How to test for thrush at home

Candidiasis: symptoms and diagnosis

Of course, thrush can be suspected by the well-known indirect symptoms:

• yeast-like vaginal discharge and unpleasant odor;
• itching, burning sensation in the affected area;
• redness of the skin.

If you have these signs, you should definitely go to the clinic. You need to make sure your assumptions are correct in order to receive quality treatment. First, the doctor examines the patient. In addition, you should not refuse the necessary laboratory tests. Only on the basis of their data can one objectively assess the situation. Without a diagnosis, the doctor will not be able to select a suitable treatment regimen.

However, if a lady suddenly begins to worry about unpleasant signs, you can first conduct a home test for thrush. Everyone knows pregnancy and ovulation tests, which can be bought at all pharmacy kiosks and even supermarkets. In the same way, you can test yourself for the presence of vaginal candidiasis. This is not a panacea, but an excellent way out of the situation if it is not possible to visit a medical facility.

Causes of candidiasis

Home test No. 1 for candidiasis

To take the test you will need a glass of water.

Carrying out the test

1. After waking up (before eating or drinking anything), spit a small amount of saliva into a glass of water.

2. After 30 minutes, evaluate the result:

• Saliva floating on the surface of the water indicates that the level of Candida fungus in the body is normal.
• Saliva that sinks in strings to the bottom of the glass or remains suspended indicates an excess of fungus in the body.
• Saliva that has settled at the bottom of the glass indicates the presence of candidiasis, which requires immediate attention to a medical facility.

To get the most reliable result, you must adhere to certain rules during the test:

• Do not consume dairy products the day before the test, as they thicken saliva, which can lead to a false positive result.
• Drink more water, because dehydration also makes saliva heavier.

How does this test work?

With intensive reproduction, the Candida fungus moves from the large intestine to the small intestine, then to the stomach, esophagus and oral cavity. As a result, a white coating forms on the tongue and the inner surface of the cheeks, which, when mixed with saliva, sinks in the glass, since it is heavier than water.

Storage conditions and periods

The optimal temperature at which this test for vaginal candidiasis can be stored at home is from +2 to +30 degrees Celsius. However, the packaging must be sealed. Printed items must be placed in the refrigerator. Temperature regime - no more than + degrees Celsius. Medical supplies are valid for 2.5 years. It is better not to test using this product after the expiration date. The thrush test may give an erroneous result if it is expired or if the conditions under which it should be stored have not been met.

https://youtu.be/b5SdfExFTSU

Treatment and prevention of thrush

Candidiasis is a disease that not only causes a lot of discomfort, but is also quite difficult to treat. You can get rid of thrush, but within a month it will make itself felt again.

Therefore, maximum attention should be paid, first of all, to the prevention of candidiasis, and for this you should know the reasons that provoke intensive reproduction of the candida fungus.

Main causes of candidiasis

• Taking antibiotics.
• Unbalanced diet rich in sugar and refined carbohydrates.
• Chronic stress and overwork.
• Excessive alcohol consumption.
• Taking oral contraceptives.
• Weakening of the immune system.
• Abrupt climate change.
• The presence of a number of diseases: bronchial asthma, diabetes, obesity, liver disease.
• Pregnancy (as a predisposing factor).
• Douching without medical indications and daily use of hygiene products that wash away the protective flora of the vagina.

How to treat thrush at home?

The most important thing is no self-medication! It is possible and necessary to treat thrush at home, but only in accordance with the recommendations of the attending physician!

We will talk about how to speed up the healing process for candidiasis and prevent the future proliferation of candida fungus in the body.

1. Reduce your intake of sweets and carbohydrates

Sugar-containing foods and carbohydrates promote the growth of Candida fungus. As a result, a person begins to consume more and more of these products, his craving for sweets increases, and this is fraught not only with the rapid proliferation of the fungus, but also with excess weight gain.

Nutritionist Zoe Harcombe has developed a special diet for thrush patients. She offers:

1. Completely avoid foods containing simple carbohydrates: sweet fruits, sugar and sugar-containing foods, white rice, pasta and baked goods.

1. Minimize consumption of canned foods.

1. Avoid all kinds of dressings and sauces that contain vinegar.

1. Don't drink alcohol.

The diet must be followed for 10 days while undergoing antifungal therapy.

In addition, it is recommended to exclude coffee, black tea, mushrooms, cheeses, salty, smoked and dairy products from the diet.

2. Include antifungal foods in your diet

Some foods have antifungal properties, which is why they are called natural antibiotics.

