To many people, birth control is a necessary thing in life. It’s not always just for reducing unwanted pregnancies. It can also control our menstrual cycle and hormonal imbalances. However, birth control comes some side effects. Sore breasts, weight gain, and reduced sexual desire are all common. There are more serious ones to consider too. In particular, the fact that birth control can increase your risk of fungal infections.
How Does It Cause Fungal Infections?
The short answer to this is that it doesn’t directly cause them. It does, however, change the environment in our vaginal area. It varies depending on the distinct types of birth control, but they can turn your vagina into an optimal area for bacteria and fungi to breed. This is how birth control can increase your risk of fungal infections and lead to yeast infections.
Hormonal birth control can cause our body to produce more sugar. Yeast can feed off sugar, so this causes an overgrowth. Barrier birth control can cause a yeast infection purely by the fact the something is inside us. Having something there can throw off our bacterial balance, which lets yeast thrive.
How Can I Prevent It?
Wearing cotton underwear is recommended, and be sure to only use your birth control as prescribed by a medical professional. If you’re using things such as antibiotics while on birth control, consume things that contain probiotics. These include yogurts and certain cheeses. They can help return the bacteria in our body to the optimal balance to prevent yeast infections.
In Conclusion
While it might not straight up cause it, birth control can increase your risk of fungal infections. You may not be able to completely avoid it, but by understanding it, you can treat yourself appropriately.
