Help me get rid of my endless thrush

[Ofcourseivechangedforthis]

Please help a gal out and tell me your recommendations for getting rid of vaginal thrush that keeps coming back?

I get thrush multiple times a year and am always on some sort of fluconazole course. I've tried the tablets, the pessaries, the cream. I know all the stuff about how to clean myself, not wear tight/synthetic clothing and I am not diabetic. My thrush goes when treated but always comes back.

Anyone else in a similar boat had any luck in finding something to ward the bloody thing off? I shoved yoghurt up there once but nothing happened other than a mess.

Do you take probiotics? You can also get the pessaries that are actually for BV but balance the ph and help with thrush too

I used to get thrush in a cycle with my menstrual cycle. Continued for years. Completely vanished post menopause when periods stopped, showing it must have been hormonal controlled.

Anyhoo - I discussed with my GP at the time and got a huge prescription of 18 peseries. I used to take three over three days every month, at the first sign. That largely kept it under control.

Optibac for women
High quality Kefir daily
cut sugar intake
Check it’s not BV which has very similar symptoms and often mistaken for thrush but requires a different treatment.
The Kefir works really well for me. Not had an episode since taking it daily.

Course of itraconazole

Is it definitely thrush and not low oestrogen or dermatitis, have they been investigated and ruled out?

Are you on the contraceptive injection?

How old are you? Could you need vaginal estrogen?

If you are over 40 it's definitely worth considering vaginal estrogen to see if makes a difference as vaginal atrophy / GSM can be a good mimic of thrush.

I went through a period of this. So depressing.
I cut out refined sugar from my diet for reasons other than thrush and noticed that I was no longer plagued by it. I told my GP that I thought this might be a side effect of this dietary change and he just said "ah yes, starved it out"

Check you are not anaemic.

Vaginal oestrogen!

Has anyone had a look at it? I’d go to the GUM clinic and make sure it’s just thrush. After treating my symptoms as thrush for years I was diagnosed first with vulval psoriasis and eventually with lichen planus.

Thanks for the thoughts! Im late 30s now but this has been going on since mid 20s so I dont think its a vaginal estrogen things but ill mention to the GP.

It was swabbed a year or so ago and it was thrush, I guess this latest episode could be something else but it seems unlikely.

Kefir and no sugar sounds like the way forward. No one has mentioned probiotic tablets which is interesting, but kefir is probably better anyway.

Just a thought but if you have the Mirena IUD might be worth removing to see if it makes a difference.

Anyhow I'm so sorry you're suffering and I hope it gets better for you xxx

i was stuck in a cycle like this for a few years before realising it was scented toilet roll! Never get it anymore, have to buy th most basic toilet roll you can get that doesn’t have scents / oils added to it. Was life changing!

If you have a sexual partner, have thry been treated? If not, they could be reinfecting you. Get them to take fluconazole tablets too. Men don't always have symptoms (though a friend of mine said it almost drove him insane when he did have symptoms, before the Canestsn etc kicked in.)

I had chronic thrush, low sugar helps, and a gynecologist recommended doing 5days of the vaginally thrush pessary which really helped. I have a sensitive vulva, I now go knicker free at all opportunities. And ill use the thrush cream at any hint of thrush now.

They do say to get anything else ruled out by GP but it sounds like you've already been through a lot of treatments and investigations.

I had this until I switched away from using pads, I moved to period underwear and haven't had thrush since.

I had persistent thrush for ages after my first pregnancy. Tried changing diet and all the usual treatments via GP and in the end was referred privately to gynae consultant who advised using daktacort ( which I think is now discontinued) or nystatin cream pessary internally daily for an extended period. It worked so much better than the alternatives had ( including fluconazole and clotrimazole aka diflucan and canestan) but at the time it was hard to locate a pharmacy that could fill the script.

If you are having sex with someone they should be treated and also get them to wash their hands before touching your genitalia

Have you tried boric acid suppositories OP? Fluconazole and canesten etc stopped working well for me, but boric acid did .. You can get in the uk from a few places eg https://www.miiyoni.shop/ it’s called ‘private helper’ on there. Or eBay.

Only time I had chronic thrush was when I was on the combined contraceptive pill. GP took me off it and it went.

Have you had the weekly fluconazole for 6 months or only the one off ones?

Interesting thoughts - i am on a contraceptive pill but I am not sure if its combined or not. I will get DP a tablet too. And I will give boric acid a try.

I have had weekly fluconazole for more than 6 months. It was great and no thrush. Then I stopped and it came back.

Probiotics. If I stop taking them the thrush comes back very quickly.