manifestation. In addition, with chronic thrush, women often experience increased dryness of the skin of the reproductive organs , the appearance of irritation, cracks, and sometimes rashes.

What does traditional medicine say?

It is not possible to get rid of such a popular disease using folk remedies alone. They are usually used in parallel with medications. Today we will look at the most harmless, effective remedies that have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Carrot juice is very beneficial for the body of every person, and even more so for a woman with thrush. The cells of the female vagina experience a significant lack of beta-carotene. And where can you find it, if not in a simple orange vegetable - carrots?

Carrot juice strengthens the mucous membranes of the genitals. The recommended daily amount is from 200 ml to 500 ml. They usually drink before eating. This folk remedy can also be used to wash the vagina. In this case, resort to using a rubber bulb. Treatment is carried out in alternation: one wash is carried out with a tincture of sour red berries (cranberries, viburnum), the second – with freshly squeezed carrot juice. The preparation is very simple: you need to combine the components - juice and boiled water in equal quantities.

Iodine and soda

You can overcome a fungal infection, eliminate itching and burning with a solution based on baking soda and iodine. The effectiveness of soda has been proven a long time ago; this method of treatment is very popular today. Every good housewife probably has soda, especially one who often spoils her family with pies, cakes and other types of baked goods. How to prepare an antiseptic? You need to combine a teaspoon of iodine, a tablespoon of soda with a liter of boiled water. It is used not only for douching. One type of therapy is baths, which last approximately twenty minutes. Treatment lasts until the symptoms of thrush disappear completely; the procedure is repeated 1-2 times per day.

How can chamomile and calendula help?

These plants relieve inflammation and destroy harmful bacteria, and are effective for acute and chronic thrush in women. You need to take 1 liter of water and bring to a boil. Then add 1 tbsp. l. dried calendula flowers and 1 tbsp. l. chamomile flowers. Turn the heat to low and let the ingredients simmer for 3 minutes. After the time has passed, cover the container in which the decoction is located. After it becomes warm, strain and squeeze. Douching is carried out twice a day. The optimal time is morning and evening (preferably before bedtime). If the disease is acute, treat until the symptoms disappear. In the chronic form, the duration of therapy can be up to six months. In this case, douche regularly once or twice a week.

St. John's wort and onion

Well-known helpers that help stop the growth of pathogenic microorganisms are onions and St. John's wort. A positive effect is achieved with the help of the phytoncides they contain. To prepare a solution for douching, take 1 liter of boiling water and add St. John's wort. Then you need to let it sit for several hours, take an onion, squeeze the juice out of it, pour it into the solution and mix well.

How to treat with oak bark?

An equally well-known remedy that makes it possible to destroy microbes, relieve inflammation, and prevent the deep penetration of fungal agents into the mucous membrane of the female genitalia is a decoction of oak bark. To prepare a decoction, you need to combine the ingredients in the following proportions:

string, lavender - one part at a time;
oak bark - 3 parts.

Take boiling water (150 ml) and pour in only 1 tbsp. l. mixed herbs. Leave for two hours, filter, add another one hundred and fifty milliliters of boiling water. Usually douche twice a day.

Treatment of chronic thrush in women

It is important to remember that a certain type of drugs, their combination and dosage can only be determined by a doctor after conducting an examination and identifying the exact type of pathogen.

In most cases, treatment is prescribed with a combination of special antifungal drugs and topical agents.

Today, the choice of remedies for thrush is very diverse, as is their dosage form. But, despite the fact that information on their use is available to the general public, you should not self-medicate, especially in the chronic form of the disease, when candidiasis has already gone deeper.

For drug treatment of candidiasis, several groups of drugs are used. In particular, drugs such as :

Nystatin or Natamycin. related to antibiotic agents of the polyene group.
Livarol, which is a derivative of imidazole dioxolane, as well as other drugs in this group.
Fluconazole and other drugs that are derivatives of triazoles.
Clotrimazole and similar drugs related to imidazole derivatives.

Most often, in the treatment of chronic thrush in the acute stage, various drugs are used in tablet form, as well as topical creams and vaginal suppositories. The most popular and effective drugs are:

Vaginorm S suppositories , which have not only antiseptic and antifungal, but also antioxidant effects.
Gynoflor suppositories , which are an antimicrobial drug that helps normalize the condition of the vaginal microflora.
Cream Dalacin , which is an antibiotic and has a pronounced antimicrobial effect.
Dermazol , which is a series of antifungal drugs, of which cream is used for thrush.
Diflucan or Fluconazole tablets , which are the most popular drugs for candidiasis due to their high effectiveness.

