Antibiotics Can Cause Yeast Infections

Somewhere between 25 and 70 percent of women will get a yeast infection after taking a course of antibiotics. Why? A woman's healthy vagina contains a delicate balance of bacteria and yeast, and most antibiotics will destroy these protective bacteria. This leaves the yeast the opportunity to run rampant, and women are left with a nasty yeast infection. While multiple factors can cause a yeast infection, antibiotics are certainly at the top of the list.

The Problem

A common occurrence in modern society is technology that is developed to solve one problem may then cause another problem-or problems. For example, a woman may go to the doctor because she has strep throat, and she is then given a prescription for antibiotics. Soon after taking them, the antibiotics have wiped out all the bacteria throughout her body, including those in her vagina. Now she will be dealing with a yeast infection. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are the worst offenders.

The Problem Made Worse

If this woman does not completely finish her antibiotics course (as many do not), she is then left with an even bigger problem: super bacteria. Antibiotics usually have to be somewhat long-term to fully destroy the harmful bacteria. Stopping the antibiotics short may leave the job incomplete and the strong bacteria that have been resistant to the antibiotics now have an advantage, and are able to breed and multiply their resistant gene. If she inadvertently spreads these bacteria around, stronger and stronger antibiotics will probably be necessary to treat these cases, leading to an even greater likelihood that these antibiotics will cause yeast infections.

Your Doctor's Role

In accordance with the fast-paced nature of today's American lifestyle, doctors are quick to prescribe antibiotics for just about any problem a patient comes in for. Many doctors operate under the misguided thought that patients want or expect antibiotics, even if the condition doesn't require them.

What You Should Do

To decrease your antibiotics-caused yeast infections, there are several things you can do:

• Keep good communication with your health practitioner. Let her know that you would rather explore alternative options to antibiotics.
• Remember that antibiotics don't treat everything, and this includes viral infections. When you get a cold, don't make your problems worse by giving yourself a yeast infection from an unnecessary antibiotics course.
• If you must take an antibiotic, try to take the mildest one possible.

Antifungals Pose that same Problem

Remember to get your yeast infection diagnosed by a doctor. If you skip natural treatments and decide to take an antifungal, remember to use it thoroughly; do not stop treatment early, or you risk creating super yeast the same way that stopping antibiotics early creates super bacteria. The last thing you want is to give yourself an untreatable yeast infection. http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,6235,00.html