Curious

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

I have never had a yeast infection but every woman I have ever talked to about the subject has had at least one if not multiple. I'm not even sure what causes one to begin with? I've heard douching can cause them, but what else? Can anyone tell me why I've never had one? 

Obviously I am not complaining because well, YI's don't sound fun... I am just curious and most women just tell me "Oh, you'll get one" so it got me wondering, how many others haven't had one? 

Comments

[wife-and-mom.livejournal.com]

I'm 29 years old and have never had a yeast infection. I have had BV when I was pregnant and my PH balance got thrown off which I've heard gives similar symptoms (not sure though) and it was horrible so I'm not complaining about the no YIs either.

Yeast infections are caused by an overgrowth of the normal fungi that lives in the vaginal area. The most common fungi is Canidida albicans. Overgrowth of Canidida is often a result of recent use of antibiotics, or by wearing clothing such as nylon or lycra that traps moisture and heat. Other factors that often contribute to yeast infections include pregnancy, obesity, PMS, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes.

Yeast infections are common among women infected by HIV and women who suffer from recurrent episodes of yeast infection should be tested for HIV infection. Other possible causes include the use of oral contraceptives, and consuming large amounts of sugars, starch, and yeasts.

Above info from here (http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/yeastinfections/a/vagyeastinfecti.htm). This (http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/stds/yeast_infections.html) site has some good info also.

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

Ah, interesting. Thank you for this and for sharing the websites.

[ghostpaw.livejournal.com]

I was going to chip in, but wife_and_mom's comment summed it up pretty conclusively.

I think I had a mild one, once, when I was enormously stressed finishing up my MSc. I washed things with warm water twice a day and the symptoms went away.

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

I never knew you could use warm water, well for a mild one at least. Good to know.

[stolen-tv.livejournal.com]

I had my first one at 22, and have had one since. The first one, I think, is from being on a plane cross country without getting up or 'freshening up' after sitting that long. It is all I can assume. I had clean cotton undies on, so I have no idea.

I also had one more recently and am not sure what caused it either. I've stuck to over the counter in both instances, but will probably try a more natural approach if I get one again.But, you know, I hope I don't!

I can always tell when one is coming because I get a curious, nagging itch that returns more than once in a general allotment of time.

[jaggednib.livejournal.com]

What are the symptoms of BV? I'm pregnant too and I've had a disturbing cottage-cheese-like discharge that I've treated 3 times as a yeast infection and it isn't going away. I've had it for the duration of my pregnancy (I'm almost 36 weeks) and it's so itchy I want to scream.
I wash myself with warm water every night before bed otherwise I wake up in the night scraping out my vulva.
Could this be BV?
I was tested for infection but the test came back negative. I just don't think this is normal but the doctors keep telling me that itchy discharge is normal for some pregnant women.

[wife-and-mom.livejournal.com]

My symptoms were white/milky discharge, which looked like the normal pregnancy discharge (leukorrhea) only thicker and OMG horrible I could claw the skin off itching! Your symptoms definitely sounds like BV. I was tested for a YI but it came back negative, she also tested for infection which was negative. She did a separate swab for BV and it was positive so I would have them test specifically for it. If it comes back negative, it may be just normal discharge causing it but with your discharge description it sounds to me like BV.

I was given a cream to insert vaginally (can't remember the name of it) and was told to use vagisil cream or powder for the itching. It helped A LOT.

Edited to add: if it's just normal itching from leukorrhea, does it get better if you have sex and your guy ejaculates inside of you? Personal question I know, but when I got that itching problem it was mild and when we were sure it was nothing contagious, sex was what made the itching go away. The guys semen helps put your PH balance back on track, as odd as that may sound.

[silverwing26.livejournal.com]

I've also never had one. 28yrs old.

[mercyisme.livejournal.com]

Being a woman doesn't automatically mean you'll get a YI at any point in your life.

I only had one YI in my life and that was right after I started taking cortisone. Antibiotics never caused one.

I think some people are just more prone to get one - one of my friends just has to wear underwear not made of cotton and she gets one. Maybe some peoples' bodies just react more/are more sensitive to all kinds of changes like meds, diet, clothing materials, soaps etc.

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

I didn't think being a woman meant YI automatically, but it seems to be very common.

I agree, everyones body is different also depends on other factors as well.

[dimethirwen.livejournal.com]

I tend to get them after my first few sexual experiences with a brand new partner - it's like my body is adjusting to the new bacteria and whatnot.

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

Interesting, it makes sense.

[gunshotbeauty.livejournal.com]

i've never had one, knock on wood

[witnessthine.livejournal.com]

got BV which started the vicious cycle for me...

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

Yeast infections are indeed pretty common. Anything that disrupts the balance of the vaginal pH can lead to them; we have a pretty long list of things that can possibly cause yeast infections here (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=Yeast_Infection#Who_is_at_risk_for_yeast_infections.3F__What_causes_yeast_infections.3F). On top of that, some people are more likely to get them, others are less.

I don't know how old you are, but I had my first YI when I was about 25. I'm now almost 28 and I've had two since then. On all three YIs, there was no identifiable cause -- sometimes they just happen for no obvious reason. Either way, it's not like there's one thing you are or aren't doing that means you haven't (or won't) get a YI; while some things can lessen one's chances of getting them, in other ways it's sort of the luck of the draw.

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

I'm 23. Thanks for the info... I'm not saying I wont get one but I didn't think it was that uncommon for someone not to get them.

