Yeast infection and pregnancy

Pregnancy has many wonderful aspects…and some not so wonderful! One of the not so wonderful is the fact that being pregnant means you have hormonal changes and this can make you more open to a yeast infection. The hormone changes causes an imbalance in your body’s chemicals and this can lead to the Candida Albicans bacteria, that normally live in dark and wet areas such as the vagina, mouth and armpits, being able to grow and multiply until it is a yeast infection. This article debate the yeast infection and pregnancy.

In a normal healthy woman that is not expecting, the Candida Albicans live in the vagina in small numbers, kept under control by good bacteria. But all those bouncing hormones when pregnant allows the fungus to grow and the good bacteria are unable to control them. Also during pregnancy women sometimes find their immune systems are weakened so that the fetus is not attacked as it grows in your womb. All of your body is working towards feeding and nurturing the baby until a successful delivery and so that leaves you vulnerable to things like yeast infections.

Do remember that once you have a yeast infection you can pass it to your sexual partner and then even if you treat it, if he or she does not you can get it back off them. Make sure both of you get treated and practice safe sex; even though you are already pregnant there is still the problem of passing that infection back and forth.

When looking for a treatment it is very important that you talk to your doctor. You do not want to endanger your baby and some treatments may be fine for when you are not pregnant but may put the baby at risk when you are. It could affect the development of the child or cause premature labor. Even if it is a natural remedy discuss it with a professional first.

After the baby is born another factor to consider is whether you are breast feeding as this causes chemical imbalances too. Try to keep a healthy lifestyle and watch your diet for foods like sugar and yeast products as these feed the yeast infection. Be aware because yeast infection and pregnancy is not a toy to play with.