I have been dating my girlfriend for over a year. After several months of having sex, she began having recurring, regular irritation during, immediately after and days after sex, as well as recurring yeast infections. We’ve tried many things to figure out what is going on. We’ve used latex and non-latex condoms. We’ve used different lubes. We’ve tried different soaps. We’ve both been to doctors several times and been checked out for stds and conditions that might cause this, and for general sexual health. We have gotten nowhere and it is pretty frustrating and depressing for both of us.
The only thing we have found that might have some relation to what is going on is whether and how long I perform oral sex on her. Is it possible that my saliva can contain something that irritates or upsets a chemical balance?
If there are no suggestions of the cause of this, is there a specialist we can talk to? Any suggestions on who or what might be able to help us figure this out? Any help would be appreciated.
Also, I get an ‘access denied’ when I try and use the search function. If this has been addressed before, my apologies and feel free to direct me to the thread.
Well, some women get yeast infections regularly with (or before or after) their period. Is that a possibility? (ie - you’re chalking up to sex what is actually hormones)
Secondly, does she get irritation while you’re performing oral, or only when you penetrate her?
A few questions I would ask is if pubic hair is getting involved anywhere and causing an irritation. Also how long are you performing oral sex on her? Saliva isn’t a great lubricant and prolonged oral stimulation could result on some irritation.
Regarding the yeast infections, it’s always been my understanding that those were caused by bacteria. If your play tends to go afield a bit and move from the frontyard to the backyard and back you might be spreading bacteria around.
Secondly: you can get candida/yeast/thrush infection in your mouth and tongue. So for that reason, you should probably refrain from oral sex on her until this is cleared up. I doubt you’ve got it in your mouth, because you’d have probably noticed, but there is the unlikely chance you could have it and are reinfecting her. But she could certainly infect you.
After all these months of bad results, you’re lucky your girlfriend isn’t giving you an access denied.
Guests don’t get to search, which is a minor irritation (after all, in many cases it’d be nice if they could search to avoid asking things that have been asked before. Fortunately, I think you’re in the clear on this question.) The justification is essentially that search is one of the more intensive things you can do to the board hardware, and it’s overstressed as it is. So you gotta pay your fair share first.
This could be a possibility but I don’t think it is a great one. She has not had this problem with previous partners, nor has she had recurring yeast infections like this before now. I’ve read some information that a woman’s body chemistry can change near age 30, so perhaps hormones are now causing infections they did not cause before.
When we were having frequent sex, irritation could happen during oral but mostly it happened during penetration. Now, it happens pretty much after sex. At this point, we have sex perhaps once every two weeks and if I don’t perform oral or much oral, there is a good chance there won’t be any irritation.
Hair - maybe mine could be? We use condoms so that should keep some of that out, but it’s possible mine could be getting involved. Would that be something that could cause yeast infections?
Oral - not sure, but it used to be a good amount of time. Anymore, not so much if at all. Yeast is a fungus, which exists in the vagina normally along with bacteria. However, ‘cross-contamination’ isn’t an issue.
I’ve tried brushing and using antibacterial mouthwash. Using too much of that can be it’s own problem, because then I could be killing off some of the bacteria there that help keeps the yeast in check.
I haven’t noticed any thrush, and I my mouth has been examined by doctors multiple times. I don’t think being treated for an oral yeast infection concurrent with her treating for vaginal infection would hurt anything, however.
If the situation was reversed, I’d like to hope I would be as good about this as she has been. But yes, I think we’ve gone past minor irritation to overstressed here, too.
Are you using the mouthwash before going down on her? Brushing your teeth, using breath mints, or consuming a food she is particularly sensitive to, could cause irritation. Do you take any drugs, or eat a lot of spicy foods? I suppose anything which alters the amount or pH, etc. of your saliva could be having an effect.
She definitely could be getting the yeast infections from you, even if you don’t have symptoms. I’d recommend eating a lot of yogurt, as it’s supposed to be good for yeast infections. Also, if you are uncircumcised, yeast can live under the foreskin. You can try applying feminine products down there to see if it helps.
This could be way off the mark, but a friend of mine kept getting recurring vaginal infections, and she eventually traced it to anal, not oral, sex.
If you put it in her butt, you can’t then put it into her vagina with putting on, or removing your condom. Or switcing condoms. Or washing your willie.
That will cause a bacterial infection, not a yeast infection.
A yeast infection happens when there is an overproduction of yeast in the body, which can be caused by a diet heavy in sugar or alcohol, which converts to sugar in the body, or by some spermicides found on condoms, or by taking antiobiotics or birth-control pills, because it kills the naturally occuring yeast there, and the body works overtime to replenish it, causing an over-abundance.
You could be giving it back to her, too. Men can carry it and show no symptoms.
No mouthwash, no toothbrushing (other than a mild toothpaste if needed), no mints, no drugs, no spicy foods. I’ve measured the ph of my saliva over the course of three weeks and it is consistantly normal. I’ve never had a cavity, so I had the thought process that my saliva is highly acid (or base) such that it kills the bacteria that cause cavities as well as being able to kill some of her ‘good’ bacteria.
I’ve had my urine tested for yeast and been otherwise checked for it. I’ve used cans of anti-fungal jock itch spray religiously. No dice.
Thanks for the reply, and I think Large Marge’s response covers this. To help guide future responses, assume a basic understanding of hygiene on our part.
Her sugar intake has been reduced, but wasn’t really great in the first place. We drink occasionally, and not heavily. We don’t use spermicides, antibiotics or birth-control. I have taken steps to treat for yeast, but not oral yeast. From what I have read and what the doc’s have said, I would probably have noticed thrush, as would they.
Has she tried taking allergy medications to see if that helps the irritaton? Obviously it’s not going to help with the thrush, but allergies to semen and saliva aren’t completely unheard of.
You’ve already said you’ve both been checked thoroughly, so you know what you’re dealing with, which is why I’m sure someone has mentioned Bacterial Vaginosis to you and made sure it’s not that. BV is another non-STD thing caused by an overgrowth of bacteria, but I’m thinking that you’ve already ruled it out. Just mentioning it because it’s often associated with symptoms of discharge, odour and sometimes itching and discomfort for a few days after sex.
If you’re using a diaphragm, cap or IUD for birth control, or she uses a re-usable menstrual cup it may be contributing to the problem. Consider alternatives.
Other than those suggestions (which I’m sure isn’t telling you anything you don’t know/haven’t tried) I’m really sorry, but I haven’t a clue.
