Thrush that keeps coming back, very desperate

[kittykat818]

Hi everyone, I am really needing some advice. I have been getting thrush ever since starting to have sex. I got thrush for the first time shortly after sleeping with my boyfriend for the first time (this was 4 years ago) the first year we were together I got thrush every single month despite both of us being treated. I then went on a 6-month course of fluconazole but after 6 months of finishing the treatment, the thrush came back again every month for four months so back I went on the 6-month course of fluconazole until the exact same thing happened again. I do not know what is wrong with my body! It is definitely thrush as it always clears with medicine but I am not sure why it keeps returning. I came off the pill to see if this would help but no luck. I also have been tested for vitamin deficiencies, diabetes, and every std possible! I don't use soap down there and always make sure I wash with warm water after sex and now use the multigyn acti gel after sex as I have heard this helps to rebalance PH after sex (I now also make sure my boyfriend and I use the pull-out method in case it is the semen is causing thrush.) I also take a good probiotic, dont use scented toilet paper and I have tried cutting down sugar but I am yet to totally cut it out. I am so desperate to fix this issue, the thrush really affects my mental health and relationship so please if anyone could be of any help I would be so grateful!

@onwardsandupwards22 Okay great, thanks again!

[quote kittykat818]@Noodleted Thankyou! I have never spoken to someone who has been on antifungals long term, can I ask what they put you on after fluconazole as I think I do have some resistance already? Could I also ask if you were on it constantly or were you doing 6-month courses and then taking breaks and how long have you gone without getting thrush now? Sorry for all the questions![/quote]
Sorry for delayed reply. Didn't check my notifications!

At first I had small breaks between 6 month courses (for maybe 2 years of it) then went into getting 12 month prescriptions, but still with a small break (less than a month). The break was to see if the thrush would come back (which it always did) but because my thrush was cyclical - always coming up in the 2 weeks before my period and then dying down during my period - I needed to go through that time to check whether it had gone away. My consultant was great at just represcribing it though the moment it did.

I moved onto itraconazole. It's a similar antifungal but is more risky in relation to liver function so I had to have blood tests to make sure everything was ok. At first I think it was after 1 month, then 3, then every 6 months so not too bad. I never had any problems with it.

I didn't have thrush for about a year after coming off it. I do have thrush now again but I'm pregnant so I think it was par for the course that the hormones would mess me up again! Until I got pregnant (and for the first couple of months) I was fine though.