What do you mean it's not his fault?

Conventional wisdom about men causing yeast infections in women is turned on its head

BY S H CYR

Women may blame their husbands and boyfriends for a lot of things, but they can no longer blame them for recurrent yeast infections, according to research published in the Journal of Women's Health, which refutes widely held assumptions about this extremely common condition.

"Many physicians, and many women, believe that women get recurrent yeast infections because their partner passes the yeast back to them during intercourse. This study refutes that belief," said study author Barbara Reed, professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. "This study suggests the risk for recurrent infections is related to something else -- perhaps the woman's immune response to the yeast."

About three-quarters of women will have at least one yeast infection in their lives, and 40% have recurrent infections. The Candida vulvovaginitis yeast is often found in both women and men in the genital area, rectum and mouth.

Researchers looked at 148 women with confirmed Candida vulvovaginitis and 78 of their male sexual partners. Each woman was examined by a doctor, who collected samples from the vagina, cervix, vulva, tongue and rectum. The men were asked to collect at home urine, fecal and semen samples and a tongue swabbing, and the samples were analyzed by culture.

The women were given regular examinations over a year and were also told to return for testing any time they had symptoms of vaginal discharge, itching or odour. Doctors performed an exam on the relevant every time a woman developed a recurrence of male candida infection.

Among the men, nearly half tested positive for Candida species on the tongue and in the feces, but few showed any signs of Candida in their urine or semen. The researchers found no link between recurrent yeast infections and signs of Candida at any site in either the men or the women.

Surprisingly, a woman's age at first intercourse, lifetime number of partners, frequency of intercourse or anal intercourse all turned out to be completely irrelevant to her chances of developing a recurring yeast infection.

But other sexual activities also play a role. Specifically, women who had recently engaged in vaginal oral sex, and those who had masturbated using saliva, were at significantly elevated risk. More women reported the former activity (69%) than the latter (14.5%).

One might conclude from these findings that yeast in the mouth can be transmitted between partners, but in fact the risk from oral sex remained just as elevated when the male partner's saliva showed no signs of Candida.

The researchers suggest that yeast is normally held in check by other, benign organisms and by immune components, and that washing the area with saliva allows the Candida to flourish.

"We're not saying that oral sex is a problem for everyone, but if a women is experiencing recurrent yeast infections, those activities put her at an increased risk," Reed said.