Kefir against thrush

During candidiasis, fresh kefir with lactobacilli must be included in the diet to normalize the microflora. This folk remedy for thrush has no contraindications for topical use. The duration of therapy is selected individually, procedures can be done until the symptoms disappear completely. In consultation with the doctor, this product is used for douching and irrigation; it is used with a tampon according to the following scheme:

The genitals are washed with a solution of soda or chamomile decoction.
A hygienic female tampon, soaked in kefir, is inserted into the vagina for 1.5-2 hours.

Traditional methods of treatment

Some women, not considering thrush a serious disease, try to treat it at home on their own, using various traditional medicine.

Of course, such a method of therapy gives some results and is quite capable of eliminating the main symptoms of thrush or reducing their manifestation, but for treatment to be effective, it is necessary to influence the cause of the disease, and traditional methods, as a rule, are not capable of this . Such drugs are recommended to be used as a complement to medication methods.

Most often, to eliminate thrush, traditional medicine recommends decoctions of medicinal herbs used for douching.

A decoction of oak bark is considered a miracle cure for eliminating chronic candidiasis. It is also used for prophylactic purposes to prevent relapses.

A decoction of medicinal chamomile helps not only eliminate many manifestations of thrush, but also significantly reduce existing inflammation of the mucous membranes. Douching with medicinal decoctions has only a local effect, without causing harm to the body, so the procedure can be carried out several times a day. But you shouldn’t overuse douching, since this washes out all the vaginal flora, including beneficial ones, and this greatly complicates treatment.

A good result in the treatment of chronic thrush is obtained by using soda , a pinch of which is diluted in 0.5 liters of boiled warm water. This solution should be used for douching twice a day for 10 days.

How to get rid of chronic thrush?

Treatment of recurrent thrush includes not only the use of antifungal agents. It will require deep, long and serious treatment of the source that led to immune disorders. If you want to eliminate thrush once and for all, it is important to address the cause of its occurrence.

Read also…. Thrush on the penis: how to cure quickly and effectively?

Treatment of the recurrent form includes detailed and comprehensive monitoring. First of all, of course, it is necessary to check the gynecological smear for flora.

The procedure for taking biological material is absolutely painless. The glass with the material is sent to the laboratory, painted, and the laboratory assistant looks at the smear under a microscope. This study helps to accurately identify or exclude the presence of fungal infection.

If the flora smear is positive, the patient is prescribed an additional test in the form of bacteriological culture of a gynecological smear. Additionally, it is important to find an experienced and qualified professional to help you conduct your due diligence.

Diet for the treatment of thrush

It is important to eat properly not only during the period of therapy for candidiasis, but also after that, in order to prevent further relapses, which happens quite often in women with chronic forms of thrush. You should definitely include in your daily menu :

Fish in various types, seafood.
Vegetables: both fresh and stewed. First of all, broccoli, beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, dill, cucumbers, parsley, since Candida fungi cannot reproduce in the conditions they create.
Cereals and legumes.
Unsweetened fruits, such as plums or green apples.
Lingonberries, fresh lemons - they perfectly prevent the growth of fungus.
A variety of spices and herbs, for example, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, different types of pepper.
Herbal teas that can be made from plantain leaves, oregano, alfalfa, chamomile, clover, string, rowan berries, juniper, currants, rose hips. You should drink such teas daily.
Carrot juice.
Sea kale.
Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, natural olive and flax oils.
Natural live yogurt.
Eggs, boiled liver.
It is better to replace white bread with multigrain varieties and baked goods made from wholemeal flour.

It is important to exclude from the menu all types of alcohol, many sweets, especially ice cream , sweet pastries, chocolate, all kinds of sauces, including ketchup, mayonnaise, and products containing vinegar.

You should not eat fatty foods , smoked meats, canned food, processed foods, fast food, and various dishes that contain hidden sugar.

Ways to get rid of candidiasis in women forever

Candida is an opportunistic microorganism that is usually present in the microflora of intimate areas. In order not to provoke its excessive reproduction again:

strengthen your immune system;
do not wear tight synthetic underwear;
observe the rules of personal hygiene;
take enough vitamins, reduce the amount of fast carbohydrates;
reduce the amount of foods and drinks that contain mold and yeast;
use contraception;
avoid stress.

We suggest you read: Is chronic prostatitis treatable?

