The Truth: They are not. They're triggered by an imbalance of the vagina's natural bacteria and cannot be “caught”. They cannot be acquired by casual contact and items like towels, toilet seats, etc.
Even if you didn't wash your towels after 4 (or 30) uses, you're still not going to get a fungal infection, Whittier says. "Something like a yeast or fungus isn't part of our normal skin flora," she says.
SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: C. albicans can survive on inanimate surfaces for 24 hours to 120 days, and on palms for about 45 minutes 10. C. albicans has been isolated from bed-sheets, cots, and wash-basins of nurseries, and it has also been found to be able to survive and grow in distilled water at room temperature 15.
Using hot water in your wash at a temperature of 60°C or 140°F. Drying clothing in the sun or in a dryer, as high temperatures and ultraviolet rays can inactivate yeast.
Kill the yeast on your shirts and bras and baby's clothes by adding 1 cup of white vinegar (per whole load) to the rinse cycle of your laundry. Wash bras in hot water with a vinegar rinse at the end of every day (if hand washing, a tablespoon of vinegar in a bowl full of water then rinse again with warm water).
Use hot water (140°F or 60°C) and your regular detergent for infected laundry. Lower temperatures will not kill the fungus and can transfer spores to other fabrics in the same load. For white cotton socks, you can use chlorine bleach along with hot water to disinfect the fabric.
S. aureus, for example, can survive for a week on cotton and two weeks on terry cloth. And fungal species (such as Candida albicans, which can cause oral thrush, urinary tract infections and genital yeast infections) can survive on fabrics for up to a month.
How long is thrush contagious? Thrush is not technically contagious, but is transmittable, especially to high-risk individuals. Since candida lives on the skin and in the mouth naturally, there is no specific length of time of contagion.
Your chances of developing thrush increase if: your skin is irritated or damaged. you use products that irritate the skin such as perfumed products, bubble baths or vaginal washing products.
Yeast infections on the skin are very common when sheets are not washed regularly. The risk is higher if there is high humidity in the room.
Wet underwear after a workout, a wet bathing suit, any wet clothes for too long can lead to one of the most irritating health issues a woman can experience — a vaginal yeast infection. It's an unpleasant, but very common fungal infection that just about every woman will experience at some point.
If you have thrush, you might find it helps to stop using soap or perfumed shower and bath products around your genital area. Use water or non-perfumed moisturising cream instead – if you're unsure what type to use, ask a pharmacist for advice.
Girls can have vaginal infections for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with sexual contact — such as stress, for example. Even if you're not having intercourse, fingering and oral sex can lead to infection. Ask your boyfriend to wash his hands before touching your genitals.
Thrush should clear up within 7 to 14 days of starting treatment. You do not need to treat partners unless they have symptoms.
Clotrimazole works by killing the yeast that causes the fungal infection. It usually treats thrush within 7 days but it's best to treat the infection for at least 2 weeks to stop it coming back. The most common side effect is an itching or burning feeling in the area being treated.
Good hygiene
Wash the affected area carefully using warm water; preferably a shower. Avoid using perfumed soaps or shower gels as they may cause irritation. Candida fungus thrives in damp conditions so it is important to dry the affected area carefully.
But, before you plan a long soak in a lavender oil filled bath, turn off the taps – hot baths can actually make thrush symptoms worse; go tepid or take a shower, instead. Scented soaps and body washes can disrupt the delicate pH of your vagina and have an irritant effect on its sensitive mucosal lining.
This must be continued at least 4 days after the thrush is cleared avoid a reoccurrence. Sterilize bottles, nipple, pacifiers and anything baby puts in his/her mouth. Boil them for 20 minutes each day to make sure and kill the yeast that could be on them.
Yeast infections can cause irritation and discharge. Previous studies have found that yeast, or candida albicans, survives laundering in detergent, even in hot water. That's because candida is killed at 154 to 163 degrees, while household water heaters are set at about 120 degrees.
Underwear may contain germs from traces of faeces (poo) and from genital infections, such as thrush. However, you can also pick up germs on your outer clothes, for example if you nurse someone with an illness or clean up vomit.
Irritating bath products or laundry detergent
Using a new body wash or laundry detergent, especially one with fragrance, can disturb the pH of your vagina and cause irritation or a yeast infection.