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Yeast Infection Symptoms

Warning Signs That You Have a Fungal Infection Caused by Candida

Aug 22, 2009 Marka Charalambous

Yeast infection is relatively common both in men and women and it is important to learn early on what are the main symptoms that bring about this particular problem.

Candida Albicans is a yeast fungus that we carry in our bodies all the time, and it is not harmful because the good bacteria in our bodies keep it at bay. The infection only occurs when the conditions for it are just right. This means overuse of various antibiotics which kill the protecting bacteria in the body, in case of a slow recovering immune system after a heavy illness, through poor nutrition, hormonal changes that occur during menstruation, as well as pregnancy. Each of these can cause an increase of the yeast, or Candida in the body and this is when infection actually occurs.

People associate routinely yeast infections with women, and it is often true, as women have a higher tendency to get affected by Candida. Their particular type of infection is called vaginal yeast infection. In addition to the causes mentioned above, women can get vaginal yeast infection due to injury of the inner vagina, after taking cortisone related medication or even while taking oral contraceptives. Although Candida is not a sexually transmitted disease, men can develop various irritations of the skin around their penis after a sexually encounter with a partner that is yeast infected.

Yeast Infection Symptoms in Women

When yeast infection affects women, some of the most common symptoms they experience are the following:

Itching in the vaginal and vulvar area
A feeling of burning and soreness around the affected area
Thick vaginal discharge, mostly odorless and colorless, however at times it might change to a distinct smell and a greenish color
Pain during sexual intercourse and during urination
Quite painful menstruation - this might be particularly noticeable if the woman has usually easy menstruation periods

Yeast Infection Symptoms in Men

When men are affected by yeast infection, they have somewhat similar symptoms, such as:

Pain during urination
Pain during sexual intercourse
Red and inflamed glans as well as glans with ulcer-like spots on them
Strong itching of the affected area

Symptoms of Yeast Infection Affecting the Mouth

As yeast infection can occur on various moist areas of the body, sadly human mouth is not spared of this, and the symptoms can be quite painful and nasty on occasions:

Difficulty in swallowing
A thick white coating on the tongue, which when scraped off will leave open cracks
A strong burning sensation in the mouth and throat

Generic Yeast Infection Symptoms

There are also generic symptoms that everybody can have, regardless of the gender, however they can point to yeast infection if they are occurring in tandem with some of the symptoms mentioned above.

A general feeling of fatigue, tiredness and lack of energy throughout the day, accompanied by headaches, dizziness and nausea
Intestinal and abdominal gas
Mood swings

Candida yeast infection is one of the infection types that people don't like to talk openly about. Even though it is officially known that candida is not transmitted during sexual intercourse, people still feel they have a stigma attached to them when they have a yeast infection. Thankfully this is not a very serious illness and it can be treated relatively easily.

When symptoms that point to a fungus infection are noticed, the individual should go to their doctor to get themselves examined. One should not delay speaking with their health care practitioner because of feeling embarrassed, as this will only delay getting the right and swift treatment for the yeast infection.

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The copyright of the article Yeast Infection Symptoms in General Medicine is owned by Marka Charalambous. Permission to republish Yeast Infection Symptoms in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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