Many women treat yeast infections that aren’t
Frequent use of over-the-counter remedies may cause harm
Only one in every four women who seeks treatment for persistent yeast infections actually has one, a new study suggests.
Women will frequently treat suspected yeast infections themselves with over-the-counter (OTC) products, but the findings show that most of the time this won’t help. In fact, using such medications repeatedly may even cause harm, Dr. Susan Hoffstetter, the co-director of the SLUCare Vulvar and Vaginal Disease Clinic at Saint Louis University, told Reuters Health.
“We treat ourselves because we want our problems to go away quickly,? Hoffstetter pointed out, adding that this isn’t only the fault of patients. “We in medicine also do a lot of treating over the phone just to keep women from having to come in.?
Hoffstetter and her colleagues looked at the medical records for 150 women visiting the clinic for the first time who reported persistent yeast infections.
Lab tests showed that only 26 percent of the women were infected with Candida — the fungus responsible for yeast infections. Other causes of vaginal itching can include sexually transmitted infections, dry skin, or inflammation, Hoffstetter noted, which won’t respond to OTC antifungals and could even be aggravated by these products.
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false yeast infection, OTC antifungals
false yeast infection, OTC antifungals

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