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Yeast Infection Symptoms

Introduction

Yeast infections can affect anyone at any point in life.

However, so can a lot of other health problems that look similar, so knowing the distinctive signs and symptoms of a yeast infection can be quite handy, especially if you think you might be getting recurring yeast infections.

There are genital yeast infections, oral yeast infections, nipple yeast infections and skin yeast infections. You can even get a yeast infection on your chin or at the site of an incision or wound.

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They cause a set of non-specific symptoms, which means that a number of different health problems can produce the same symptoms.

Vaginal yeast infections can affect the vagina (birth canal) or the vulva (exterior female genitalia) independently or together.

The most common yeast infection symptom is itching, burning, redness and swelling of and around the vagina.

Other symptoms include exterior pain while urinating, pain during sexual intercourse, and a thick, whitish, curd-like vaginal discharge that at most smells like old cheese, baking bread or beer. In other words, it smells like yeast, although it's not the same species of yeast used in bread or beer.

Many vaginal yeast infections don't produce a discharge at all.

If a vaginal yeast infection goes untreated, the first sign of a worsening infection is usually non-specific pelvic pain. If it progresses from there, the classic signs of systemic infection including fever, chills, and flu like symptoms usually result. Any symptom of systemic infection requires immediate medical attention.

Some women have reported bumps in the area around the vulva or between the vulva and the anus while having a severe yeast infection. This isn't a symptom of a yeast infection per se, but it does indicate that the secretion-producing glands around the vaginal opening have gotten blocked up. This particular symptom indicates that a doctor's appointment is in order.

Neon yellow or greenish discharge along with a horrific smell indicate a bacterial infection that requires antibiotics to fight.

Cloudy urine does not indicate a yeast infection but rather a urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infections are never yeast infections, as yeast cannot survive the incredible acidity of urine. Urinary tract problems can be caused by bacteria and complicated by almost anything from a yeast infection to genital herpes, so medical aid is needed to keep your UTI from traveling up to the bladder and really making life interesting.

Mouth / Oral Yeast Infection Symptoms

A yeast infection in the mouth, also known as oral thrush or oral candidiasis, usually produces distinctive white to off white lesions on the tongue, inner cheeks, or the roof of the mouth.

These plaques of white stuff can also show up on gums, tonsils and even on the back of your throat.

The lesions often look as though cottage cheese has decided to adhere to your mouth tissue, but if you scrape at them they'll generally bleed.

Photo picture of oral mouth yeast infection

The picture is very obviously a mouth yeast infection. It has the classic yeast infection symptoms. The thick white coating, the area that looks like some skin has pealed away producing some small bleeding. Yeast infection symptoms in the throat is not a pretty a sight.

Unfortunately, Candida infections don't always cause the same symptoms in everyone.

Alternate symptoms of a oral yeast infection include red, peeling patches on the tongue or the roof of the mouth, discolored extra tissue that can't be wiped off, and red, radial cracks spreading out from the corners of the mouth.

Any of these symptoms could indicate a yeast infection. They could also indicate some other form of health disorder, such as malnutrition, so it's important to get an accurate diagnosis.

If your oral thrush gets bad enough, it may even spread down your throat and into your esophagus. If that happens, you'll generally have a lot of pain and difficulty swallowing, a feeling that food keeps getting stuck in your throat and pain either in the throat or the chest area.

If the yeast infection gets bad enough to cause a fever, it's gotten bad enough to get immediate medical attention from an emergency room.

Babies and small children most often suffer from oral candidiasis.

If a breast-feeding baby gets oral thrush, Mom will also need treatment for a yeast infection of the nipple. If she doesn't, she and the baby can keep trading the yeast infection back and forth to each other.

If anyone in the family has an oral yeast infection, dishes, silverware and cups all need to be cleaned thoroughly to avoid passing it around the family.

Male Yeast Infection Symptoms

The symptoms for yeast infection in men's genitalia are quite a bit different from the feminine version.

Men often get no symptoms whatsoever.

If you don't know you have a yeast infection, you can pass it to your sexual partner or around to your family without knowing it.

