Medical Questions » Fungal Infections Questions » Question No. 412
| Question: | Why do some women keep getting thrush? Every couple of months I am forced to suffer the indignity of using another course of vaginal cream to cure yet another of the curses of womanhood. |
| Answer: | Thrush is a fungal infection of the vagina. It is caused by the fungus migrating from the back passage, or may be caught during sex from a male who is a carrier.
Heat, moisture and friction enable the fungus to migrate from the back passage. A warm climate and the aggravating factors of tight jeans, pantihose, the contraceptive pill, nylon bathets, antibiotics and sex give the area between a woman' s legs the right degree of warmth, moisture and irritation to make the spread of the fungus relatively easy. Antibiotics aggravate the problem as they can kill off the bacteria that normally keep fungi under control. Entry of the fungus into the vagina is aided by the mechanical action of sex and the alteration in the acidity of the vagina caused by the contraceptive pill. Men may carry the fungus without showing any signs of infection.
Both husband and wife should therefore be treated for this condition, because the man may reinfect his wife after she has had a successful course of treatment. "Women who have multiple sex partners are obviously at greater risk of catching the infection.
Tablets taken by mouth are now available to cure vaginal thrush, but they are on prescription only and more expensive than the vaginal creams.
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