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Recurrent Yeast Infections: Should You Worry?

Summary & Participants

While up to 75 percent of women will experience a yeast infection once in their lifetime, an unlucky 5 percent will have frequent, recurring episodes. Join our panelists as they tell us why yeast infections come back and what you should do if it happens to you.

Medically Reviewed On: July 23, 2008

Webcast Transcript

LISA CLARK: I'm Lisa Clark. Thanks for joining us for this webcast. Yeast infections affect an estimated 72 percent of women at least once in their lifetime. Unfortunately, about 5 percent of these women will have frequent infections. Recurrence has many possible causes -- incomplete treatment of a yeast infection, chronic health conditions, and medications such as steroids. It may even be something else entirely, which is why you should consult your own doctor if it happens to you.

Joining me to discuss the problem of recurrent yeast infections, gynecologist Dr. Gloria Bachmann. Thank you for being here. And as well, Dr. Joseph Apuzzio. Thank you, too.

Let's start by defining our terms. What do we mean when we're saying recurrent yeast infections?

JOSEPH APUZZIO, MD: The commonly accepted definition of recurrent yeast infection is if a woman who has had a diagnosis of an infection by a doctor has four or more episodes in a year.

LISA CLARK: Let's talk a little bit about some of the risk factors. For women who do have recurrent or frequent yeast infections, what are some of the common causes?

JOSEPH APUZZIO, MD: I think chronic medical conditions where patients are either taking corticosteroids for their medical condition, or they may be on antibiotics for a long period of time, or they're diabetics and need glucose control, those are probably some of the more common ones.

LISA CLARK: How about oral contraceptive use?

JOSEPH APUZZIO, MD: In some patients, yes, it can be oral contraceptive use. Sometimes stopping the pill may be enough so that the vaginal flora repopulate itself so that the patient no longer has a yeast infection.

LISA CLARK: Some patients with HIV experience recurrent yeast infections?

JOSEPH APUZZIO, MD: Oh, absolutely. In fact, that's probably one of the hardest that we have to treat, because patients whose immune system is suppressed, either by HIV or for some other reason, they tend to have chronic, recurrent infections, really, throughout their life.

LISA CLARK: How often is it the case that a patient has not completed treatment and that is what leads to a recurrence of the yeast infection?

JOSEPH APUZZIO, MD: Many times that is the case, because often, as soon as patients feel better when they're using the therapy, they'll stop, rather than using it for the duration that they were supposed to. So they in a way partially treat the infection, and then after a period of time the symptoms just come back.

LISA CLARK: The same sort of risks that people run that people run when they take antibiotics only until they feel better. You have to do the whole course of treatment.

JOSEPH APUZZIO, MD: Absolutely.

LISA CLARK: Does sexual activity play a role in recurrent yeast infections?

JOSEPH APUZZIO, MD: Yeah. I think receptive oral sex on the part of the female may play a role.

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