Support
Repeated Thrush
Summary:
-
Repeated thrush is not a medical term but describes a condition where women get thrush yearly below the threshold for recurrent thrush (4+ outbreaks per year.)
-
Repeated thrush and treatment can lead to drug resistance and increase your chances of a severe thrush outbreak.
-
One severe thrush outbreak can lead to neurological damage of the vulvar vestibule.
What is Repeated Thrush?
​
Whilst repeated thrush is not an official term within the field of medicine, many women suffer from regular and repeated thrush outbreaks below the threshold of recurrent thrush. ​
​​
"Repeat thrush infections can be dangerous as they lead to candida resistance. This increases your risk of a severe thrush infection and getting nerve damage in your vulva."
​
For the purposes of this site, we will be referring to repeated thrush as the infection occurring yearly or bi-yearly with less than three outbreaks at a time.
​
Repeated thrush infections can become dangerous, as with each treatment using anti-fungals, a certain amount of resistance is built in the remaining Candida species. This increases your risk of a severe infection and increases your risk of developing neuropathic vulvodynia (sometimes called vestibulodynia).
If you have had more than five thrush infections in a lifetime, it is advisable to strike up a relationship with a competent vulva dermatologist or vulva pain clinic and come up with a plan to minimise your risk of developing thrush. And also come up with an action plan should you develop thrush that has become drug-resistant.
​
"Given vulvodynia is very hard to treat once established, it is recommended that you take all necessary actions to bring down your rate of thrush."
Given vulvodynia is very hard to treat once established, it is recommended that you take all necessary actions to bring down your rate of thrush. It is also advisable to have medical-grade boric acid pessaries on hand to use, should your usual azole treatment fail and you have an infection continuing longer than 14 days.
​​
​​
​