What if treatment does not work?
If you still have symptoms after a week from starting treatment, see your doctor or nurse. Treatment does not clear symptoms in up to 1 in 5 cases. Reasons why treatment may fail include:
- The symptoms may not be due to thrush. There are other causes of a vaginal discharge. Also, thrush can occur at the same time as another infection. You may need tests such as a vaginal swab to clarify the cause of the discharge or other symptoms.
- Most bouts of thrush are caused by Candida albicans. However, about 1 in 10 bouts of thrush are caused by other strains of Candida such as Candida glabrata. These may not be so easily treated with the usual anti-yeast medicines.
- You may not have used the treatment correctly.
- You may have had a quick recurrence of a new thrush infection. (This is more likely if you are taking antibiotics, or if you have undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes.)
Some other points about thrush
- 'Natural' remedies for thrush include: live yoghurt inserted into the vagina; adding vinegar or bicarbonate of soda to a bath to alter the acidity of the vagina; tampons impregnated with tea tree oil. However, there is little scientific evidence that these remedies are effective.
- Thrush is not a sexually transmitted infection. Candida is a germ which commonly occurs on the skin and vagina. For reasons not quite clear, it sometimes multiplies to cause symptoms.
- Male sexual partners do not need treatment unless they have symptoms of thrush on their penis. Symptoms in men include redness, itch, and soreness of the foreskin and the head (glans) of the penis. Women do not 'catch' thrush from men who have no symptoms.
- Thrush occurs more commonly in pregnant women, and can be more difficult to clear. It can take several days of topical treatment to clear thrush if you are pregnant.
- Some women develop recurring thrush. This is defined as four or more times a year. If this occurs, see your doctor for advice on preventative treatment. (See also the leaflet called 'Thrush - Recurring Infections.')
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