Thrush - back again :( candida overgrowth?

[kittykat818]

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 and I get swabs taken 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, don't use scented toilet paper and I have tried cutting down sugar but I am yet to totally cut it out. If anyone has experience of cutting sugar out due to thrush how long did you do this and do you still have to be careful with what you eat? The thought of having to constantly watch what I eat seems miserable but I am also worried about the health implications of constantly taking these strong antifungals longterm.

I last took antifungals (itraconazole) about a month ago and the thrush has returned like clockwork a month later.

You have my sympathy and understanding. But truth be told the most important thing for me was and still is cutting out as much sugar as possible. And all the things that are really sugary but food salesmen present as sugar substitutes...(they aren't)...honey, fruit juice, dried fruit, fructose, dextrose. It's actually pretty easy after a while, and bonus is I haven't needed a filling in 30 years. And no long hot baths.

@Willdoitlater Have you also cut out carbs? And have you made this change permamently? Thanks!

I have to use condoms otherwise I get thrush. So does bio washing powder.

You don’t use a menstrual cup do you? I have been getting thrush monthly for about 2 years despite not having it for years. I’d treat it and think it was gone then it would appear again after my period every month. I changed my menstrual cup and bought a new one. I’ve now ditched that too and gone back to tampons and so far so good.

I had terrible trouble with thrush and apparently you have to iron the crotch of your pants to kill the bacteria. As I was only washing on 40 degrees it wasn't getting rid. It definitely helped me.

Hey - I had this, was soul crushing. Are you sure it’s thrush? Are you getting it tested each time? I went to the GUM clinic every time, they’d often be convinced it was thrush from appearance, then not find the Candida overgrowth in my sample, but prescribe flucanazole anyway. I went on three six-month courses.

After getting what felt like thrush in my mouth (gums peeling) I realised I was allergic to SLS in toothpaste… and in everything else. Apparently a lot of ‘thrush’ is caused by allergies, though it’s not actually Candida overgrowth.

This was life-changing. I now use sensitive washing powder, re-rinse knickers, reusable sanitary products, unbleached bamboo loo roll, epaderm to wash with and NO soap anywhere, ever. Haven’t had thrush since.

Semen was a trigger for me too, and coming off my period would leave me with symptoms, but since I went no soap, I’ve been all good.

when you were tested , did they swab for trichomoniasis? , its got very similar symtoms to thrush , it responds to the same treatment as thrush ,but only responds as what treats thrush does not cure trich so you keep having it coming back . std clinics and doctors surgerys dont always routinally test for it like the other standard stds , might be worth a try seeing if you were tested for it and if not asking if you can be , once its ruled out , then its ruled out , you know for sure what your dealing with

@Iwasonline Do you need to use condoms with every partner you have had or do you think it is just a reaction to an individual?

@Movelikewater Hi - yes 100% thrush have had it tested over a dozen times. I do have a lot of other allergies and I am quite sensitive in general. I have switched to non-bio washing powder, 100% cotton knickers, bamboo loo roll and no soap down there either! I hope I figure this out one day. I think my period and sex could also effect my thrush but it is hard to tell!

Semen was a trigger for me too, and coming off my period would leave me with symptoms, but since I went no soap, I’ve been all good.

@chaosrabbitland Hey, yes had a few tests over the years for trichomoniasis but they have always come back negative. I've also been tested for loads of other stds and so has my partner but we are both always negative for all.

I don't do low carb. Just no sugars and not too much refined carbs. Yes, I do this permanently, but have the occasional treat without consequences. I agree with ironing your knickers. And tbh I did all the washing with no soap, special soap, aqueous cream, salty water, whatever was suggested by the quacks, but not of it helped and was such a faff. Eventually I realised that washing with a gentle unperfumed ordinary soap as infrequently as I could bear it was most effective.

I had seemingly untreatable thrush once, went on for months. In the end a colleague leant me her "candida diet" book. I stopped all the medical treatments and followed this and it did the trick. This was a while back, but it could be worth a Google.

@dudsville Do you know how long you did the diet for? Thanks!

@kittykat818 i always use condoms with every partner and also have to be very careful with brands of lube

My period also impacts me. I now use reusable also and have started washing them with napisan.