Figure 6 – During treatment of thrush, you will have to adjust your diet

Regardless of lifestyle, thrush can develop:

when hormonal levels change (pregnancy, taking birth control pills, endocrine diseases);
after operations;
as a result of antibiotic therapy;
during serious illnesses;
with vaginal dysbiosis;
after hypothermia.

Special diet

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The following foods are allowed to be eaten:

Carrots, cucumbers, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, dill, parsley. Candida fungus does not tolerate these foods.
Sequence leaves, chamomile, black currant berries, oregano, alfalfa, plantain, clover, rowan berries (must be brewed like tea). Decoctions of these components are useful at any stage of the disease.
Carrot juice and seaweed. Their regular use creates unfavorable conditions for the development of thrush, which helps eliminate it faster.
Stewed and fresh vegetables, grains, legumes, fish, unsweetened fruits, poultry.
Lingonberries and lemons. These products can prevent the formation of fungi and also increase the effectiveness of treatment.
Seafood, natural yoghurt, eggs, boiled liver, pumpkin seeds, wholemeal bread, olive and linseed oil, sesame seeds. These products slow down the development of candida fungi.
Cinnamon, cloves, garlic and bay leaf (add these when cooking). Regular consumption of these spices helps reduce the number of thrush pathogens, which will help get rid of the disease faster.

When the first signs of thrush appear, do not panic. Modern medications help get rid of the disease in a week; sometimes a one-time dose is enough to completely eliminate the disease. If you are not a fan of traditional treatment, you can quickly deal with thrush on your own, at home.

Soda solution

A common and most effective method to help quickly get rid of thrush at home is to use simple baking soda. In terms of its chemical composition, this substance is an alkali; when it interacts with the vaginal mucosa, it changes its Ph. Candida fungi can develop exclusively in an acidic environment, and soda can stop their active growth, which will soon help you completely get rid of thrush without the help of a doctor.

Treatment with soda solution is one of the safest home methods, so it can also be used when the disease appears in children. Here are some ways to combat candidiasis (thrush):

Wiping the affected areas with a gauze swab previously soaked in a soda solution.
Wash twice a day the foreskin and the head of the genital organ affected by candidiasis in men.
Washing the genitals of women with a soda solution or douching. The course of treatment lasts exactly a week.

In order to completely remove symptoms and get rid of candidiasis at home, it is important to properly prepare a soda solution. In a liter of liquid (you only need boiled water), dissolve soda (1 tablespoon), add iodine (1 teaspoon). This product has a disinfecting and antifungal effect, which quickly eliminates all signs of the disease.

Chamomile infusions have a healing effect - they relieve inflammation, spasms, cleanse the intestines and stomach, eliminate dysbacteriosis, and have a calming effect. To quickly and permanently get rid of thrush at home, you need to douche with chamomile in complex treatment with the use of medications. This medicinal herb will help only if treatment is started in a timely manner.

If you decide to save yourself from thrush at home with the help of chamomile, you need to use the following recipe:

Place dry chamomile (1 tbsp) in an enamel container and pour boiling water (1 tbsp).
Place the resulting mixture on the stove and let it boil.
Cool the broth and filter.
Pour into a syringe.

Treatment of thrush using chamomile douching, which is carried out in a supine position, helps to quickly get rid of the disease. You need to relax the muscles and insert the douche into the vagina. Pour the solution slowly without applying strong pressure (about 10 minutes). It is advisable to carry out this procedure in the evening, before going to bed. After douching, you need to lie down for a while.

Tar soap

You can permanently get rid of candidiasis on your own at home with the help of simple tar soap. Take it and grind it on a fine grater or cut it with a knife (you need soap shavings). Then pour boiling water over the raw materials and stir the mixture thoroughly - the solution should acquire a homogeneous, slightly runny consistency.

Use the resulting liquid for douching for thrush. After the procedure, you need to lie down for about 10 minutes, then douche several times using clean, warm boiled water. If you do not want to use this method to get rid of candidiasis, then doctors recommend washing your skin at least 2 times a day using tar soap.

Systemic methods - the use of tablets that destroy yeast-like fungi through the intestines. However, these drugs have side effects and are toxic, so they are used in difficult cases.
Local methods are also used during the first trimester of pregnancy. With this treatment, minimal absorption of the drugs occurs, so they do not affect the fetus. Local methods of getting rid of thrush include ointments, creams, suppositories, and suppositories used vaginally.

You can quickly get rid of candidiasis during pregnancy at home using folk remedies. But today there are no 100% effective remedies against candidiasis. The most common are washing and douching using decoctions of medicinal herbs. However, experts say that these methods do not provide effective results and can be dangerous to the child’s health.

