Women who frequently suffer with this disease find it to be very irritating. A yeast infection is caused by a pathogenic fungus called Candida and is a rather common condition affecting three out of four women and also affects some men. Usually a vaginal infection, a yeast infection can also be found in the mouth at times. Though it is mostly irritating and annoying for most, it can become quite painful for some people.

A normal part of the skin’s flora, Candida grows and flourishes well in moist, warm places of the body, such as the vagina, in folds of skin and the foreskin of men. Candida is always found on the vagina but it is the over growth and reproduction of the Candida cells that results in yeast infection. Normally, the body’s acidity regulates the yeast’s growth but such things as changes in diet, stress and illness can change the acid balance and allow the yeast cells to grow more rapidly. Certain medications such as antibiotics are also known to contribute to occurrences of yeast infection.

In a yeast infection, the affected areas will experience a burning and itching that is extremely uncomfortable. The most common medical treatment of yeast infection involves controlling and reducing the growth and reproduction of yeast cells with pills and ointments but does not really cure the infection. A more natural, traditional treatment for yeast infection that will help elevate the level of good bacteria in the body is natural, unflavored yogurt.

How do you determine if your symptoms are caused by yeast infection? There are many times and situations that contribute to the likelihood of your symptoms being a yeast infection. Every woman should know the symptoms and what situations to monitor so a yeast infection can be prevented. A few of the situations to watch are:

• Antibiotics and stress causing a system imbalance

• Sweating resulting from underwear that is too tight or made from certain materials.

• Pregnancy

• Use of Birth Control Pills

• Douching too often

• Hormone Therapy for menopause

• Diabetes or high blood glucose levels

Even knowing the causes and symptoms, you still can’t be sure if you have a yeast infection based on that. To get a definitive diagnosis of yeast infection, your doctor needs to examine the vaginal discharge to determine whether it is yeast. Even before visiting your doctor, you may strongly suspect a yeast infection is you exhibit the following symptoms:

• Itching, swelling and burning inside and around the outside of your vagina so severe that walking is difficult

• Discharge from the vagina that resembles cottage cheese

• A beer or bread-like odor in the vaginal discharge

To get the correct treatment, knowing the cause of a yeast infection is important so that it will not recur after successful treatment. While medication will cure the infection, yeast is opportunistic by nature and will return repeatedly if the causes continue to be present. Once a woman has an infection one time, she is more likely to have it many more times. The infection can become chronic if it is ignored

For some women, prescription medication does not permanently cure the infection and some women can’t tolerate allopathic medications. If you are one of these women, there are effective, natural, drugless cures for yeast infection available.

There is a new system that gives quick and lasting freedom from yeast infection.