Thrush- please help me!

[Collygirl]

My doctors said both times I’ve got thrush but the swaps have come back clear! Loosing my mind here! Been on/off since 2018. Never suffered before having children. My partner hasn’t got it, I’ve cut down sugar & not wearing tight clothes or soaps etc. Also drinking probiotics Doctors don’t care.

Have you been checked for trichomonas? Its quite often mistaken for a yeast infection.

I haven’t but I will speak to my doctor about it. Thank you xx

Have you been treated for thrush yet it's still there? Surely if so that tells your doctor its not thrush.

What treatment have you had? There’s one type of medication (sorry forgotten the name) which can be taken daily for 6 months or even longer if necessary to keep it at bay. Most women come off it at 6 months and see an improvement. I know that’s not ideal but I’d certainly be pushing for this from the GP

Biokult Candida, plain yoghurt with lactobacilius acidophilus and absolutely no sugar, fruit or alcohol until it clears up. Also multigyn actigel from boots.

Try boric acid pessaries

Have they checked your urine? Years ago I recurrent thrush and finally they checked my urine and it was in my bladder somehow. I think I had to take oral anti-fungals instead of the usual pessaries and creams.

Another cause can be a deficiency. Anaemia, thyroid or diabetes are the most common. Have they checked you don't have a deficiency/disease making your more susceptible?

I've been using multigyn actigel after seeing it recommended on here. I kept getting recurrent itching down below, now if I feel a bit "off" I use the gel and no issues ever since!

I had recurrent thrush after third baby and canestan just wasn't getting rid of it. When I told my gp, I was prescribed a tablet called Diflucan as far as I remember and it cleared it right up.

Oh OP I could have written this two years ago. I suffered dreadfully with thrush every few months for years and years. It drove me mad.

Here's what I did- did a week's course of BV treatment (my GP recommended this, I didn't have BV but the treatment rebalances your bacteria or something. I got it from boots on the shelf. Then I started using Femfresh after advice on here every time I showered (www.ocado.com/products/femfresh-natural-balance-daily-intimate-wash-36270011) and it CHANGED MY LIFE. I've never had it again except once when I ran out and didn't use it for 5 days then bam, got thrush. Apart from that one time I didn't use it, I've never had it since.

Good luck :)

Also I know feminine intimate washes are generally a no no, but this one is 100% soap free and has worked miracles for me.

Could it be perimenopause? One of the first signs for me was vaginal dryness -it felt very similar to thrush, and would be made worse with sex (tmi- clearly because there wasn’t enough natural lubricant!)

I suffer from chronic thrush caused by sex, often I have symptoms but swabs don't show any thrush. I was going insane because it became resistant to any possible treatment. Until I started using boric acid capsules. Twice a week and I haven't had a recurrence in a year. Ask your GP about them, it's worth a try.

I had this. I had thrush but also an allergic reaction. Treatment for thrush plus a mid level steroid cream sorted it out once and for all for me. I still have the steroid cream to hand and pop some on as any sign of soreness or itching. Good luck getting it sorted.

I also recommend boric acid pessaries. I had chronic bad discharge and my swabs kept coming back clear for everything. I then tested my discharge on litmus paper and the ph was completely wrong (I can’t remember the details but I think the ph was 7). I tried loads of treatments and nothing made a real difference until I tried boric acid pessaries.

Can you get hold of a copy of ‘The Vagina Bible’ by Jen Gunter (an American ob/gyn doctor)? She says that women - and doctors - often misdiagnose other conditions as thrush, which is why the treatment doesn’t work. She goes into a lot of detail about alternative diagnoses, and evaluates all the thrush treatments and tips. Sorry, too much info for me to reproduce here, but you could start with her blog.

Thank you for all your kind messages. I’m on the mini pill too so I’m thinking this may be causing issues as well. I’m now on the 6 months thrush course after a sharp email. I’m now asking my doctor again as the test results are normal x

Does your partner, or you use a steroid inhaler for asthma op?
One of my sister's suffered recurring thrush, it was a never ending cycle for her.
Then she got divorced and never had another attack of it, however, her husband was asthmatic and used steroid inhalers, which via oral sex caused the thrush.
Ask your doctor for some Diflucan, it's a one tablet treatment which treats your whole body from within.
It may also be Gardrella, which is very similar to thrush in its presentation.

Diflucan tablet over the counter for both of you

Hey @Collygirl did clear up for you? I’ve been having exactly the same problem since July 2021. I don’t have the classic cottage cheese discharge but doctor diagnosed as thrush despite me have two separate swabs and both coming back clear for everything they could possibly test for!!
I’ve been given fluconazole (diflucan) to take once a week for 6 months and it is not working at all. We’ll I say that, sometimes I take it and seem to get a few days relief - then it comes back. Sometimes I take it and it has zero impact. Tried multigyn after seeing it recommended on here but I wouldn’t say I’ve noticed much difference. I’m going to see the doctor this Thursday and hoping o make some progress but who knows what! Feeling really fed up! Next step is boric acid but I’m a bit nervous. Will ask the doctor about it.

I’ve been on a 6 month treatment but it hasn’t helped. I did see a gyne & they said I had lichen sclerosus but I think it’s soreness from all the thrush. The left hand side of my vagina is still so sore. But the doctors can’t see anything. I’m not sure what to do now x

Has the gynae suggested a treatment plan for the lichen sclerosus? In my experience, the best thing to do is push to see a gynae and/or dermatologist that specialises in vulva conditions. It’s surprising how many aren’t sure how to treat / diagnose lichen sclerosus. My diagnose took almost 13years. Treatment plans will vary, mine is dermovate once/twice a week, using moisturiser the rest of the time, with regular check ups with dermatologist/gp. It has flare ups, but once it’s under control, it’s easier to manage. It can be a scary diagnosis (at least I was scared by dr Google) but now it’s under control, I know more about it etc., it’s not as scary as it once was. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions x

To add I did have a water infection in which the antibiotics did make it matter which is weird

FreshBananasEverywhere They gave me cream for the shower & a strong steroid cream but it didn’t work

Have they given you a follow up appointment to see if the steroids are working? They should do! If you don’t have one booked in, try and get one sorted, otherwise you won’t know if it’s working or not. Typically the treatment starts quite intense (might be everyday twice a day, then goes to every other day, then less and less) but someone should be seeing you to check that.