need advice please!

[mrsR1991]

hi i am new to this site but i really need some help/advice. i am currently 9 weeks pregnant with my second baby and even since before finding out i have had thrush constantly :( i suffered with it a few times before falling pregnant but i just treated it with pesseries or the pill. i am allergic to the external cream and i havnt had any medication for it yet as havnt been able to get to the doc.. im very sore and irritated all the time and every time ifeel its going it comes back again! i keep getting little cuts around the opening down there and sometimes it swells up then goes back down... im sorry if its all a bit too much info i just really need to know what i can do to help it until i can get medication. i use a feminine wash which is meant to help and iv switched to cotton underwear and iv been wearing leggings rather than jeans but nothing seems to be helping :( please help and thanks in advance xx

Feminine washes actually make things worse. You really do need to see your GP - but the pharmacist should be able to advise you until you can see your GP.

there are no pharmacies open near me.. im going to try and see the doc tomorrow.. how do the washes make it worse? i only used it coz it said it restores the natural pH balance :-/ its the femfresh one xx

It doesn't need the pH rebalanced; your vagina can handle that quite well by itself. Vaginal washes are far too harsh and abrasive and actually cause harm; they also introduce more bacteria into your vagina. Ignore the marketing crap on the bottle - you simply don't need it. Your vagina is perfectly capable of self-cleaning and regulating itself unless you start mucking about with it and putting stuff up it that it doesn't need.

No no no to femfresh! Seriously. (I work in this field).

Pessary, cotton undies or none, plain water for bath/shower. But mostly you just need the treatment!

Ooh femfresh gave me thrush! Try avoiding anything in your baths. Try putting pads in the freezer before applying them. Since thrush is an upset in pH, you could try taking a probiotic to redress the balance, it seems to help me.

Uh, no, thrush is not "an upset in pH" - it's a fungal infection.

I think what I meant was the yeast that causes thrush is thought to possibly be caused by a disruption to the balance of good and bad bacteria. There is some evidence that taking a probiotic can help to redress that balance although it tends to be slower to work, once you have been properly treated, a regular probiotic may help to decrease the chances of said thrush coming back...

I thought I had thrush that just wouldn't go away but eventually I had had enough and went to my doctor. Turned out it was bacterial vaginosis - quite common in early pregnancy apparently, the doctor said he didn't know how I'd managed to walk to the clinic it was so bad... but as soon as I had the right treatment it was gone within 48 hours so definitely go to the doctor as soon as you can. Part of the prescribed treatment was putting natural yoghurt up there! I was dubious at first but my goodness it was the only thing that helped. If you've had it constantly for that long it might not actually be thrush and it might be what I had - which isn't necessarily harmful but if left undiagnosed and not properly treated it has been thought to cause problems later in pregnancy. Hope you feel better soon.

oh great lol i will stop using femfresh then.. babyradio i will def see doc tomorrow if i can get an appointment. hope they can find out if its thrush or the bacterial vaginosis that you had thankyou. i thought thrush was caused by an upset in the bacteria too n was told that was due to the pH changed thats why i tried the wash but as its not helping i wont be using it anymore. thanks to everyone xx

also, try wearing a skirt & not leggings - more air

When I had thrush I ate probiotic yoghurt and put some on 'down there' (er, not from the same pot... Obviously!)

Sorry if this is TMI but my step-mum suggested soaking a tampon in the yoghurt and then inserting it, as well as the yoghurt outside as she is also allergic to the creams, and it really worked. Had had thrush for 3 weeks and it went in 4 days! It's gross and your clothes smell, and you will need to use a sanitary pad and wash regularly etc, of course, but it worked very quickly.

Though tbh, I was desperate and couldn't get a doc appt for a few days (though by the time I did it was gone), if I'd been able to get a same or next day appt I probably would have skipped the yoghurt, because it is pretty manky! HTH

Definitely see your doc, it could also be herpes. (You said there are cuts appearing) Nothing major to worry about, a huge percentage of people have it but it tends to flare up when immune system is down. It's very very uncomfortable, like extra bad thrush, but you can get cream to help and its best to know about it while pregnant.

Wearing a nightie rather than pyjamas could help as it lets air circulate down there. Also, I've been told that diet can be a big contributing factor to thrush - i.e. if too much yeast or sugar in your diet is causing the problems, although I'm not an expert so probably best to speak to your doctor or a nutritionist if you think this could be the case.

After years of suffering from constant thrush I sympathise. As the others have said, I would recommend getting a swab taken by the doctor to confirm it is thrush initially. I find the pessaries no longer are effective for me, external cream doesn't work and even the oral remedies (which are not allowed during pregnancy) only work for a short time. Before I became pregnant this time I tried taking a probiotic once a day and although I only had two months of trying this, it worked like a dream so it might be worth thinking about upping your intake (if it is thrush) or even seeing if your doctor is happy for you to take a supplement such as acidophilus.

i dont wear pjamas to bed i wear one of my partners tshirts lol. i tried reaching the doctor but i dont have a number for the new surgery that ha opened by me so will be taking a walk down later. thanks for all the help feeling extremely sore today and its got me very down.. still have to endure it. x

oh and droflove its def not herpes iv been with my partner for 4 years.. the cuts are because it dries out so much i get them everytime i get thrush xx

What worked for me as a preventative was eating as much garlic as I (& those around me!) could stand; eating no yeast or refined sugar & a probiotic yoghurt

You'll need treatment for this occurrence though

geordiecherry yes im going down to the doc later. im going to ask if there is a supplement i can take to help keep it away.. xx

Hi, I would stear clear of feminine washes, I used to get thrush years ago until my doctor gave me too pieces of advice which I've stuck to, firstly, all you need to wash with is water, not even soap and definately not shower gel or other types of washes, secondly, thrush and candida (lives in gut too) thrives on sugary stuff, so cut out cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks, processed food etc as all this does is makes it worse...I did both these things and I've had no problems since. Good luck, sounds painful and hassle you could do without!

peggyL thanks yh it is! esp as its been over a month :( still i went to doc but i cant be seen until friday!! thats the only appointment left which is ridiculous! really annoyed right now. my partner and i usually have sex quite often and we havnt been able to for weeks! he assures me he understands but i need it too lol! still id rather get better. i asked pharmacist what i could take they said i need to ask doc when im seen too grr :( never mind. thanks for you help ladies xx