Male yeast infections are not as well known as female yeast infections, but they exist and can cause lingering discomfort and embarrassment. Additionally, there are men who have asymptomatic male yeast infections. In other words, they have a yeast infection, but it doesn’t produce the usual symptoms.
Though there are prescription medications that can kill a yeast infection, there are steps that men can take to reduce the possibility of contracting a yeast infection in the first place, like using antibiotics only when absolutely necessary, keeping consumption of beer and sugary foods under control, and avoiding sexual contact with a partner who has a yeast infection.
So how are male yeast infections contracted? Yeast infections can be contracted sexually by contact with someone who has a yeast infection. If your partner is treated for a yeast infection but you are not, you’ll only reinfect her next time you have sexual contact with her. Prolonged use of antibiotics can kill off the “good” bacteria that live in the digestive and genital tracts, making it easier for yeasts to grow rapidly.
Men with diabetes are more prone to yeast infection because yeast thrives on sugar and diabetics whose diabetes is not under control will have excess sugar in the blood and possibly in the urine, too. The spermicide nonoxynol-9 has been linked with yeast infections in both men and women.
One of the most common symptoms of a yeast infection in men is digestive problems. Other symptoms include bloating, indigestion, bad breath, excess gas, irritability, mood swings, lack of energy, and fatigue. Some cases of jock itch and athlete’s foot are caused by yeasts. Some men with recurrent yeast infections crave sweets and simple carbohydrates. These are the exact things that yeasts love to feed on.
For penile yeast infections, men experience irritation, soreness, and itching. It is possible for men to experience white discharge and small reddish bumps. In more severe cases, the rash goes from being reddish bumps to being a painful, angry red rash that results when the reddish bumps coalesce.
So how are male genital yeast infections treated? Men can use the same over-the-counter yeast infection treatments as women, such as Monistat and Gyne-Lotrimin. For men who are too embarrassed to buy women’s yeast infection cream, the athlete’s foot treatment called Lotrimin has clotrimazole 1%, the exact same active ingredient in Gyne-Lotrimin. Monistat has a different active ingredient, miconazole nitrate. Apply it twice daily for a week. If it doesn’t go away, you definitely need to see a doctor. Prescriptions for yeast infections include Diflucan and Nizoral.
So in conclusion, men can and do acquire male yeast infections, and often from the same practices as women who acquire them: overuse of antibiotics, sexual contact with someone who has a yeast infection, too much beer and sugary food. Like women, men with diabetes are more prone to contracting yeast infections due to higher sugar levels circulating in the body. Avoidance of cavalier use of antibiotics and sexual contact with partners with yeast infections, and dietary modification to cut down on simple sugars can make a big difference in resistance to acquiring male yeast infections.
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