Genital yeast infection help needed

People talk about Candida all the time, but has anyone else dealt with fungal issues on the skin in the genital area (like where your underwear sits, the labia majora, etc.)? No matter how much I prioritize hygiene—changing pads frequently, showering regularly, you name it—it still happens. Especially now that the weather is warming up and I’m sweating more, those pads can cause fungal issues on my skin right after my period 🙄. Usually, I just apply some Redoxon cream or dab a bit of tea tree oil on a cotton pad, but since it's a fungus, it takes a while to clear up... which means no sex for a bit just to be safe 🙂. It typically looks like irritated skin—reddish and a little wrinkled (I'm not great at describing it 😁)... it doesn't really hurt or sting, but it's definitely not pretty. The last time this happened, it took me nearly a month to get it back to normal 😢. I mostly use Kotex pads, and I actually picked up their non-winged version at Target thinking maybe the wings were part of the problem, but I don't use tampons. Does anyone else deal with this? What do you do to fix it or prevent it from coming back?

I’m not so sure it’s actually caused by pads. About ten years ago, I dealt with constant infections. It took me forever to realize they only happened when I was seeing this one specific guy, blah, blah... I won't go into all that. These days, I use various products—pads, tampons, liners—but I don't wear all three at once 🤣. I just pick whatever fits based on whether I'm on my period or not. But I always have "something" in there. Except at night, when I skip the liners and just use a tampon or a regular pad if I'm menstruating, obviously. That means "my" 🤣 gets some air only at night, and I never deal with infections or yeast issues. So, I’m not really buying the theory that it's solely because of the products. Maybe it’s synthetic underwear or poor hygiene habits—not being dirty, just using the wrong products... hm?

My wife is adamant that daily liners, especially the scented ones, are the absolute worst thing you can put in your underwear. She swears they're a direct ticket to all sorts of allergies and infections—like yeast infections—so, yeah, there's a real chance this could be caused by them.

Sure, those daily liners aren't the best, but I wouldn't pin a Candida infection on them alone. It’s probably more about sweating too much or just not drying off properly after a shower or a workout—you know, creating that damp environment where they absolutely thrive.
Maybe try using a hair dryer on the lowest heat setting whenever you feel a bit damp?😁

I see this thread was merged. I was going to start a separate one since this isn't your typical vaginal infection caused by Candida albicans, but fine.

We aren't talking about infections treated with vaginal suppositories here; this is more of a fungal skin issue in the genital area—something like Tinea cruris if we're being technical (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/jock-itch/symptoms-causes/syc-20374214
). This first happened to me last summer when the wings on my pads caused some minor chafing, which then led to a fungal breakout in that area. (I hadn't been seeing anyone for a while at that point, so there was no way it was related to an STI).

Not long after I cleared that up, I had to take some Augmentin for a different reason... which ended up triggering a classic yeast infection afterward. I used Redoxon suppositories and tweaked my diet a bit, and that cleared right up too. For the last two or three months, everything was fine. As a precaution, I took Candida probiotics, tried to cut back on sugar and white bread, used Vagisil after showering, and would use an Acidophilus suppository once or twice a week just to stay ahead of it.
🙂 And now, right after my period, I've noticed something similar popping up on the skin down there again. For the past few days, I've been applying a tiny bit of Redoxon cream mixed with tea tree oil. Someone suggested making a compress with Orajel granules on a pad and lightly tapping it on. I have an appointment with my gynecologist this Thursday for a checkup, so we'll see. I might ask them to swab the skin specifically; I'm not sure if OB-GYN offices carry UV lights to spot fungi, or if I should just head to a dermatologist instead.

I suppose I should just point out that hygiene is probably the most critical factor here, particularly for men, since we always seem to have a bit of lingering moisture left over after using the restroom... if you catch my drift. It’s precisely because things never stay completely dry—always staying somewhat damp—that you’re essentially leaving an open invitation for fungal infections! 😁
It really needs to be kept dry to avoid any issues; otherwise, you're just asking for fungi to move in. 😉

Trust me on this one!

Alright, I decided to break this out into its own thread. 🙂 Usually, people lump these kinds of infections in with the vaginal ones, so I figured it’d be easier to keep everything together, but here we are.

My advice? If you haven't already, go get checked to make sure you don't have a yeast infection or something vaginal going on—especially since it keeps coming back in your genital area.

I’ll find out more this Thursday. I actually asked if they were going to run those swabs—you know, the full panel for aerobes, anaerobes, ureaplasma, etc.—but the doctor said no since I just had them done a few months ago. Apparently, there's a specific waiting period required before you can redo them because Medicare won't approve frequent testing 🙄. Honestly, I'm not sure if you can even diagnose Candida through a standard exam alone, though I'm not really experiencing any symptoms like that right now. I'll see how it goes; maybe a dermatologist is the better move here rather than a gynecologist, but I figured this fell under "women's health" since we're talking about our lower anatomy 😁.

