Contraception and Your Yeast Infection

The oral contraception pill has given women freedom unheard of since the 1960s when it first became widely available.

However that freedom does not come without its drawbacks. There is no getting away with the fact that it is a chemical method of controlling a natural process, and it has some side effects. One of which may well be the yeast infection that many women experience, sometimes many times, during their life. Yes, men do get them also, but to a lesser degree.

Although women for the last forty years or so have enjoyed the convenience of being in control of their reproductive cycle, the use of the birth control pill may well be causing problems with the balance of the body. Also very probably reducing the body's natural immunity in the same way that antibiotics are known to do when taken for extended periods, leaving it with a reduced ability to fight off the yeast infection.

The contraception pill has a like effect. Although it has not been proven that the pill actually kills off bacteria indiscriminately as antibiotics do, there is a growing opinion that they do somehow reduce them.

We know of course that healthy bodies are in a state of balance, and when that balance is disturbed for any reason our "good" bacteria can quite easily be overwhelmed by the bacteria and spores that are all around us all the time. So we get colds, flu, and yeast infections to name just three.

It has also been documented in recent years that women who start taking the contraceptive pill for the first time very often get a yeast infection shortly afterwards. However for some women the convenience of the pill may sometimes outweigh the discomfort of the infection.

Continued use of the pill in some women will even result in recurring yeast infections, becoming worse each time. Much like the extended use of antibiotics.

If you are in this position there may well be a case for discontinuing the pill and reverting to the more "old fashioned" methods of contraception. Give it sufficient time to work itself out of the system, say three months, by which time, if it is the pill that is causing your yeast infection you will be seeing a positive improvement as your body regains its natural balance.

If there are overiding reasons why you absolutely have to take the pill, and you are suffering from yeast infections then there are things you can do to help yourself naturally. Don't rush off to the pharmacy and get a proprietory treatment. These usually only treat the symptoms anyway, not the underlying cause, and your problem will return.

Try to exercise regularly, and keep in shape. Watch your diet and avoid sugary foods, eat as much raw food as you can. Drink plenty of water, dehydration is a factor in being prone to a yeast infection. Eat natural yoghurt every day, make sure it is the natural, unpasteurised, unsweetened and unflavoured kind. You could also consider taking garlic and apple cider vinegar daily.

Try this regime for a few weeks, it's cheap and natural, and you have nothing to lose except your yeast infection.