Curing a Yeast Infection Without a Prescription
During pregnancy, your body goes through all kinds of changes and disrupts the normal bacteria down there. Those changes can bring along the dreaded yeast infection. If you are pregnant and experiencing yeast infections, here are some tips that can help you fight off the excess yeast and soothe the unbearable itch without a prescription from a doctor.
Before pregnancy, I think I might have had one yeast infection as a teenager. During pregnancy, I had a constant yeast infection for my entire second trimester!
It was the most irritating, uncomfortable, and distracting thing to have constantly. While I later found out that the yeast wasn’t going away because I had multiple infections, I found a few remedies that were helpful and did help soothe the horrible itch.
Read more to discover how to cure yeast infections during pregnancy without a prescription.
*This is not intended to be medical advice, and you should talk with your doctor before using any of these methods.
What is a Yeast Infection?
A yeast infection is an overgrowth of Candida Albicans in the vagina. Yeast infections are a common symptom during pregnancy due to the influx of hormones in your body.
Candida albicans is a fungus that lives in our vagina typically, but with the increase of hormones, it can sometimes cause an overgrowth. Sugars and carbohydrates can also trigger yeast we consume once the body digests them.
Is a Yeast Infection Dangerous for My Baby?
Thankfully, yeast infections are not harmful to your baby; the only problem is that they make you want to hide in the bathroom, scratching an itch that never goes away and producing this awful cottage cheese discharge.
Can a Yeast Infection Go Away on Its Own While Pregnant?
Yes, a yeast infection can go away on its own. However, there is some discomfort with a yeast infection, so you will most likely want to treat it immediately. If left alone and it gets worse, the itching can be painful.
What is the Best Way to Cure a Yeast Infection at Home While Pregnant?
The best way to cure a yeast infection is usually through diet and using an over-the-counter treatment that is gentle on your body. The goal should be to treat the itchy, burning symptoms with a homeopathic remedy that doesn’t disrupt your body’s natural balance.
Natural remedies will work much better if you start using them as soon as you experience any signs or symptoms of a yeast infection.
Next, you want to start focusing on the source of the yeast – the bacterial imbalance in your digestive system. This means lowering your carb intake to stop feeding the wrong bacteria and boosting your good bacteria through probiotics.
It takes a while to start having an effect, so be diligent and stick to it. Below is the exact yeast infection treatment protocol I used while pregnant.
At-Home Yeast Infection Treatments You Can Use During Pregnancy
These are the products, homeopathic remedies, and dietary changes I made to treat yeast infections during my pregnancies.
Monistat 7 Day
This is an over-the-counter remedy and the most common answer for yeast infections. It is a vaginal cream that you put into an applicator and insert vaginally before bed to work overnight.
If you’ve had a yeast infection in the past, I am sure you have used this method. I only bring it up because, as instructed by my midwife, you need to use the 7-day and use it in its entirety for the best results for pregnancy. Also, you can use the cream topically to help the itch.
RePhresh Vaginal Gel
I used this product with Monistat to help balance my pH levels. My midwife also recommended that all the hormonal changes of pregnancy tend to throw off the pH of a woman’s vagina.
These can be used every 3 days, and they are prefilled applicators. So all you have to do is break off the top, insert it and squeeze.
Probiotics
Probiotics have many benefits to help your bacterial flora in the stomach and the vagina. Taking probiotics orally will help, but unless you have been taking them consistently for 3 months before your yeast infection, they won’t be of much use to clearing your yeast infection. It takes a long time to reach past the stomach and into the vagina.
However, you can stick a probiotic directly in the vagina to get immediate benefits. The capsule will dissolve due to the body temperature and bring good bacteria in and help fight off yeast overgrowth. I used a 50-billion probiotic, which helped once my other infections were taken care of.
Hydrogen Peroxide Douche
This remedy is for when you have tried everything else and are still finding no relief. Once my midwife took a culture and found 5 other overgrown bacteria, she advised me to do this.
Since the vagina is a very acidic environment, the hydrogen peroxide kills off all bacteria (good and bad, unfortunately) and will not harm you internally.
It sounds like a bad idea, but it cured all my infections! I never had any problems after this and was finally cured of the constant itch. Always speak with your doctor before trying anything, but I recommend it if you need a last resort.
Use ⅓ cup of 2% hydrogen peroxide and ⅔ cup of filtered water. I boiled my water to ensure there were no contaminants and then let it cool. The important part is that you do not want to create a forceful stream of liquid into the vagina; you want it to be gentle.
I do not recommend holding the douchebag higher than waist level. The higher the bag is, the faster the liquid will come out.
Start low, and when you feel it coming out enough without it gushing everywhere, that will be a good level for you.
I did this once a day for a week, and it completely got rid of my yeast along with everything else. You can insert a probiotic one night to help bring good bacteria back into the area if desired.
A Low Carbohydrate Diet
Since Candida albicans feed off of sugars, reducing your carbohydrate intake can help limit your exposure to infection. There is a Candida diet that some people follow to alleviate chronic infections.
I started limiting the number of carbohydrates and found that if I stayed under 50g of carbohydrates, the symptoms would subside. However, as soon as you eat a higher carbohydrate intake, you may find the yeast infection comes right back.
Always check with your doctor before changing your diet especially during pregnancy.
Summer’s Eve Feminine Cleansing Wash- Aloe Love
This is more to use topically and helps with the itch of a yeast infection, but it helped me a ton. Every morning I would use this in the shower, and the itch would subside.
It also had this cooling effect that would help with the inflammation if I was itching all night and felt clean. I would highly recommend using this anytime you have a yeast infection.
Can I Use Coconut Oil for a Yeast Infection While Pregnant?
Yes, you can use coconut oil for a yeast infection since it contains anti-fungal properties. There are many benefits to coconut oil, including a great moisturizer for the skin.
How Can I Get Rid of a Yeast Infection Fast While Pregnant?
The quickest way to treat a yeast infection is to treat it as soon as the symptoms start. Using a cream or taking an apple cider vinegar bath can help the itching immediately, followed by using the abovementioned methods.
Yeast infections are a terrible nuisance on top of the many other changes that occur during pregnancy. Having options to eliminate a yeast infection that are relatively low cost and do not require a prescription will help you solve this problem quickly with little investment.
With the many options, find what works best for you to return to enjoying your pregnancy. If any of these remedies help you, let me know in the comments!