For candidiasis, the menu should be enriched with the following products:

• Garlic and onions.
• Spices: cloves, cinnamon, ginger.
• Vegetable oils: coconut and olive.
• Red berries.
• Lemon.
• Seafood.
• Cruciferous vegetables and greens.

3. Take probiotics and prebiotics

Probiotics (lactobacteria and bifidobacteria) are microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on intestinal function.

Probiotics are found in the following foods:

• Pickles without vinegar.
• Sauerkraut.
• Green olives.
• Fermented milk products: yogurt, kefir, fermented baked milk.
• Bitter chocolate.

The purpose of prebiotics is to stimulate the work of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. Prebiotic products include:

• Dairy products.
• Cabbage of all varieties.
• Cereals.
• Soy.
• Fruits.
• Onion and garlic.
• Whole wheat bread.
• Beans.
• Chicory.

4. Forget about self-medication

We are so spoiled by a huge amount of information that we are able to diagnose ourselves and prescribe treatment. We take antibiotics with or without reason, without thinking about the consequences. Therefore, you should not be surprised that one day, after another self-medication session, you will experience signs of candidiasis.

The same problem can arise if oral contraceptives are taken incorrectly, which changes hormonal levels and vaginal pH, which leads to alkalization of the vaginal environment and an increased risk of developing candidiasis.

5. Avoid douching

Douching in particular and the use of gels and sprays for intimate hygiene in general have an adverse effect on the pH of the vagina.

Regular douching without medical indications leads to the development of bacterial vaginosis, candidiasis, endometritis, adnexitis and endometriosis due to the washing out of normal vaginal flora. Let us remind you that it takes about 24–72 hours to restore the flora, so if you carry out a similar procedure daily or once every three days, then there is a high risk that you will end up with the active reproduction of opportunistic flora and suppression of the growth of beneficial lactobacilli.

But that's not all.

A multi-year study by scientists from the University of Texas, the results of which were published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, found that douching increases the risk of contracting human papillomavirus by 26% and ovarian cancer by 40%.

6. Strengthen your immune system

As soon as the body's defenses weaken, thrush immediately makes itself felt with discharge, itching and burning.

Eat right, walk more, play sports, reduce stress to a minimum, get plenty of rest to strengthen your immune system and forget about health problems.

And if your body fails, make an appointment with a specialist, remembering that self-medication is a waste of time and money.

Source: www.polismed.com

Instructions for use

The reliability of the test largely depends on the fulfillment of the conditions suggested in the user manual. In order to obtain complete information on the study, the following facts should be taken into account:

• Symptoms of thrush appear, and testing shows a negative result. What to do: take a flora smear to find another infection.
• If bacterial vaginosis is present in the body. Thrush has other pathogens.

When exactly and what kind of examination is necessary?

Candida fungus refers to microorganisms that are part of the microflora of the human body in small quantities. It even brings benefits - it regulates the intestinal microflora and processes toxins, but when the fungal colony multiplies rapidly, candidiasis develops.

Most often, fungal infections develop on the genitals, since this is where the most favorable environment for the growth and reproduction of opportunistic microorganisms occurs.

Symptoms of pathology in women and men

It is very important to diagnose thrush in a timely manner in order to treat it and avoid relapses and complications. Candidiasis causes specific symptoms, so it is difficult to confuse a fungal infection with other diseases.

What symptoms does thrush cause in women?

1. 
   Itching and burning in the genital area.

2. Increased discharge, especially after sleep.
3. The appearance of white, cheesy discharge.
4. Redness and swelling of the external genitalia.

Tests for candidiasis are necessarily taken from women planning a pregnancy and already pregnant, for examination in case of infertility and suspected sexually transmitted infections.

Thrush in men has the following symptoms:

1. Redness and swelling of the foreskin and glans.
2. There may be burning and itching of varying severity.
3. Pain after sexual intercourse and urination.
4. The appearance of a white-gray coating with a sour odor.

The appearance of such signs indicates a disturbance in the microflora and the development of an inflammatory process. To identify the pathogen, you need to contact a specialist and get tested.

Basic diagnostic procedures

1. Microscopic examination.
2. Bac sowing.
3. PCR.
4. ELISA.

Urethral swab

In women, a smear is taken from three areas: the cervix, the vaginal mucosa and the external urethral opening. This allows you to determine where the most intense inflammatory process occurs and whether there is a risk of infection in the urinary organs.

In men, a smear is taken only from the urethra, and material for analysis can also be taken by scraping or imprinting the glans penis.

In addition to a smear for the presence of candida pathogens, men and women need to be checked for other sexually transmitted infections, since they and thrush often accompany each other. For frequently recurring thrush, the state of the immune system, the functioning of the thyroid gland are checked, and pathologies of the digestive system are excluded.

