Thrush is a common yeast infection among pregnant women caused by the overgrowth of Candida albicans in the vagina. During pregnancy, hormone estrogen levels change, and altered vaginal pH creates a better environment for Candida to thrive.
Thrush in pregnancy is not harmful to your unborn baby. But, during labor, infection can pass to your baby. You may experience discomfort and sometimes pain in the vagina due to thrush in pregnancy.
How to know if I have Thrush in Pregnancy:
During the last trimester, you may experience constant thrush in pregnancy. You have vaginal discomfort when you are infected with thrush.
Internal thrush in pregnancy causes irritation or itching around and deep inside the vagina, soreness and discomfort during sex. Constant thrush in pregnancy causes swollen vaginal tissues due to intense vaginal itching. Therefore, you may feel pain and burning when urinating.
It is normal to have more vaginal discharge during pregnancy than before. But, if you have thick, white, and cottage cheese-like discharge, it can be a sign of thrush in pregnancy. Vaginal discharge smells unpleasant or strange with the intensity of yeast growth.
Oral Thrush in Pregnancy
During pregnancy, you may have oral thrush also. If you have mouth thrush in pregnancy, white, creamy patches appeared on your tongue, inner cheeks and the roof of the mouth. Oral thrush in pregnancy causes discomfort due some other symptoms also.
You may have slightly raised cottage cheese like spots and cracked corners of your mouth. This causes you cottony sensation in the mouth and loss of taste. Candida are found naturally in the mouth, skin and digestive track also.
Hormonal changes due to pregnancy causes them to overgrow in these places. Your nipples and baby’s mouth also provide Candida a warm and moist spot to flourish. Therefore, your newborn baby can be infected with oral thrush during breast feeding.
When do I Mistake Thrush for Other Conditions?
Thrush causes intense itching and it leads to minor bleeding due to scratching. If you have brown discharge pregnancy, you may mistake bleeding caused by thrush as another infection that causes brown discharge pregnancy.
When you have thrush in pregnancy, thick, and milky white discharge mixes with urine making it appear cloudy. You may mistake this as cloudy urine pregnancy, but thrush or yeast infections do not directly cause for cloudy urine pregnancy.
How can I get treated for Thrush in Pregnancy?
These are some natural remedies for thrush in pregnancy that you can try to ease your discomfort.
Apple cider vinegar:
This is a popular for its antifungal properties that help you to ease your discomfort. Gargling or consuming diluted apple cider vinegar help you to reduce the symptoms of thrush.
Yoghurt:
Eating yoghurt will supply you probiotics that are good bacteria to control your yeast growth. They can restore the balance of bacteria in your vagina and other sites of the body reducing the symptoms of thrush.
Garlic:
This is another natural thrush treatment in pregnancy with antifungal properties that can reduce thrush symptoms. You can eat either row garlic cloves or add them to food. Topical garlic extract cream is also available to apply around the outside of your vaginal area.
Coconut oil:
Coconut oil also a natural remedy for thrush in pregnancy that have antifungal properties. You may find soothing relief from itching and irritation in your vagina by applying coconut oil.
You can swish coconut oil in your mouth for 15 minutes and then spit it to reduce the symptoms of oral thrush in pregnancy.
Salt water:
You can rinse your mouth with salt water to reduce symptoms of mouth thrush in pregnancy. Rinsing your vaginal area can soothe and cleanse your vaginal area.Natural thrush treatment in pregnancy can reduce symptoms and discomfort.
But, these natural remedies have side effects also. Apple cider vinegar is acidic and it can be harmful to vaginal tissues if you apply it on vagina. Garlic extract has drying effect and ability to destroy available vaginal flora.
Therefore, consult with your doctor before using these natural remedies during pregnancy. Your doctor can prescribe topical antifungal creams depending on your stage of pregnancy along with antifungal drugs. Sometimes you may prescribed to put a pessary such as clotrimazole.
How can I Prevent from Thrush in Pregnancy?
You can wear loose cotton underwear, trousers or skirts. Avoid using perfumed soaps, vaginal deodorants and perfume shower gels around your vaginal area. During sex, use lubrication to make it comfortable and to relieve the pain and other symptoms.