In brief...
Candida is a fungal infection, which is not caught during sex. It is an extremely common condition for both sexes of all ages but particularly girls and women. At some point in their lives between 30%–60% of women will get it. Girls and women usually get itching, together with soreness and vaginal discharge.
Boys and men get it much less frequently than girls and women. They usually have a red, itchy, rash at the head of the penis.
In most cases it will be easy for you to treat yourself with drugs bought 'over the counter'. You could ask your pharmacist, chemist, or your GP for advice or come and see us at shac.
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Do you have to treat candida?
You need to treat genital thrush only if it is a problem. Many women have genital thrush without it causing them problems but it can sometimes 'flare up' and be bothersome. It is usually easy to treat.
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Why do some people get thrush at some times?
Candida is a yeast that is normally present on your skin and usually does not cause any symptoms or problems. Sometimes in warm, moist, places such as your genital region, in your mouth, under your breasts or in the navel, it can get out of normal control and cause symptoms. Most people have genital thrush only once or very rarely. Some people get it more often but we are not sure why.
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Who is most likely to get thrush?
Genital thrush can happen to anyone. You might:
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Be pregnant, thrush is more common when your hormones change.
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Be coming up to, or have just finished, your period.
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Be diabetic.
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Have taken antibiotics recently, these can kill the good bacteria that keep thrush under control.
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Feel run down or 'under the weather'.
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Have been given drugs by your doctor that have made you immunosuppressed, if you have an autoimmune disease or have had a cancer or a transplant. Thrush is not a symptom of cancer.
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What symptoms do girls or women get?
You might get:
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An increase in vaginal secretions, discharge, which might seem thicker and whiter than usual. They might look a bit like cottage cheese and they might smell yeasty too.
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Some itching and soreness and swelling of the vagina and the folds of skin around it. The itching can be quite a problem. Try not to scratch, because this can make it worse. If it is very sore, you might find it painful to walk.
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A burning sensation in your genital area.
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What symptoms do boys or men get?
You might get:
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Irritation, burning or itching under the foreskin or on the tip of the penis.
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Redness, or red patches, under the foreskin or on the tip of the penis.
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Difficulty in pulling back the foreskin.
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Some of these symptoms are similar to, or the same as, those of other infections, which you can't get treatment from the chemist for.
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What symptoms can either sex get?
You might get:
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Pain on urinating. Caused by the urine, which is salty, stinging the sore tissues.
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Pain when you have sex. This is because the skin is sore.
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Is there anything simple I can do to make it more bearable?
Genital thrush can become a bit more uncomfortable if you wear tight jeans, or clothes, or nylon pants or tights. Also if you use scented soap or bubble bath. You could try avoiding these.
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What tests for thrush can you offer me at shac?
To test for thrush we will take a small sample with a cotton-wool swab from one of the sore areas and test it in our laboratory for the yeast. We will also test if the yeast grows over the next week. We often do some other tests, if you agree, because other conditions can cause similar symptoms to those of genital thrush.
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Can I catch thrush or pass it on during sex?
Yes and no. You can get genital thrush when you are not sexually active. But sex can make it worse or bring it on. If you have it when you have sex you MIGHT give it to your partner. It is a good idea not to have sex when you have symptoms, and maybe your partner should get some treatment if they have symptoms.
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What treatment is available for genital thrush?
The good news is that genital thrush is often easily treated with anti-fungal creams, pessaries (vaginal tablets) or pills that you can get without prescription at a chemist or pharmacy.
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Do I need to attend shac or a similar clinic?
If you have genital thrush symptoms, particularly if they don't go away with simple treatment, or if you would like to check that you don't have other infections we are happy to see you at shac, Clinic 1A.
Some people are infected with types of candida that need to be treated with pills which can't be bought over the counter at a pharmacist, we can prescribe these for you.
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