If you really want to try a quick and effective way to get rid of thrush at home, don’t be lazy, first answer yourself a few questions.

Can you make an accurate diagnosis offhand and determine the form of the pathology (acute or chronic)?

How to identify Candida species without laboratory testing?
How badly do you want to heal?

By the way, it will not be possible to quickly bring the body back to normal. Even if the doctor prescribes one tablet or suppository, restoration of the vaginal biocenosis will take at least several weeks.

In the presented review, the authors tried to convince readers of the futility of trying to get rid of thrush at home. We hope we succeeded. Please note: “heal” and “cure” are different concepts.

Possible complications of the disease

If ordinary thrush is not treated, it turns into a more complex chronic form. But if advanced candidiasis is not treated, then in 75% of cases very serious complications arise, most of which are irreversible.

The most common complications are:

Infertility.
Possible infection of the developing fetus during pregnancy, which can lead to various pathologies.
Frequent infections in the pelvic area.
The constant appearance of all kinds of infectious diseases in any system of the body due to the weakness of the immune system, which is forced to constantly fight thrush.

It is important that both partners undergo treatment for thrush , since men also suffer from candidiasis along with women.

If only the woman undergoes the prescribed therapy, and the man refuses treatment, then subsequent infection through sexual contact will lead to the appearance of a chronic form of candidiasis and all sorts of complications.

Causes of thrush

The main reason is always the weakening of women’s immunity, which is facilitated by the following factors:

Constant stress, fatigue, overexertion.
Smoking. Those who smoke usually experience a disturbance in the circulatory system caused by spasms in the blood vessels.
Problems from endocrinology. A striking example is diabetes mellitus and excess weight. Hormonal changes also occur in pregnant women.
Lack of vitamins and minerals, which lead to deterioration of the skin and mucous membranes.
Disturbance of the digestive system, dysbacteriosis.
Tuberculosis, hepatitis.
Poor nutrition – consumption of alcoholic beverages, foods high in simple carbohydrates, yeast products, spicy and fatty foods.
Long-term or incorrect therapy with antibiotics and hormonal drugs.

The use of:

scented gels for intimate hygiene and soaps;
pads during menstruation (because of them, humidity increases, thereby creating a favorable environment for the development of yeast fungi).

Thrush can develop due to:

wearing tight skirts, trousers, and women’s favorite jeans;
poor hygiene or lack thereof;
sudden change in climatic conditions;
the presence of chronic diseases, inflammatory processes, HIV infection;
performing sexual intercourse without lubrication. The result will be the formation of injuries on the mucous membrane of the genitals, through which the fungus of the genus Candida can easily penetrate into the tissues, after which it will begin to infect them through reproduction.

Preventive actions

The main preventive measure for the occurrence of chronic thrush is the most attentive attitude towards oneself, hygiene, and intelligibility in sexual relations.

You should be careful when taking antibiotics, as well as hormonal contraceptives . Abuse of such drugs or their uncontrolled and unjustified use greatly contributes to the rapid development of thrush. Antibiotics should be taken only when prescribed by a doctor and in a strictly prescribed dosage.

Of great importance in the prevention of candidiasis is a woman’s diet , as well as compliance with all the rules of eating behavior described above. It is important to enrich your diet with healthy foods that will inhibit the development of fungi, creating an unfavorable environment for them.

Thrush. Definition, types, risk factors

Scientifically, this disease is called vaginal candidiasis, as it is caused by Candida fungi. Normally, these fungi are always present in our body and only under comfortable conditions do they begin to actively reproduce. Chronic candidiasis is popularly called thrush because of the characteristic discharge.

There are acute and chronic forms of diseases. And, if in the acute form women, as a rule, go to the doctor, then the symptoms of the chronic form are not clearly expressed, which is why many begin to self-medicate.

The symptoms and manifestations of chronic thrush can be identified as follows:

When chronic candidiasis is present in the body , a change in the color of the mucous membrane of the external genitalia can be observed, while the skin of the genitals becomes hard and bumpy.
A characteristic thick, whitish vaginal discharge appears. In men, there is a pale coating on the head of the penis.
Signs of candidiasis appear a week before the start of menstruation and disappear during menstruation, since during the menstrual period an alkaline environment is created in the vagina, which prevents the proliferation of candida.
Chronic thrush is manifested by itching in the genitals - from slight to very pronounced.
In children, thrush is expressed in the appearance of a white coating in the mouth, which makes it painful for the child to suck the breast and eat any food.

Itching in the genitals is one of the symptoms of chronic thrush