How Does a Person Know If She Has a Yeast Infection?
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A yeast infection is one of the most common types of vaginal infections and it occurs when there is an overgrowth of yeast (Candida) in the vagina. Unfortunately, many women have a yeast infection at least once in their life. There are different reasons why a woman may get a yeast infection, including stress, sickness, poor diet, pregnancy or taking antibiotics or birth control pills. Yeast infections are very unpleasant and having a yeast infection can interfere with your normal daily tasks and activities. In addition, yeast infections usually cause discomfort and pain in the vaginal area. Quite often, women find yeast infections to be embarrassing and do not seek the proper medical attention when they do have symptoms present.
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It is usually rather easy to identify a yeast infection. If you have ever had a yeast infection, then you are probably familiar with the common signs. However, some women experience mild symptoms, while others have more severe symptoms when a yeast infection is present in the vagina. The most common symptoms of a yeast infection include extreme itching and burning in the vaginal/vulvar area, soreness, irritation, swelling, pain when urinating and during intercourse and a thick, whitish vaginal discharge (resembling cottage cheese) that is odorless. Please be aware that if your discharge does have an odor, you may have a more serious infection present, such as bacterial vaginosis, because yeast infections do not carry a smell. You may or may not have all of the above symptoms, but you still may have a yeast infection.
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In order to receive a formal diagnosis and to actually know that you have a yeast infection, you must visit your gynecologist or another appropriate health care professional. This is especially important because some women may think that they have a yeast infection when in fact, they may actually have another type of vaginal infection. Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and give you a pelvic examination, look at your vaginal area and take a sample of your discharge to look at under a microscope. Once your doctor completes the examination and views your sample in an appropriate laboratory, she can confirm whether or not you have a yeast infection. She can then discuss the various treatment options with you and let you know how you can avoid getting yeast infections.
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