If your sexual parner has a yeast infection, it's a good idea to get treated at the same time just to make sure you don't have a problem. If you have a yeast infection and don't treat it, it can manifest as a severe infection before you know it.

When men do have symptoms, the most common are irritation, soreness and itching on and around the genitals.

You can also occasionally get a discharge, same as women.

The head of the penis can also turn reddish or develop white lesions. It shouldn't smell bad, again at most you should smell a yeasty odor.

The symptoms for men can be quite similar to genital herpes, so make sure you know exactly what you've got.

Skin Yeast Infections Symptoms

Yeast infections on the skin most often occur where the other layer of skin is punctured or broken down in some way.

The most common locations are in armpits, in the navel, in perpetually moist folds of skin and around poorly done IV injections.

Common yeast infection symptoms are a red flat rash with scalloped edges with similar, smaller patches in the immediately surrounding area. A whitish powdery substance or pseudo-membrane can also develop over or around the area

If the yeast infection is on unbroken skin, such as a diaper rash or in a moist area, the yeast infection is not very serious and can usually be taken care of by a topical antifungal cream or ointment.

However, if it's due to poor injection or right around a deep incision, the infection has a much easier time getting into the bloodstream.

Severe Yeast Infection Symptoms

If a yeast infection goes systemic, it goes from a relatively mild health problem to a deadly one.

Up to 75% of the people who get systemic candidemia die from it.

Systemic yeast infection can come with or without fever, but will usually create flu-like symptoms, chills and muscle aches.

If it gets into the brain it can also cause mental problems and it will also cause symptoms specific to the internal organ or organs in which it lodges.

Systemic yeast infections are usually only a real threat to people who suffer from suppressed immune systems but they provide powerful motivation to take care of all yeast infections promptly.

The Impact of Yeast Infection Symptoms on your life - and their Treatment

Yeast infections of any kind can have serious impact on both your social and economic well being.

An active yeast infection can make daily life both miserable and embarrassing. They regularly interfere with concentration and can make going to meetings or social events almost impossible.

Fortunately there are a few things you can do to make life easier.

First, of course, there's the matter of hygiene.

Change and wash clothing in hot water every day.

You can still go swimming with a yeast infection, the chlorine in the water will kill off any contagion, but you should change out of and wash wet swimsuits and towels immediately.

Don't share towels or clothing with anyone.

Keeping good hygiene will keep infection, and therefore symptoms, down to a minimum until the yeast is gone.

Yeast Infection Symptom Relief

For yeast infections in the genitalia or on the skin, sitting in a warm sitz-bath for twenty minutes at a time can help with itching and burning.

Following that up by sitting on a towel-wrapped icepack can provide maximum relief from inflammation.

Oral thrush symptoms can be temporarily relieved by a oral analgesic such as those used for teething.

In addition, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen can help with the burning and inflammation of an active yeast infection.

However, because they modulate the immune system they can contribute to yeast infections.

If NSAID medications cause you to get yeast infections, you can consider taking acetaminophen for pain and discomfort instead.

Yeast Infection Symtpoms in Conclusion

Yeast infections are often some of the most annoying health problems that can affect anyone.

The best way to avoid the biggest problems that yeast infections can cause is by getting an education, proper diagnosis and knowing how to avoid them.

In the event you're already suffering from one, getting quick symptom relief and a permanent cure should be priorities.

If the yeast infection and the underlying causes are not fixed, you can get an entrenched recurring Candida problem that becomes a lot more difficult to treat.

With proper treatment methods and solutions to those underlying causes, yeast infections can become a thing of the past.

REFERENCES USED FOR THIS PAGE YEAST INFECTION SYMPTOMS

Taber's Medical Encyclopedia

Walsh TJ, Dixon DM (1996). "Deep Mycoses", in Baron S et al eds.: Baron's Medical Microbiology , 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch.

Pappas PG (2006). "Invasive candidiasis". Infect. Dis. Clin. North Am. 20 (3): 485–506.

Odds FC (1987). "Candida infections: an overview". Crit. Rev. Microbiol. 15 (1): 1–5.

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