3. Switching birth control pills can impact your risk.
Believe it or not, changing birth control pill (that alters your hormone levels) may make you more susceptible to getting a yeast infection. The same goes for taking certain antibiotics, which can kill healthy bacteria in the vagina, allowing yeast to grow out of control. It’s important to note, that having uncontrolled blood sugar levels — type 2 diabetes – can feed yeast, allowing them to them as well.
4. You don’t need products to prevent them.
Because the vagina a “self-cleaning oven,” you don’t need to shell out on products like douches, scented gels and wipes, perfumes, or other feminine products to stay clean. In fact, treatments like douching have been linked to causing an imbalance of the healthy bacteria in your vagina which makes you more susceptible to an infection.
5. Carbs may be a culprit.
According to a 2013 study published in the PLOS One journal, carbs play a significant role in the development of candida — a genus of yeasts that is the most common cause of fungal infections and also happens to be a natural inhabitant of the human digestive system. In other words, if you’re addicted to eating carbs (which feed yeast), you’re at a higher risk of developing a yeast infection than those who eat more proteins and fatty acids.