Dear Jim and Paul,

I'm 27, spanish living in spain and I have a recurrent yeast problem.

I had my first yeast balanitis one year ago, I could solve the problem thanks to a clotrimazole cream my doctor prescribed.
From time to time, it reappeared but I could take it away with Canesten, without any further problems.

But with my current partner, I have yeast problems on a monthly basis. When I went to see my doctor (1 year ago) he told me it was because of women menstruation, that there were PH changes in the vagina that made candida grow at a higher pace.

I have somewhat confirmed it, because if I have sex with her when she is 2-3 days before her menstruation starts I suffer (a light) balanitis. Same if she has finished her menstruation 2 or 3 days ago. My balanitis ceases after a 3-4 days treatment with Canesten.
I am not a doctor, but I would say it is balanitis because symptoms are exactly those I had when my doctor diagnosed yeast, and it ceases with canesten.

Now my question is, does the changes in her vaginal fluid make her have a yeast problem that is spread to me, or the contact between her fluid and my glans weakens my natural shield against yeast?
Could I end this recurrent yeast with a super overkill treatment with canesten?

She doesn't seem to have a yeast problem, just for the record.

Please enlighten me!




On a side note: I finally could sort out my phimosis problem thanks to your advices, I will always be grateful !!

I'm wondering how you deal with hygiene issues. Are you using soap to wash the inside of your foreskin?

Nope! I learnt a while back (thanks to you guys) that I shouldn't use soap, so just water. And I dry the glans and foreskin with paper!

Please ensure you have had your blood sugar checked (to exclude diabetes).

Well, I personally sympathise with you; Candida can be a real problem.

Clearly you are getting it back from your partner and clearly she needs to be treated as well.

The easiest way to do this is for both to take a tablet (single dose, but may need to be repeated on the odd occasion) of Fluconazole (costing about $30 each). This will for the time being, clear it from bowel, skin and genitals and you then hope the body's (both bodies') natural immunity systems will take over.

Since you have read here previously, I trust you already know not to use soap, and that your partner should not be using any "product" in the vulval area (unless perhaps that was specifically to address Candida, but the Fluconazole would presumably be more acceptable anyway), and should not douche, at least with anything other than plain warm water.

And I do suggest you might try my favourite, really cheap but messy Zinc and Castor Oil preparation as a first-line treatment.

Dear Paul,

Thank you very much for your response. Now I know the ultimate treatment for this matter. But doesn't this menstruation-yeast balanitis relationship add anything to the equation?
If none of us exhib any yeast symptoms during 3 out of 4 weeks of her period (when sex doesn't spread any yeast), isn't there an alternate (and lighter) treatment for this?

Please understand yeast is a hard topic for a girl you've been dating only for a few months.

Thank you very much sir!

Alternative and "lighter"?

Look, the situation as you describe it is that your girlfriend is giving you the yeast, which means that she is the "reservoir" - she always has it, perhaps more at some time than others but clearly it is always there. If (both of) you wish to sort the problem out, then your best chance is to completely clear her of the yeast, and the only practical way of doing that is for her to take the Fluconazole at the same time as you do at which point both of you should be free of it and not re-infect one another.

The limitation of this is that you can re-acquire Candida from the environment so the exact same treatment may have to repeated from time to time - I cannot say how often but it would certainly be worthwhile to take the first treatment and see.

Partial treatment is clearly not going to work. The Fluconazole is marketed as the simplest approach to treatment - one tablet, once, by mouth in contrast with the combination of tablets every day for a week or so as well as daily applications of cream and no guarantee you are treating every nook and cranny in which the organism may be hiding.

If on the other hand by "lighter", you mean cheap, then just use the Zinc and Castor Oil on yourself.