What is this

A home thrush test is a device that you can buy at a pharmacy and use at home without the help of doctors. You can compare the principle of its operation with a similar home test to determine pregnancy.

If the pregnancy test “looks” for traces of the pregnancy hormone - hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine, then the Candida test is based on the determination of antigens of fungi of the genus Candida in the patient’s vaginal secretions.

Antigens combine with specific antibodies on the test strip and, through a chemical reaction, color the test strip. The accuracy of the test when used correctly is about 80-90%.

The most common test for thrush in the CIS markets is Frautest-candida produced in Israel. There are other analogues of the test, but they are rarely found in the vast expanses of the former Soviet Union.

Indications for testing

Fungi of the genus Candida are representatives of natural, opportunistic microflora that are present in the body of every person. Excessive growth of the fungus provokes itching, burning, and discharge from the genitals. Thrush pathogens begin to rapidly multiply in the human body under the influence of a number of factors:

• decreased protective properties of the body: disruption of the immune system during hypothermia, stress;
• failure to comply with the rules of personal intimate hygiene, use of aggressive detergent components;
• use of tight jeans, trousers, underwear made of synthetic fabrics;
• the predominance of sugar, simple carbohydrates, store-bought sweets, chocolate, etc. in the diet;
• hormonal fluctuations: during pregnancy, at the onset of menopause.

Testing with Frautest candida can be done at home, on your own, at the first manifestations of a fungal infection. The test will react only to pathogens of the pathological process of the genus Candida and will ignore other representatives of pathogenic or conditionally pathogenic microflora. The device can also be used after completing a course of antifungal therapy. Before starting use, you must carefully study the instructions for use.

The test is carried out when discomfort and itching occurs in the intimate area, as well as when pathological discharge from the vagina appears.

With the rapid growth and reproduction of fungal colonies, alarming symptoms begin to appear:

• allergic reactions;
• increased irritability;
• itching of the skin: not only in the intimate area, but also on the head, between the fingers and toes;
• headache;
• fog;
• weakness;
• dizziness;
• flatulence, abdominal pain, heaviness after eating;
• disturbances in concentration;
• decreased performance;
• regular exacerbations of thrush: curdled, profuse vaginal discharge, burning, pain and discomfort during sexual intercourse.

A person's food preferences are often determined by the state and composition of his intestinal microflora. If pathogenic microflora and fungi predominate, then a stupid craving for sweets appears.

Long-term progressive candidiasis is also manifested by digestive disorders, the formation of a dense, white coating on the tongue, which is difficult to remove with a toothbrush.

The described symptoms are a cause for concern and a direct indication for using a thrush test at home. Before starting use, you can consult your doctor and take a vaginal smear. While the diagnostic results are ready, you can use a simple test without leaving your home.

How to do

Let's look at the principle of performing the thrush test using Frautest as an example. Other tests work on a similar principle.

The test consists of a container with a reagent and a control window, similar to a pregnancy test. The kit also includes a sterile applicator. This is a thin swab with a cotton tip that is used to collect vaginal discharge.

1. Carefully remove the foil from the reagent container.
2. A cotton swab - applicator - needs to be inserted into the vagina to a depth of several centimeters and slowly rotated around its axis 2-3 times.
3. The applicator should be rinsed in a container with the reagent, and then gently squeeze out the residue on the edge of the container. After this, the applicator must be removed.
4. The container with the reagent must be turned back and forth three times several times. There is an arrow on the bottle to help you understand the direction of rotation. As a result, the notch on the bottle should coincide with the indentation on the bottom of the test.
5. The result is assessed after 10 minutes, but after 20 minutes the result is considered uninformative.

Home diagnostics using Frautest

It is not always possible to visit a doctor and undergo examinations if negative symptoms develop and thrush is suspected. For such situations, an Israeli company has released a test for home use - Frautest Candida.

The test is used for early detection of vulvovaginal candidiasis by examining vaginal discharge. It can also be used to determine how effective antifungal therapy is. Frautest Candida is necessary in cases where symptoms of thrush appear: itching, burning, specific discharge, but it is not possible to see a doctor in the near future.

This test allows you to determine the presence of thrush and avoid taking antifungal medications unnecessarily.

How to test:

1. Before use, you must ensure that the test has been stored correctly: the shelf life is no more than 2.5 years at a temperature of 2 to 30 °C when sealed.
2. Wash and dry your hands thoroughly.
3. Take out a container with liquid - test, remove the protective foil from it.
4. Open the package with a cotton swab.
5. Insert the tampon into the vagina to a depth of no more than 2 cm. Perform rotational and circular movements for 20 seconds.
6. Insert the swab into the hole in the test cap and twist clockwise for 20 seconds.
7. Gently squeeze the tampon against the inner wall and discard.
8. Turn the cap counterclockwise until it clicks.
9. Return the cap to its original position, then repeat two turns clockwise.
10. After 10-20 minutes, evaluate the result.

