Persistent Thrush

[Pilates2526]

I have had thrush for years now, I had flucozanole week course last year and that held it off for a while. But is back and my doctor has prescribed me another week treatment of flucozanole but I have passed it to my partner and now feel like we will get stuck in a cycle of passing it to each other and not resolving the real problem

[moo196]

I'll add a slightly more sensible response....1-are you absolutely sure it IS thrush?

Could it be another form of irritation? Allergy? Or skin condition? My "persistent thrush" turned out to be lichen sclerosus.

2-does yr partner get treated too?

Good luck

[ramases2 in reply to moo196]

Lichen sclerosus can't be transmitted to another person. This person said she'd infected her partner, so it can't be lichen sclerosus..

[moo196 in reply to ramases2]

Indeed. I didn't see that the OP was certain that it was transmitted.

[ramases2 in reply to moo196]

No, it can't be passed on. What's more perplexing is that no-one knows how we contract it. Presently, there is no cure, just steroid creams etc to ease the symptoms.

[moo196 in reply to ramases2]

I know.

[ramases2]

Persistant thrush can also be a sign of diabetes, so advisable to have a blood test. In men, it can also be Balanitis. Of course, you will continually infect each other if you have unprotected sex while you have Thrush. It might be worth both of you seeing a doctor. Flucozanole doesn't work for everyone, so if it is Thrush, then an alternative can be prescribed by a doctor. Unfortunately, the "alternative" medications aren't available over the counter.

[Galen70 in reply to ramases2]

I'm afraid there is no evidence of person to person transmission of candida - otherwise it would be called an sti. I completely agree with Moo, this needs a proper sexual health clinic assessment to confirm or exclude the diagnosis and then discuss next steps

[ramases2 in reply to Galen70]

It's not an STI, but it still can be transmitted via sex. STIs are solely transmitted by sex, but Thrush can be contracted by other means, like Diabetes, prolonged use of antibiotics, etc. I used to teach STIs and it's not classed as an STI because it's not strictky limited to sex. AIDS can be contracted by infected blood, so not strictly via sex.

[ramases2 in reply to Galen70]

I just looked this up via Google on the NHS website:

"Thrush is not classed as a sexually transmitted infection (STI), but it can be triggered by sex. Thrush is caused by a fungus called candida that is normally harmless."

Personally I'd rather have thrush than lichen sclerosis because there is no cure for lichen sclerosis. Also, lichen sclerosis can't be transmitted from 9ne person to another, whereas thrush can. I'm not sure where you got your information about Candida not be transmittable, but you're wrong! Any doctor or GUM.clinic will.tell you the same. If you don't believe me, then Google: Can thrush be transmitted? I said yes, so now you Google it and see if I'm right.

[Galen70 in reply to ramases2]

Actually I work in sexual health Notice that the NHS website says " can be triggered by " not "transmitted " . Women with otherwise asymptomatic candida may find itching or burning symptoms after being sexually active. Men may have transient colonisation of yeasts on the penis after sexual contact with a female partner , which causes an itchy, spotty rash on the head of the penis or foreskin if uncircumcised. However they do not retain the colonisation , its temporary. It therefore cant be transmitted back to a partner. Certain factors can increase the chance of candida - pregnancy , the use of the combined pill in some women ( increased oestrogen levels in both cases ) diabetes, immunosuppression, and oral antibiotic therapy , HIV that is untreated , etc. However there is wide variability and some women can have all of these factors and still never get candida. There is no evidence treatment of male partners makes any difference to women having either persistent or recurrent candida . The crucial factor is to get the right diagnosis - I have lost track of how many women I have seen treated for candida where the diagnosis was something entirely different - and a lot of the time, Lichen Sclerosus .

National guidelines quote " There is no evidence to support the treatment of

asymptomatic male sexual partners in acute or recurrent

VVC.154–157 (Grade 1A)" 1A is the best quality evidence base.

National guidelines here : bashhguidelines.org/media/1...

[ramases2 in reply to Galen70]

NHS.uk:

Can a man catch thrush from a female partner?

It's possible for thrush to be passed on through sexual intercourse, although this is uncommon.

So, not impossible!

[Galen70 in reply to ramases2]

Again this is semantics . If you mean " catch " i.e. develop symptoms, then yes , absolutely. But if you are trying to say they develop an infection that can be transmitted back to a partner, the answer is no, as detailed above.

[ramases2 in reply to Galen70]

If this is semantics, then the NHS had better brace itself for a plethora of law suits. This is written as a medical fact on the NHS website. Joe Average isn't bothered with semantics or has the intelligence to know any different. The majority will believe what they read.

[ramases2 in reply to Galen70]

Would you mind telling me the difference between Balanitis and Thrush, since many websites categorise them under the same heading?

Thanks!

[Galen70 in reply to ramases2]

Balanitis means inflammation of the glans penis/foreskin , for whatever cause . Thrush is the common name given to a yeast infection of the mucus membranes, typically genital but can be oral also.

[ramases2 in reply to Galen70]

Dorry wrong spelling, it's lichen sclerosus.