There are many different causes and contributory factors that have been linked to regular yeast infections. Here are just a few examples – stress, birth control pills, hot tubs, wet swimsuits, and even tight underwear. However, one of the major underlying causes of yeast infections is rarely discussed.
The causes that I just listed are easy to recognize, easy to change, and often form a part of the first discussion with your doctor about your yeast infection. But although these lifestyle choices and environmental conditions might be responsible for isolated yeast infections, they often can’t be held responsible for the recurrent yeast infections from which many women suffer. To identify what is causing these, we need to look a little deeper.
When all the regular causes of yeast infections have been eliminated, it’s time to look at your diet. Many women don’t realize this, but eating a consistently high-sugar diet over a long period of time will leave you susceptible to chronic yeast infections. This is because all that sugar allows the Candida yeast in your gut to multiply and overwhelm the good, health-promoting bacteria that live there.
Candida needs the sugar to grow new cells, multiply, construct protective biofilms, and switch into its fungal form, allowing it to spread around your body. This is known as Candida overgrowth, or Candida Related Complex, and it is responsible for a wide variety of symptoms including fatigue, headaches, and (you guessed it) recurrent yeast infections.
The problem is that even if you successfully treat your yeast infection, those Candida colonies are still living in your gut. From there, they can migrate to places like your mouth (causing oral thrush) or your genitals (causing yeast infections). So until you treat the underlying Candida overgrowth that exists in your intestines, you are destined to suffer from repeated yeast infections.