Preventing Yeast Infections - 8 Common Sense Tips

If you are prone to yeast infections you are probably wondering what preventing yeast infections steps you can take to cut the number of times you have to suffer. Since yeast infections are caused by the Candida albicans fungus that is always present in your body, your best bet for lessening the outbreaks is to find the things that allow the Candida to grow unchecked and turn into an infection.

Many things will allow the Candida to become overgrown. Basically anything that throws the PH balance in your body off can help the Candida to grow. Some of the most common culprits are antibiotics, birth control pills, steroids, hormonal changes due to menopause and your monthly cycle and too much stress.

There are some other things that contribute to the overgrowth of Candida. Candida thrives in moist warm areas of the body, keep these to a minimum and you can help lessen the number of infections that you get.

Here are some ideas:

1. Make sure that you thoroughly dry your vaginal area after a bath or shower (or when you go swimming). Keeping this area dry will help to curtail the growth of the Candida.

2. Tight clothing that doesn't allow your body to 'breathe' can also encourage the growth of the Candida which can eventually lead to an infection. Clothing that is made out of nylon is particularly bad. Try to avoid wearing nylon underwear or panty hose. Instead wear thigh highs and cotton underwear.

Synthetics are notorious for cutting off air flow. This only makes an already moist environment even more hot and moist and that can contribute to the growth of Candida, which is definitely not what you want to happen.

3. Of course keeping your vaginal area clean is a given when it comes to preventing yeast infections.

4. Take off your wet bathing suit as quickly as possible after you've gone for a swim. Also make sure to keep your suit clean. Sometimes it's easy to think that if you're swimming in a pool the chlorine will keep your suit from getting dirty but it still needs to be thoroughly washed and allowed to dry completely before the next use.

5. When you wipe yourself make sure you wipe from front to back so you don't transfer yeast from the rectum to the vagina.

6. Do not douche. Douching actually can make things worse since it disrupts the natural balance that keeps the Candida in check in the first place. Your body is best at regulating the Ph, don't trust a man made product to do it the right way.

7. Stay away from any feminine sprays or scented soaps. Also don't take a bubble bath since this can irritate the vagina. Try not to use scented feminine pads or scented toilet paper since all of these things can cause irritation.

8. Eating yogurt that contains live cultures can help keep your levels in balance. Lactobacilius acidophilis can help your system keep the balance it needs to stay healthy.

While you don't have complete control over what your body does, there are some simple things you can do to cut back on the number of yeast infections you do get. Preventing yeast infections can be as simple as changing the type of toilet paper you use.