It is best to wait until the infection has cleared before engaging in sexual activity. This typically takes 1-7 days after the onset of symptoms.
Sexual activity can aggravate the yeast infection, making it feel worse and prolonging its duration. In addition, penetrative sex can push creams and suppositories out of the vagina and cause damage to condoms or diaphragms.
Symptoms
A yeast infection, or vaginal candidiasis, is a fungal infection that occurs when the Candida fungus overgrows in the vagina. Symptoms can include a cottage cheese-like discharge, itching and irritation. Yeast infections are more common in women than in men. They can also occur when the bacterial balance in the genitals is disrupted, such as from having a baby or taking certain medications (like antibiotics and hormone therapy that increases estrogen levels).
If you engage in sex during a yeast infection, you risk passing the infection to your partner. You may also irritate the area further and prolong your symptoms. Sexual activity may also increase friction between the thighs, which can lead to a vulva ache and increase your risk of condom breakage.
If you have a yeast infection, abstain from sex until your symptoms have gone away and treatment has been completed. This can take between one to seven days, depending on the medication you’re using. You’ll likely want to avoid oral sex as well, since it can make your treatment less effective. You should also wait to have sex after you’ve used a vaginal suppository, cream or ointment, because these medications can have a strong scent that can linger on the skin and your partner. This may be a turnoff for some people.
Treatment
Yeast infection symptoms are often relieved by a prescription medication, which can be an oral pill (like Diflucan) or a vaginal cream (like Monistat). If you decide to take the oral route, the medication lasts about one to seven days.
You should not have sex until your yeast infection symptoms are gone, you’ve finished the course of the medication and at least seven days have passed. Sexual activity can irritate your vagina, making it more inflamed and itchy, and create tiny tears that can make you more susceptible to infection, explains ob-gyn Jacques Moritz of Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. It can also cause pain during intercourse, and even if you’re using condoms, it’s possible to pass the yeast infection on to your partner.
Your ob-gyn will perform a pelvic exam, looking at the inside of your vaginal walls and cervix to check for signs of infection. If you’re having persistent symptoms, she might order a lab test to collect a sample of your yeast cells. These can then be tested to see if you have a genetic predisposition to having chronic systemic infections that don’t respond to medications. This may be the case for women who have frequent yeast infections or infections that won’t go away. Read more about it at MedlinePlus, a patient-centered offshoot of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Risk of reinfection
A yeast infection (often called thrush) causes pain, itching, and odor in the vagina and anus. It’s not a sexually transmitted disease, but it can be spread by sex. It’s important to wait for sex until you finish your treatment and are no longer experiencing symptoms.
It can take up to a week for the symptoms of a yeast infection to completely clear. It’s also important to note that yeast is always present in your vagina, so medications don’t remove it entirely. Instead, they bring it down to a level that isn’t overgrown enough to cause symptoms.
Anything that disrupts the normal balance of bacteria in your genitals can lead to an overgrowth of yeast, including taking antibiotics, being pregnant, changes in your hormones (like those caused by menstruation), and certain conditions like diabetes or AIDS that affect the immune system. Sexual activity also disrupts the normal bacterial environment and can make a yeast infection more likely.
Yeast infections are more common in women than in men, and it’s more likely for women to get them after unprotected sex. However, it’s not uncommon for a man to develop a yeast infection too, and men can pass them on to women during sex. If you’re in a relationship with a man who has a yeast infection, it’s a good idea to avoid sex until his symptoms are gone.
Communication
Yeast infections are very common, and many women have one at some point. The condition, also known as thrush, causes itching, pain, and swelling of the vaginal area. It can also cause a cottage cheese-like discharge, and if it isn’t treated, a yeast infection can last up to seven days.
A yeast infection can be passed from one person to another through oral sex. However, it’s rare for a man to get infected through sex with a woman. However, it is possible for men to infect a partner by practicing unhygienic sex or using dirty sex equipment.
It’s important to communicate with your partner before you decide to have sex. Ask them to use a condom during intercourse. If they don’t have a condom, tell them to use an alternate method of protection, such as lubricant or a diaphragm. It’s also important to note that having sex during treatment can make it harder for the yeast to go away, and it could delay the time it takes to recover from an infection.
It’s best to wait for a week or so after finishing a yeast infection treatment before having sex. This will give you the chance to feel better and ensure that your symptoms, such as itchiness, a cottage cheese-like discharge, or irritation, are gone before getting intimate.
See Also:
