VAGINAL THRUSH

What is it?
Thrush is in an infection caused by a yeast called Candida.  Candida is normally found on the skin and around the vagina. But its number increases when the immune system of the patient is low and presents as an infection.

What are the symptoms?
Discharge (white curd-like, sometimes watery).
Redness, itching , discomfort in and around the vagina.
Painful in some cases.
It does not harm the baby if the woman is pregnant and does not spread to the womb.

How and why does one get it?
The cause is usually not known. It is thought that sometime due to loss of natural defense around vagina in some conditions like pregnancy, diabetes or with use of antibiotics the yeast gets an opportunity to flourish and cause an infection. Other immuno-deficiency states can also lead to thrush.

What is the Treatment?
When the discharge is troublesome, consult your gynecologist to have it diagnosed. Not all discharges are Thrush. You may or may not require a laboratory test to confirm the infection.  A test may involve taking a swab of the discharge and sending to the laboratory. Results usually take 48hours to be reported.

There are various creams for local application (around the itchy area) and vaginal pessaries (for insertion into the vagina) that can be used to control the infection.