Thrush is one of the infectious diseases, so in fact men suffer from it no less than women. This pathology refers to common diseases in gynecology and is prone to a chronic course. But here it exacerbates more often among the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity, while the stronger sex may almost not feel its presence for years. We will understand what thrush is before menstruation, we will also consider the reasons for its appearance during this period.
What is thrush?
Before considering how to treat thrush before menstruation, we determine what kind of disease it is. Thrush is popularly called a disease known in medicine as candidiasis, because if its “happy owners” judge it by the secretions of a curdled texture with an unpleasant odor, then its causative agent is more important to doctors. In this case, it is a fungus belonging to the genus Candida and living on the mucous membrane of the genital tract, hence its medical name.
As for the popular, so to speak, nickname of this parasite, its activity in the body leads to the appearance of white curdled or milky-looking secretions, which, however, do not smell like milk and irritate the mucous membranes of the genitals. But since this disease is extremely common throughout the world, both of its names are well known.
Thrush before menstruation: causes
Naturally, the main reason for the development of candidiasis in a woman or man is infection with its pathogen, mycelium of the fungus of the genus Candida. By nature, it is not part of our microflora and is transmitted only from person to person, since it does not propagate by spores, but by mycelium (a form less resistant to survival in the natural environment).
The main route of transmission is sexual. In this case, candidiasis is not only the genital tract, but also the oral cavity, since the structure of the mucous tissues "here and there" is very similar, and a fungus of the genus Candida freely passes to it during oral sex with an infected partner. It is adults who suffer from candidiasis of the oral cavity, often pass it on to children and friends with kisses.
Many women have thrush before menstruation. The reasons for this are easy to explain. Despite the fact that the fungus of the genus Candida is an external parasite, which we always pick up from someone, later it is easily integrated into our healthy microflora. And if everything is okay with her, the acute symptoms of candidiasis, which are so pronounced immediately after infection, die out.
Depression of immunity
But with the appearance of violations by the immune system or the rest of the microflora, the yeast infection usually returns, since it did not go anywhere, it just calmed down for a while. The causes of depression of immunity can be different, among them:
- taking antibiotics for some other disease;
- diabetes;
- HIV infection
- taking immunosuppressants in connection with allergies, after transplantation of donor organs, etc.
Dysbacteriosis
As for dysbiosis (changes in the balance of microflora), it can be caused by:
- the same antibiotics taken locally (in the form of ointment / gel / suppositories, etc.) or orally (inside) in connection with any other infection, including acute respiratory infections;
- superinfection - that is, a new infection "on top" of the old, the same or another pathogen. This temporarily brings microflora out of balance;
- hormonal shift, etc.
Can there be a thrush before menstruation?
The exacerbation of candidiasis in women and just before the critical days is mainly due to the last reason. Changes in the underlying background in the weaker sex are absolutely normal and are due to the fact that the different stages of the cycle from ovulation to menstruation are provided by different hormones. And just because men have no natural fluctuations in the background, exacerbations of thrush are less pronounced, and they occur much less frequently. We examined such a thing as thrush before menstruation. The reasons for its appearance are now clear.
Symptoms of thrush
Signs of chronic candidiasis differ from the acute stage only in the brightness of the manifestations. Otherwise, they are exactly the same. When infected with a fungus of the genus Candida (as well as an exacerbation of a chronic infection) in women, the following are observed:
- persistent, growing towards night, severe itching in the vulva and vagina;
- copious leucorrhoea, in which there are tiny inclusions that look like cottage cheese;
- sour smell coming from such secretions and underwear;
- in the acute stage, the discharge is usually plentiful, instead of whitish, they may acquire a yellowish or greenish tint (a sign of pus impurity);
- depending on the severity of the acute stage or exacerbation, as well as the rigor of personal hygiene, redness and swelling of the walls of the vagina, small and even large labia may be observed;
- with an ascending spread of the infection to the urethra, burning pains are sometimes observed when urinating.
In the acute stage, many patients have a slight increase in body temperature. All these signs are very unpleasant. If thrush is constantly before menstruation, how to live with it?
As a rule, chronic carriage of a fungus of the genus Candida does not affect the quality of sexual life. But in some cases, patients note the appearance of itching in the vagina after intercourse, including during the period of remission of the disease. If acute candidiasis or an exacerbation of its chronic form, for some reason, leads to inflammation of the vaginal mucosa, sexual life becomes impossible before it disappears. A woman suffers from a burning sensation during intercourse, the hyperemic mucosa is easily exposed to injuries and therefore can bleed. This is how thrush manifests itself in women. Symptoms and treatment are often interconnected.