Maybe all five. 😉

I lumped them together because I see yeast infections paired with vaginal issues so often, though now that I'm thinking about it, there are definitely cases where it’s just on the skin. From what I know, you can spot fungi on a Pap smear too (though not always), or even on the slide when a gynecologist takes the sample—mine usually does a smear on that same slide during my exam.

And if this keeps coming back, they can just take a skin scraping or a swab, whatever the doctor decides. If it's actually a skin issue, you should probably go see a dermatologist after you've ruled out anything gynecological.

An American dermatologist might actually clear this up faster than an OBGYN.
If you go to the OBGYN, you’ll probably just get handed some cream and told "good luck."
Just take my advice and what Kenneth Scott41 said... you're definitely going to see some improvement!

I just finished up at the dermatologist after seeing my OBGYN. She doesn't think this looks like a yeast infection; she’s leaning towards a skin reaction, possibly triggered by my pads. It popped up right after my period, which coincided with that sudden heatwave we just had. She suggested I try using Cortizone. I think I'll give it a shot since the Redoxon I've been applying for the last few days hasn't done a thing. My only worry is that Cortizone is a pretty strong steroid, and if this actually turns out to be a fungal issue, I'm going to be in trouble 😲. I'll stick with it until my appointment this Thursday, then I can let the gynecologist know exactly what I used, hoping for some actual relief in the meantime 🙂.

Just wanted to give everyone a little update on this 🙂. After chatting with my OBGYN, I started using Cortizone, and the irritation cleared up in just two days. Honestly, it’s such a relief because I spent nearly ten days trying everything under the sun without any luck 😁. My doctor did warn me not to overdo it with the Cortizone since it is a steroid, though. He mentioned that if there happens to be a fungal issue, steroids can sometimes make it look like things are improving when they aren't actually being cured. So, I'm going to keep a close eye on how things progress during my next period—I'm planning to switch up my brand of pads to see if that helps prevent any recurrence 😉.

You might find this a little funny, but honestly, this was a total lifesaver for me.
My sister is pregnant and ended up dealing with a yeast infection, and her OB-GYN actually suggested she try something quite old-school: lard...
Believe me, I was just as surprised as you, but it worked wonders for me too. Within two days, all that burning and stinging just vanished and hasn't come back, even though I’d spent ten whole days struggling with various creams and treatments.
Basically, after you go to the bathroom, you just clean up, apply the lard, and use a Kotex—you can even put some on the pad itself. One tip: keep the lard cold. My mom used to keep it in the fridge for me, which was such a relief because the inflammation was so intense that the cold grease would practically melt the moment I applied it...

In just two days, the stinging stopped, and I felt like a hundred pounds lighter—well, maybe not literally a hundred pounds, haha, but you know what I mean... it was just miserable.

So, there you have it; both my sister and I found relief incredibly quickly. I definitely went heavy on the application and even put some on my liner to let it sit... I kept trying to use plenty of it, even if it made everything a bit messy and difficult to wash off, but it didn't matter to me since it worked so well. I couldn't even sit down properly before this helped...
DEFINTELY GIVE IT A SHOT... It's what the doctor recommended to my sister during her pregnancy, and so far, I haven't had any issues since.

My wife was recently diagnosed with some STIs, but we haven't been intimate in about two or three months.

How is it possible to contract an STI if it wasn't through sex? She’s claiming it’s because of her period. Can you actually get a fungal infection or an STI just because of menstruation? I might be out of the loop here, so I'd really appreciate it if someone could walk me through this.

For context, she doesn't work right now—I’m the sole breadwinner for both of us—so she has a lot of free time on her hands. She’s out and about quite often, whether it's grabbing coffee with friends or heading over to her parents' place.

Candida is essentially always present within our bodies—it just takes the right set of circumstances for it to trigger an actual infection.

But if you haven't seen relief in two or three months, I'd honestly suggest telling the older lady she might want to pick up a little cream as well...

Adam Richardson said:My wife caught some kind of STI, but we haven't even touched each other in like 2 or 3 months.

How do you catch an STI if you aren't having sex? She’s claiming it’s because of her period. Can you get an infection from your period? Maybe I'm just being dense, someone please set me straight.

She’s got tons of free time since she isn't working (I pull all the weight here), so she’s always out and about—grabbing coffee with friends or hanging at her parents' place...

If it's Candida, that stuff lives in your body naturally. If your immune system takes a hit, it starts overgrowing and turns into an infection...
You gotta figure out if it's an opportunistic infection or an actual STI.

I’m guessing she mentioned they're sexually transmitted... which essentially means you need to use a condom while the treatment is ongoing so you aren't just playing hot potato with the infection. You might not actually get sick yourself, but you'll definitely be acting as a carrier. That's the bottom line.

It doesn't automatically mean she was being unfaithful—it's better to just find out exactly which type of fungus we're dealing with here.

So, I was wondering... why haven't you guys had sex in like 2 or 3 months?
I mean, it's possible for women to just get yeast infections out of nowhere, on their own.

So, she caught a yeast infection? It’s got absolutely nothing to do with how much she's been hooking up. Honestly, people. 🤦 I don't get why everyone refuses to just Google stuff; we live in an era where info is right at our fingertips. 🤷