Thrush

You will most likely need antifungal medicine to help get rid of thrush. This can be a tablet to take, a tablet you can insert into your vagina (pessary) or a cream to relieve the irritation.

Thrush should clear up within a week, after one dose of medicine or using the cream daily. You do not need to treat partners, unless they have symptoms as well.

You may need to keep taking treatment for longer if you keep getting thrush. Your GP or sexual health clinic can help identify if something is causing your thrush, such as your period or sex. They will recommend how frequently you should use treatment.

You can also buy anti-fungal medicine from pharmacies if you have had thrush diagnosed in the past and you know the symptoms. A pharmacist can recommend the best treatment for you.

Click here to visit the NHS website for further advice on things you can do to ease discomfort and prevent thrush from returning.

Babies and young children can get thrush in the mouth (oral thrush) and on the skin. Babies and young children are particularly at risk of oral thrush.

The main sign of oral thrush is a white coating on the tongue, however there may also be white patches elsewhere in the mouth. The coating will look like cottage cheese and can’t be rubbed off easily. Babies may not seem bothered by the patches but may be reluctant to feed if they are sore. There can also be nappy rash caused by the same infection. Babies can pass on oral thrush when breastfeeding. This can cause nipple thrush in mothers.

Oral thrush in babies is not serious but you should get advice from a pharmacist if you think your child may have the condition. If you are unsure about diagnosis or your baby is under 4 months you ought to take them to your GP.

Babies are at an increased risk since their immune systems are not yet fully developed. Oral thrush can also affect babies if they have been treated with antibiotics, because antibiotics reduce the levels of healthy bacteria in your baby’s mouth, thereby allowing yeast levels to increase.

If your health visitor or pharmacist feels your baby needs treatment they will probably suggest a mouth gel. Treatment usually lasts 7 days. If you do not see improvement after 1 week of treatment with the mouth gel, speak to your GP or Health visitor.

Oral Thrush is generally harmless and is very common in babies and older people with dentures. It can be easily treated. Oral thrush in adults is not contagious.

In adults the symptoms of oral thrush may be that your mouth is red inside with white patches, if you wipe the white patches they will leave red spots that can bleed. Other symptoms may include:

• cracks at the corner of the mouth
• unpleasant taste in the mouth
• sore tongue or sore gums
• difficulty eating or drinking

Oral thrush can be treated with a mouth gel bought from your local pharmacist. If you leave oral thrush untreated, the infection can spread to other parts of the body. To prevent oral thrush, be sure to take care of your teeth and brush twice a day or clean your dentures. It is important to go for regular dental check-ups regardless of whether you have dentures or not. Do not wear your denture at night and don’t smoke. You should also rinse your mouth after eating or taking medicine and go for regular check-ups if you have a long term condition like diabetes.

You should see your GP or visit a sexual health clinic if:

• you have had symptoms of thrush for the first time
• you are under 16 or over 60
• you are getting recurring thrush more than twice in 6 months
• treatment hasn’t worked
• you are pregnant and breastfeeding
• you have a thrush but also have a weakened immune system e.g. diabetes, HIV or chemotherapy

Sexual health clinics treat problems with genitals and the urine system. Many sexual health clinics offer a walk-in service, where you don’t need an appointment. Sexual health clinics will often get test results quicker than GP practices as well.

It is important for men to get thrush diagnosed to rule out balanitis or an STI.

Your appointment

Your GP or sexual health clinic will want to confirm that you have thrush and to rule out other infections. You will be asked about your symptoms. If it’s unclear whether you have thrush a doctor or nurse may look at your vagina or penis and a cotton bud may be wiped over the discharge to test for other infections.

Click here for more information about your local services including pharmacy and sexual health clinics.

What is vaginal thrush? | https://patient.info

Patient Platform Ltd | published on 4 September 2018

What is vaginal thrush? | https://patient.info

Patient Platform Ltd | published on 3 February 2012

What is balanitis? | https://patient.info

Patient Platform Ltd | published on 3 September 2018