[tacky-tramp.livejournal.com]

It happens to me when my immune system is depressed for some reason, like when I'm under a lot of stress. It's also happened when I'm on antibiotics. Yeast is always present in the vagina, but when the normal ecosystem gets thrown off (like when a Cipro prescription wipes out every bacteria in your body), the yeast can flourish and make you very unhappy.

[marionravenwood.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've ever had one, and I'm 35.

[magyck.livejournal.com]

Never had one. I'm 21.

I also never have gotten a symptomatic UTI-- it always leaps up into a not-quite bladder infection. That's happened three times in my life.

[elephantus45.livejournal.com]

I'm 22 and have never had one or BV I think I'm just lucky.

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

I've never had BV either... maybe we are just lucky?

[archangelbeth]

I'm 37, and far as I know, no yeasties here -- even when on antibiotics. Though I was eating a lot of yogurt. My mom told me that antibiotics killed the good intestinal flora, so yogurt was necessary for that, and... No yeasties, either! Since she didn't mention them, I guess she didn't/doesn't get them either?

May be genetic, may be due to eating yogurt frequently.

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm 59 and I've never (but also knocking on wood) had one either. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, as I just finished a very strong 5-day round of antibiotics last Tuesday; when I realized that and that my doc had not prescribed flucuonazole, I ate a big tub of yogurt immediately. One would think I'd be a prime candidate, too, as I eat too many refined carbs (but I've been more aware of that lately). Maybe this is the tradeoff from the medical lottery fates who burdened me with things that are a lot more serious.

Anyway, I'd never even heard of YI until I'd started reading people's experiences here at V-P.

[mandy.livejournal.com]

I never had one either...I hope my record stays spotless cause from what I gather YIs sound like nasty beasts that are a pain in the butt to get rid of lol.

[whiterabit.livejournal.com]

i used to be like you. then i took ortho tri cyclen lo for 4 years and got one every month if not twice or more a month. i thought it was just from getting older. only to switch to yaz and realize that nope it was the ortho. i havent gotten one since (double knock on wood). sometimes it can be a hormone thing.

[sarahness.livejournal.com]

I just started ortho tricyclen lo a month and a half ago, and I was wondering if it was the cause of my out-of-nowhere YI.

I'm thinking, yes. Thanks for this, I'll be asking to switch HBC at my next appointment.

[notadate.livejournal.com]

I'm 25, never had one. My mom drilled the idea of cotton underwear and frequent underwear changes as yeast infection prevention. I'm pretty sure when she told me that she said she had never had one, and she must have been in her 40s at the time.

[nightsinger.livejournal.com]

I'm 25 and no YIs for me, either. I have never been especially careful about it; I just don't seem to be prone to them.

[drownophelia.livejournal.com]

i'm 26, and have thusfar (knock on wood) been YI, BV and UTI free my whole life.

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

Yes, thankfully I've never had any of those either. (knock on wood).

[odalisque.livejournal.com]

I'm 21 and I've never had one. I thought I had one once because I was SOO ITCHY but I think that was actually BV.

[odalisque.livejournal.com]

I have had intestinal yeast infections from antibiotics, though, heh. (I was five.) The only other time I've had to take antibiotics (at 19 for a UTI) they gave me diflucan but I ended up not needing it.

[celticdaisy.livejournal.com]

I got them when I was 3 years old apparently, which is quite common.

I never had one in my adult life until I was 20 and I started Nuvaring, and then I had them almost every single month for over a year, even after I stopped using the ring.

In the last 8 months I was getting them almost every month again and was always sore and itchy, until I was diagnosed with celiac disease (can't eat barley, wheat, rye - gluten). Once I stopped eating all that bread, the infections and the soreness disappeared completely. White processed bread has a lot of extra sugar. I pretty much only eat rice, fruits, and veggies right now.

[bestillmyxheart.livejournal.com]

i've wondered about this too. i have felt discomfort in the past (sore, swelling) but there was never anything visibly different down there.

[fremescence.livejournal.com]

I've never had one before and I'm 21. However, I have had two urinary tract infections and at least eight instances of BV within the last three years, so I'm not that lucky.

[sarahness.livejournal.com]

I never had a yeast infection until I was like, 22. Since the first one, I've had several, usually after a round of antibiotics.

BUT, I JUST got one (as in, still have one) out of no where, and I'm thinking it's from HBC, because I never used it until a month and a half ago.

Not all women get YIs, though. Consider yourself blessed because they're the worst!

[kelism.livejournal.com]

Thanks for asking this because I've always wondered too.

I'm 27 and I've never had one (at least that I'm aware of and it sounds like I'd be aware). I've also never done anything to be careful and try to avoid one either.

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it sounds like it would be a pretty obvious thing, not something that would slide by. I've never done anything to be careful either, but I almost want to start so I don't get one.

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

All the people who've said they've never gotten YIs? Yeah, I'm totally getting theirs every few months. :P

[rj-a-go-go.livejournal.com]

i had a mild one once, and i only knew coz i happened to have a gyno appointment and she told me :) i've never had a UTI or BV either. however, i'm only 20 so i have plenty of time..

[sierra-sitruc.livejournal.com]

I'm 21 and have never gotten one. I do eat a lot of yogurt and always try to stay really "clean" down there. However, I recently got an IUD and started having unprotected sex, which my mom said is what started her first YI...So, I'm hoping that won't happen to me!

[coley-ouellette.livejournal.com]

I hope it doesn't happen either :)