What Non-Antibiotic Solutions Are There for Yeast Infections?

I recently became pregnant and, shortly thereafter, I came down with a vaginal yeast infection. My doctor's only suggestion is to take antibiotics, but I would prefer something that won’t disrupt the normal bacteria in my bowel, and I don't want to do anything that might adversely affect the baby. Do you know of any safe alternatives?

Application of yogurt vaginally can be very effective for resolving yeast infections because it helps restore a normal pH and re-establish the proper bacterial flora. (Tampons soaked in a 5 percent acetic acid solution will help normalize the pH, but do nothing to re-establish the bacteria.)

In Israel, 84 patients with problems similar to yours participated in a clinical study. Of those, 32 used yogurt, 32 used acetic acid soaked tampons, and 20 were given no treatment.

Those who were using yogurt to treat their yeast infections used a syringe to deposit 10–15 mL of commercial yogurt directly into the vagina twice daily for seven days, and then repeated the process one week later. (The syringe was inserted 4–6 cm into the vagina.) Those in the acetic acid group inserted a tampon soaked with 10–15 milliliters of 5 percent acetic acid into the vagina.

When the patients were re-evaluated after one month, those in the yogurt group by far had the best response, with most having their yeast infections completely resolved.

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