What the results say:

1. If no stripes appear on the indicator, this means that the test was carried out incorrectly, or not enough samples were taken for analysis.
2. A negative result is indicated by the appearance of one blue stripe - this means that the woman is healthy.
3. Treatment is necessary if the test shows two stripes - they confirm that Candida fungi are present in the woman’s vaginal discharge.

The advantages of the test are that it can be used at any time convenient for the woman and that the result does not need to wait several days, unlike laboratory methods. But, despite the ease of use, there is also a negative side:

1. 
   Frautest Candida will not detect other pathogenic microorganisms.

2. Doesn't always give 100% results.
3. With its help, it is impossible to select the most suitable drug.

Therefore, if a woman feels unpleasant symptoms indicating thrush, it is better for her to take the time and go to an appointment with a gynecologist, take a smear and receive competent treatment prescriptions.

Marina writes: “There was no one to leave the child with, and she could not get to the doctor when itching arose and signs of thrush appeared. I asked my husband to stop by the pharmacy and buy something for fungus. They also imposed Frautest on him for thrush.

I tried it, the result was positive, as I expected. The only thing is that the instructions are not very clear, I re-read them several times. “And this is very convenient, especially if you know how to be treated.”

Advantages

We list the positive features of such home testing for candidiasis:

1. The test device costs about 7-10 dollars, which is comparable to the price of high-quality antifungal drugs, but significantly lower than paid tests for thrush in clinics and medical centers.
2. When used correctly, the test is quite reliable.
3. The test is easy to use and comes with detailed instructions.
4. The test can be used on girls and young women who have not been sexually active since the applicator is very thin and will easily pass through the hole in the hymen.
5. The device can be used not only for diagnosing vaginal candidiasis. Using a similar technique, it can be used if candidiasis of the oral cavity or other cavities is suspected.

Pros and cons of the rapid test

The advantage of a home test for thrush is the following:

• Simplicity and ease of use. You can confirm your assumptions quickly and without a medical education.
• Diagnostic accuracy. The manufacturing company claims that the test gives the correct result in 90% of cases if the rules of use are followed.
• You can save on treatment with unnecessary drugs by choosing only those necessary to get rid of thrush.
• Normally, the vagina may contain a small amount of Candida, but the sensitivity of the test does not allow them to be detected. Therefore, a positive result is an indication that fungi are present in excessive quantities.

Among the disadvantages of the test for determining thrush, its price should be noted. For little money you cannot get examined by a gynecologist and perform basic tests. Also, the definition itself does not exclude a subsequent visit to the doctor to accurately confirm the diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment.

Inoculation for fungus

Bakposev, or cultural method, is carried out to identify the number of fungi, their type and susceptibility to antifungal drugs. This method is used infrequently due to the high cost of the analysis, so in most cases it is prescribed if broad-spectrum antifungal drugs have not helped get rid of thrush.

No special preparation is required for sowing, but there are some restrictions:

• 
  do not take hygiene procedures on the day of the examination;

• do not urinate 1-2 hours before taking a smear from the urethra;
• do not take antifungal and antibacterial drugs before taking the test - taking medications can lead to a false negative test;
• women should not use suppositories or douche a day before the test;
• You cannot take a smear within two days after colposcopy.

Taking a smear is no different in its actions from collecting material for microscopic analysis. After taking a smear, the material is placed in a nutrient medium and kept for some time so that microorganisms begin to multiply and form colonies.

After their numbers increase, it is possible to identify the causative agents of inflammation, even if they were in small quantities in the smear.

What the results show:

1. The norm is the number of mushrooms no more than 10 3.
2. A slight excess - the number of units is 10 3.
3. Moderate excess - amount up to 10 4.
4. Large number - the number of fungi is 10 5 or more.

When the pathogen is identified, they begin to select drugs to which it is sensitive. When deciphering the analysis, it looks like a list of medications and opposite each there is a sign that determines the degree of sensitivity:

1. Ch - the pathogen is sensitive to this drug.
2. DZ - sensitivity depends on the dose of the drug.
3. R – resistant or resistant to this drug.

