New and with questions!

[a-chromatic-sea.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone! I'm new... 18 from Colorado.

I figured that it was a good place to ask a few questions I have.

*Can you tell if you're pregnant from a pap smear?
*Can birth control give you yeast infections (on a person-to-person basis, of course)?

I had my first yeast infection about five or six days before my last period, and I've got about a week to go before my next period starts and I just got another yeast infection. I have NO IDEA why I keep getting them; the last time, I used Monistat 3 and it cleared up pretty fast, but it's back again a month later... my mom brought up that I might be allergic to something in the oral contraceptive I'm taking (Yasmin) but I'm not allergic to any sort of medication stuff that I know of. Could it be just because of the hormones I get from the Pill, or would switching to a different type of Pill make a difference?

Just thought I'd try and get some feedback before making an appointment with my doctor... I'm moving up to college on Thursday and want to get some sort of plan in action before then if possible! Yeast infections suck!!

Comments

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

More estrogen can make the vagina a more habitable environment for yeast already present. You naturally have yeast but estrogen can encourage conditions that are right for an overgrowth. This is one reason why yeast infection treatments warn that if you've had several yeast infections in the past few months, you should see a doctor, because you could be pregnant and the higher levels of estrogen could be contributing to more yeast infections. It's not an allergy, though.

So, if I were you I might want to switch birth control methods, unless you've been taking Yasmin for less than 3 months. If it's been less than 3 months this might be a side effect that ends up going away. If you've been on it for a while now, though, and this is starting to happen, then you will either need to work on YI prevention, or switch methods.

For prevention, you can eat unsweetened yogurt with live bacteria, swallow or use vaginally acidophilus capsules (found at drug/health food stores), use boric acid vaginally, and try cutting out unnecessary sugar in your diet. There's a big honkin' YI post (http://community.livejournal.com/vaginapagina/5865641.html) right on the sidebar on the comm's front page, and that might have some helpful suggestions.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

No, a pap smear will not tell you if you're pregnant.

[kaelstra.livejournal.com]

That's not entirely true.

(Supposedly) A doctor can tell if you're pregnant during a pap by visually examining the cervix-I was told that the cervix of a pregnant woman turns blue-ish, while a non-pregnant woman's is normal colored.

That's not the actual pap exam though, to be fair.

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

Yes, taking some types of hormonal birth control can make some people more vulnerable to yeast infections. For more information, check out this post linked from the main VP side bar:

http://www.livejournal.com/community/vaginapagina/5865641.html

[tynkrxbell.livejournal.com]

well there are cervical changes that occur during pregnancy so i guess during a pap it would be observed but i think a blood/urine pregnancy test would probably be the most reliable detector of pregnancy than just a pap....

unless you were in labor. then i think it would be obvious.

the changes that can occur are a change in color (blue or purple), and tightening of the cervix to help retain the pregnancy. i'm sure there are others but i cannot seem to pull them out of my head.

[i-heart-hammies.livejournal.com]

Omg, your icon. That's the most beautiful Wonder Woman I've ever seen! (And I've seen a lot!)

[kaelstra.livejournal.com]

Michael Turner drew it. I've never seen it before, but I recognize his style in a heartbeat, and I totally agree! Gorgeous art! ^___^

[a-chromatic-sea.livejournal.com]

Thanks everyone for your help! I appreciate it!

-Amy