STIs   Thrush

Thrush is caused by an organism that usually lives quite harmlessly on your skin, in your mouth or in your gut. This is called candida albicans and is actually a type of yeast. You are more likely to get thrush if you are pregnant, if you wear tight jeans or nylon underwear or are taking certain antibiotics, have diabetes or are unwell or ill, or are taking the oral contraceptive pill, or have sex with someone who has thrush.

Symptoms of thrush in women are:

• Itching, soreness and redness around your vagina, vulva or anus
• A thick white discharge from the vagina that looks like cottage cheese and smells yeasty
• Swollen vulva
• Pain when you have sex
• Pain when you pass water

Men may experience:

• Irritation or burning or itching under the foreskin or on the top of the penis
• Redness or red patches under the foreskin or on top of the penis
• A thick cheesy discharge under the foreskin
• Difficulty in pulling back the foreskin and slight discharge from the urethra
• Discomfort when you pass water

To learn more about thrush click here