Designations may differ in each laboratory, so only a doctor can decipher the results. Simultaneously with the identification of yeast-like fungi, the presence of bacterial and other pathogens is determined. Therefore, culture can identify other concomitant infections.

results

• Two clear blue stripes on the test clearly indicate a positive result. A woman's discharge contains a fungus of the genus Candida. Weak coloring of the second stripe also means that the user is suffering from candidiasis.
• The only blue stripe is a reason for joy. This is a negative result. The patient does not have any thrush. She is healthy.
• The strip does not appear. This result is regarded as erroneous. As a rule, this happens because the amount of discharge taken for analysis is too small. Sometimes the reason is that the test itself was not performed correctly. You'll have to retest. For this, of course, a new test is taken.

Result

A positive result for the presence of candida fungi can be seen within 20 minutes. It appears as two stripes on the test panel. In this case, the second one may be fuzzy, duller in color, but it still indicates a disease.

One strip indicates healthy microflora or that the cause of the unpleasant symptoms is not thrush.

If no stripes appear, then the test is incorrect. This could be for several reasons:

• the test has expired;
• the rules of use were not followed;
• the amount of vaginal secretion collected with a tampon is too small to carry out the procedure.

In this case, the test must be repeated using new packaging.

The treatment regimen is selected by the doctor based on the depth of the inflammation and its scale, as well as taking into account the individual characteristics of the girl. An independently selected drug without taking into account all the necessary nuances may not bring the expected effect or aggravate the course of the disease.

Thrush test is a great way to check at home

Many people don't like visiting doctors. This is especially true for women who are not eager to see a gynecologist. And even if there are unpleasant symptoms of thrush, the woman tries to postpone visiting the doctor.

However, do not think that thrush is not too serious. She definitely needs to be treated. The fact is that the fungus without adequate treatment can spread to other organs and parts of the human body. In addition, a married woman can infect her husband with her disease, and this should not be allowed. In this case, caring for the health of one sexual partner is the key to the safety of the other.

And it’s worth going to a medical facility, even if you are busy at work and cannot find time. It is also better to discard the fear of doctors: the disease itself is much more unpleasant.

ELISA and PCR methods

Tests using PCR and ELISA methods are prescribed extremely rarely, since they are not carried out in all laboratories, and they are quite expensive. Such examinations are necessary to identify the causative agent of candidiasis and determine the effectiveness of antifungal therapy in the treatment of severe forms of the disease.

Diagnostics using the PCR method is highly accurate - it can detect even one unit of the pathogen, which at the same time is a drawback when identifying the DNA of fungi of the genus Candida: since these fungi are normally present in the body of every person, tests often show false positive results.

Example of PCR test results

At the same time, this analysis allows us to identify the type of pathogen and select the correct antifungal therapy.

For the PCR method, a smear is taken from men and women. Preparation requires standard preparation - excluding sexual activity, taking medications, introducing suppositories and hygiene procedures.

If a smear is taken from the urethra, you must refrain from urinating for 1-2 hours before taking the material. The same method is used to examine urine if there is a suspicion that the organs of the urinary system have been infected with fungus.

https://youtu.be/1KAY1iz3HhA

The result of the analysis shows the absence of fungus or its presence. If a fungus is found, its type is indicated. In addition to fungal pathogens, this method detects hidden sexually transmitted infections even in the absence of symptoms.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is most often prescribed for severe candidiasis, or when, in the presence of symptoms, fungi cannot be detected by other methods. ELISA analysis allows you to determine the presence of antibodies and immunoglobulins G to yeast-like fungi and the form of the disease - acute or chronic.

Rules for preparing for analysis:

1. 
   Blood sampling is possible only on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning or 4 hours after the last meal.

2. It is not advisable to smoke on the day of blood collection, and not to drink alcohol the day before donating blood.
3. If you have taken any medications, you must notify your doctor or laboratory technician.

The results indicate the CP - positivity coefficient:

1. KP ≤ 0.85 is a negative result, indicating the absence of invasive candidiasis.
2. 0.85 The results obtained cannot be used for self-diagnosis and self-treatment. Only the attending physician can decipher the results, based on the complete picture of the disease.

If the material was collected correctly and the preparation rules were followed, then any smear examination will show the correct result with 98% accuracy. For diagnosis, smear microscopy is more often used; this is a reliable analysis, but its disadvantage is that it is impossible to select a drug to which the pathogen is sensitive.

Therefore, many doctors recommend taking an additional test for bacterial culture - high accuracy, the ability to determine the type of pathogen and select a drug makes this analysis the most popular. But there is a minus in this method - a longer wait for results.

PCR and ELISA methods are prescribed only in severe cases, in particular, when previously prescribed treatment is ineffective. Therefore, in order not to make a mistake with your choice, it is better to trust your doctor - he will tell you how and what kind of test for thrush you should take.