Acute thrush treatment
The difference in approach to acute or chronic candidiasis is that in the first case, patients of both sexes still have a chance to completely get rid of the “uninvited guest”. In the second case, the cure is unlikely, since the body’s own immune defense almost does not respond to the pathogen, and without it, the drugs are able to restrain the fungus from spreading to other organs and tissues as much as possible.
Therefore, if we contracted it for the first time, treatment should begin with specialized and strong antibiotics. As long as we still have a chance for a complete cure, we need to use it. A fungus of the genus Candida is especially sensitive to:
- clotrimazole;
- isoconazole;
- miconazole;
- ketoconazole.
All these are synthetic antibiotics of the last generation, which means that there is no immunity to them in the causative agent of candidiasis yet. Of the lighter (in any case, for the liver and kidneys) remedies, you can try, perhaps, only nystatin - as part of an ointment or vaginal suppository. True, this idea is good only if there are contraindications to powerful antibiotics (liver or kidney disease, pregnancy and lactation, age up to 7 years). Mankind has been using nystatin for more than 30 years, and there is no doubt that the fungus has developed a habit of it in the body of the previous carrier, or even earlier.
In addition, it is not very rational to use a wide range of drugs or on the basis of other antibiotics (for example, amoxicillin). The fact is that fungi - pathogens are very specific, sensitive not to everything that we “palm off” them. But in the vagina, in addition to the causative agent of candidiasis, there is also a beneficial microflora. This antibiotic can make an excellent weeding. Microflora, alas, then we will be greatly missed.
Treatment of chronic thrush
If, for many years, thrush appears before menstruation, this indicates a chronic course of the disease. But this case, on the contrary, is almost ideally suited for treatment with folk remedies, since it is unlikely to be completely eliminated from it - the maximum will be able to stop the exacerbation that arose.
1. A solution of borax in glycerol at a concentration of 5% has been used for a long time and successfully, including in scientific medicine. In the presence of complications or too bright symptoms, the amount of borax can be increased up to 10%. Use the solution 2-3 times a day by lubricating the walls of the vagina and vulva over the entire gap between the labia majora. After 15 minutes rinse with warm water.
2. There is another purely medical, but very effective remedy with almost no side effects that does not affect the functioning of other organs of the body. We are talking about a weak (slightly pinkish) solution of manganese in warm drinking water. It is better only for them to douche and wash in the period of exacerbation, they need to do this at least 3 times a day.
3. In nature, only moderately toxic (due to the high content of tannins) plants possess the properties of antibiotics - celandine, the color of lilac, oak bark, calendula officinalis, sage and St. John's wort. To prepare an excellent local antiseptic, you need to take 1 tbsp. spoon of dry grass of any of these plants (they can be combined to make fees to your liking), put in an enamel bowl, pour 300 ml of cold water. Then mix everything, put on the stove and bring to a boil over medium heat. When it boils, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the broth with a lid, leave to simmer for 10 minutes. After this, remove from heat and allow to cool without draining and removing the cover. Then strain, generously soak in it cotton wool wrapped with gauze in the form of a tampon, and insert, almost without squeezing, into the vagina. The product must be left for 15-20 minutes, then remove the swab. There is no need to douche after this. The procedure should be carried out 3-4 times a day, use the broth in a warm form. The course of treatment lasts until the symptoms disappear, but no more than 2 weeks in a row.
It must be remembered that any decoctions, infusions and tinctures of plants are contraindicated in case of allergies, even if it concerns completely different irritants. Otherwise, the local use of toxic or completely safe herbs is allowed even during pregnancy and lactation. We answered the question why thrush occurs before menstruation, figured out how to treat it, and we will dwell on prevention in more detail.
Thrush prophylaxis
Like all sexual diseases (although this is not a complete disease), infection with candidiasis is most easily prevented by those who prefer safe sex and rarely change sexual partners. In addition, it must be remembered that if infection has already occurred, it is useless to treat only one of the partners, even if the second partner does not yet experience its symptoms or is hypothetically healthy (there has not been a single sexual intercourse since the infection). In such cases, both partners should always be treated, since the second is necessary for prevention. Although thrush most often appears in women. Symptoms and treatment are closely related, and this must be considered.