Title: Are Your Medications Causing Yeast Infections? | Everyday Health
Headings: Are Your Medications Causing Yeast Infections?
Are Your Medications Causing Yeast Infections?
Oral Contraceptives
Antibiotics
Steroids
Chemotherapy
Talking to Your Doctor About Yeast Infection Risk
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Content: For certain medications, a common side effect in women is a yeast infection. If you experience vaginal itching that lasts longer than 24 hours, a vaginal odor, or a white to yellow lumpy discharge that resembles cottage cheese, you may have a yeast infection, says Herbert L. DuPont, MD, chief of Internal Medicine/Infectious Disease Department at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston. Doctors say knowing whether a yeast infection is a possible side effect of your medications can help cut your chances of developing a vaginal infection. Oral Contraceptives
Birth control pills may lead to women developing yeast infections because they increase estrogen levels in a woman’s body. “ Those increased estrogen levels can increase a woman’s susceptibility to vaginal yeast,” says Saul Weinreb, MD, a gynecologist at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore. And some women are more susceptible to that excess yeast growth. However, newer forms of birth control are less likely to cause a yeast infection. “ The older oral contraceptives with higher doses of estrogen that altered hormone levels were associated with an increased risk of yeast infections,” says Brenna Anderson, MD, director of reproductive infectious diseases consultation at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Brown University. If you develop yeast infection symptoms, Anderson suggests calling your gynecologist or primary care physician. “ In addition to treating the yeast infection, your doctor may be able to switch you to another type of oral contraception that won’t lead to any further yeast infections,” she says. “