Thrush
It’s more common than you think. Thrush is a vaginal yeast infection caused by excessive growth of natural yeast-like fungus, called candida albicans.1
If you’ve noticed vaginal irritation and inflammation, you may have a yeast infection.2 This occurs when the good bacteria in your vagina cannot keep the fungus under control, or when your immune system is weakened. Just so you know, thrush is not a sexually transmitted infection. Please seek consultation with your doctor or pharmacist.
Thrush Symptoms
You might have thrush if you experience:
- Sore and itchy vagina / vulva
- Soreness, burning and redness around the entrance to your vagina (vulva)
- Slight swelling of your vaginal lips (labia)
- Cottage cheese-like white discharge3
These symptoms aren’t uncommon:
- Pain during sex
- Thick discharge
- Red and swollen labia
- Burning around your vulva
- Pain when you urinate
- Sores in your vaginal area. Cracked skin around your vulva4
- You are experiencing thrush for the first time
- You get thrush frequently, or if it returns in less than 2 months
- There is no improvement in your symptoms within three days, or if they've not disappeared within seven days
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding
- You have multiple sexual partners
- You are under 12 years old
- You have fever, chills, nausea, or vomiting
- You feel abdominal pain
- You have previously experienced an allergic reaction to other thrush medications5
Understanding thrush
We all know it’s uncomfortable but rest assured – thrush is usually easily treated. If you need further help, a pharmacist or doctor can help you decide the best medication option for you.
Vaginal yeast infection is treated with medication available over the counter from a pharmacy or on prescription from your doctor.
Treatment can be quite straightforward. To treat the infection, you can use an internal treatment that contains the active ingredient clotrimazole or fluconazole. Choose from the oral pill, soft gel pessary, pessary or internal vaginal cream. These products all treat your infection, but different people prefer different treatment options. External thrush creams will help to soothe your symptoms such as itching.
Our hot tip: just treating the itchiness with an external cream won’t get rid of your infection so don’t forget to treat your thrush at the source, with oral capsule or vaginal solutions, such as soft gel pessary.
You can buy our products separately or you can purchase a combi pack containing both the internal and external treatments.
References:
- Per-Anders Mardh, Acacio G Rodrigues et al.: Facts and myths on recurrent vulvovaginal candidosis, in: International Journal of STD & AIDS 2002; 13: 522± 539
- Clinical Features in: op. cit.
- Clinical features, in: Op. cit.
- Ibid
- Relapse or Reinfection; Clinical Features in: Op. cit.
- Over-the-counter antifungal treatment, in: Sobel, J.D. Vulvovaginal Candidosis, Lancet 2007, 369: 1961-71
- Management of recurrent vulvovaginal candidosis, in: Sobel, J.D. Vulvovaginal Candidosis, Lancet 2007, 369: 1961-71
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