As home remedies are often less expensive and less likely to cause serious side effects, many women stay away from prescription treatments and try to treat their fungal infections at home. Different home remedies have been implied as effective for this purpose – garlic, boric acid, and tea tree oil, to name a few. One of the most popular home remedies many women use is yogurt.
But, can you treat yeast infections with yogurt?
Medical Recommendations
Although doctors will often warn their patients about the use of home remedies like yogurt, several studies have found that some of these remedies may be quite effective. For example, a review published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy found that certain probiotics can help against Candida infections.
The reason why this could be the case is that yogurt has a lot of healthy bacteria (particularly lactobacillus bacteria) that are essential for a healthy vaginal environment. These bacteria can help fight the fungi overgrowth by restoring the microbial balance. If you do decide to use yogurt to treat your yeast infection, make sure you get a sugar-free one, since sugars can promote fungal growth.
How To Do It
If you want to try yogurt as a home remedy for yeast infections, here’s how you can do it.
- Put yogurt in a tampon applicator and insert it into your vagina.
- Wash an old antifungal cream applicator with warm water and soap and use it to apply yogurt.
- Alternatively, you can use your fingers and insert as much yogurt as you can.
Conclusion
Consult your doctor before you decide to treat yeast infections with yogurt. Tell him or her about your reasons for avoiding prescription medication and discuss possible benefits and side effects of this home remedy.
