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Yeast Infections and Pregnancy: A Cause for Concern

Summary & Participants

Yeast infections are a common problem for women and some say pregnancy increases your risk. Many women feel they know enough about the condition to take care of it themselves, but for pregnant women, self-diagnosis is a no-no. Tune in as experts discuss why pregnant women are considered more prone to yeast infections and why a doctor's visit is a must.

Medically Reviewed On: July 03, 2008

Webcast Transcript

WILLIAM LEDGER, MD, FACOG: You have Monistat and Terazol, Gyne-Lotrimin, and the old Mycostatin or nystatin vaginal tablets, which are, I think are all effective, among others.

ANNOUNCER: In fact, the only concern with topical medications is that some of them may pose a risk to the fetus in the first trimester. So some doctors prefer to use milder treatments until later in the pregnancy.

BENSON HOROWITZ, MD: A yeast infection early in the pregnancy is a problem. We only have several treatments for that. We can use gentian violet early in a pregnancy safely, and we can use Mycostatin early in a pregnancy. However, Mycostatin is a very old drug and does not have a very high success rate.

ANNOUNCER: At any time in the pregnancy, treatment should be completed as quickly as possible, to reduce the risk of exposure to the fetus, however small it may be.

BENSON HOROWITZ, MD: In pregnant women, the shorter possible treatment schedules are better, because we don't want to subject the fetus to any more drug than we have to, so we look to a very short treatment schedule, just enough to get rid of it.

WILLIAM LEDGER, MD, FACOG: I'm fairly comfortable with the three-day treatment. I think that it usually works. There are very few women that have reactions to it, and I think that it's well tolerated. The one-day treatment is wonderful for the woman. I mean, it's one dose, and she has it over with, but I've had a number of women that have had reactions to that, which I think is related maybe to the concentration of the medication.

ANNOUNCER: Women should know, however, that their condition is likely to recur during the pregnancy, and if it's present during childbirth, the infection may be transmitted to the newborn.

BENSON HOROWITZ, MD: The neonate can get thrush in the oral cavity, which is fairly obvious. You see white patches on the tongue of the newborn, and that looks like a yeast infection. It becomes more problematic when you think the baby has a diaper rash, and your pediatrician starts treating it for a diaper rash, and you find out it has to be treated with an antifungal cream.

ANNOUNCER: It's up to your doctor to watch out for these infections after your baby is born, so it's important to speak up about your problem. And if it turns out to be something other than a yeast infection, your doctor can help you avoid unnecessary treatments.

WILLIAM LEDGER, MD, FACOG: There is an assumption that almost any vaginal infection during pregnancy is a yeast infection, and that's not true. So I think it's very, very important that pregnant women get evaluated to determine what kind of infection they're having, or whether this is just simply increased secretions due to the pregnancy.

ANNOUNCER: So if you're pregnant and are experiencing vaginal irritation, talk to your doctor right away, even if you you've had yeast infections before. Because it's not just your health that's at stake.

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