Am i too young for a yeast infection?

Hi all!

I'm 15 and i have a yeast infection, i think. my Vaginal lips are swollen and it itches and i have a weird discharge. I have never had sex before, but i have masturbated. But i was wondering how i could have gotten this? and also will it just go away or do you HAVE to treat it with antibiotics? so ya any suggestions?

You're definitely not too young for a yeast infection. Even teeny, tiny babies can get yeast infections. It definitely does sound like you've got a yeast infection. All women have some yeast living in their vaginas. If their vaginal pH becomes out of whack, it allows the yeast to flourish and take over. A yeast infection is really just an overgrowth of yeast. Lots of things could have caused your yeast infection: bubble baths, tight clothes, not wearing cotton underwear, poor hygiene, soaps or personal lubricants that contain Glycerin, not drying yourself well enough after bathing, wearing a damp swimsuit for a long time, etc. This could potentially go away on its own (some women find it goes away when their period rebalances their pH), but you might find comfort in treating it.

Yeast is actually a fungus, so antibiotics would not actually help your problem. You really need an anti-fungal. This can be treated with over-the-counter medications (like Monistat) or with home remedies if you're more comfortable with that.

Quoted from vaginapagina dot com:
What are some easy, at-home methods to rebalance the vaginal pH?

Many women use non-medical methods for treating yeast, because the cost of over-the-counter methods is high, because they are unimpressed with OTC methods, or simply because they prefer more natural methods. Following is a partial list of at-home methods from Feminist Women鈥檚 Health Center that may be helpful:
At-Home Methods for Yeast Infection Relief:

* Insert unpasteurized, plain yogurt (this works with soy yogurt as well as long as it still contains active cultures--check regular yogurt ingredients for this too!) with a small spoon or spatula or vaginal cream applicator. Insert at night and wear a pad. Repeat for three to seven nights, until symptoms disappear. Yogurt can be inserted with an empty tampon inserter, vaginal cream inserter or a turkey baster (the baster works best). Symptoms should be relieved within 48 hours. (Douching with yogurt and water can help, too. It also helps to eat a lot of yogurt.) You can read more about using yogurt to treat yeast infections here.

* Insert a garlic suppository or pessary Carefully peel one clove of garlic. Wrap in gauze and insert into the vagina. Leave in for up to twelve hours. Repeat as necessary. It also helps to eat a lot of garlic. Click here for more info on this treatment, including when to experience relief.

* Drink cranberry juice. Unsweetened is best. (This works best as a preventative measure.)

* Insert potassium sorbate. This is used in home beer-making and can be found at wine-making stores. Dip a cotton tampon into a 3% solution (15 grams of Potassium Sorbate in one pint of water) and insert into the vagina at night. Remove in the morning.

* Insert acidophilus capsules. (You may also eat or drink it, but it's more effective when inserted directly into the vagina.) It's available in powder or capsules in health food stores or found in some milk and yogurt products. (Read the label; some dairy products have added acidophilus.) When you get a yeast infection from antibiotics, it's likely you'll want to treat it right away, rather than waiting to be done with the medication. This is okay, but you should know that you may need to re-treat at the end of your course of antibiotics to fully ensure that the natural vaginal balance is restored.

* Nix the "feminine deodorant sprays." No soap, nylon bathing suits, or pantyhose without a cotton crotch.

* Wear only cotton or nothing at all. Hot, moist environments incubate yeast.

* If neither acidophilus nor yogurt cures the yeast, you may need to re-acidify your vagina. Boric Acid is efficient, and you can purchase it in the drug store. Dilute it one teaspoon to one cup of warm water and mini-douche daily with the barrel of a syringe, or use a diaphragm jelly inserter which can be bought at the pharmacy without having to buy the jelly, or buy empty 00-sized capsules and fill them with boric acid powder and insert two of them nightly. Don't use if the skin is raw or broken, and discontinue if an irritation develops. This is wet and messy but boric acid is anti-bacterial and will cleanse some non-specific vaginitis as well. According to U-W Madison, "Insert one capsule in the vagina per night for one week, then one capsule twice a week for three more weeks" to treat your yeast. (Click here for links to more info about boric acid, including a fabulous how-to photo essay on making your own capsules!)

* Apple cider vinegar douches (two tablespoons vinegar to a pint of warm water) are very effective. Even though yeast flourishes in an acidic environment, there is something in vinegar that inhibits its growth. Vinegar can also inhibit the growth of bacteria and trichomonas by establishing the proper acidity (pH) for the proliferation of "good" bacteria. Don't douche for longer than 10 days.

* Avoid regular douching! The vagina is a self-cleaning environment, so routine douching shouldn't be necessary and could make your vagina too alkaline. Women who douche more than three times a month are four to five times more likely to have rampant yeast.