Yeast Infection is brought on by an overgrowth of Candida albicans bacteria. This bacteria is one of a large number which occur naturally on our skin and in our intestines.

Get the Correct Diagnosis
There is actually a relatively high rat e of incorrect diagnosis of this condition. Many sufferers who assume that they have a yeast infection tend to treat themselves using conventional over-the-counter anti-fungal medications when, in fact, they may have another condition that needs a completely different treatment.

Bacterial vaginosis is often confused with yeast infection as the symptoms can be very similar. In a similar way, various skin conditions which can cause rashes and lesions can also be confused with skin yeast infection.

Obviously incorrect diagnosis and hence incorrect treatment can lead to significant aggravation of the actual underlying medical condition.

Causes
Actually there are a large number of potential causes of yeast infection and in fact it can be caused by a combination of different factors.

Symptoms
The main symptoms are an itchy red rash, usually in the genital area. This can be so itchy and sting so much that it you will extremely tempted to scratch it. You need to try to resist this temptation – scratching will only make it more uncomfortable and can also cause it to spread.

A Home Test For Yeast Infection
The good news is that there are some straightforward home tests that can help you quickly work out whether you do actually have a yeast infection: The yeast infection home test gives you the option of starting the treatment of symptoms quickly and easily.

The Spit Test
Before you go to bed in the evening fill a clear glass with cold water and leave it by your bedside. When you first wake up the following morning and before you eat anything, brush your teeth or put anything in your mouth, spit into the glass of water and leave it for 30 minutes or so.

Check the glass for sign of strings travelling from near the top of the glass downwards into the water. If there are strings present in the water you have Candida yeast infection.

If the spit is heavy and sinks to the bottom of the glass this is an indication that you may have a severe infection.

If the spit stays at the top of the glass or just disappears after a while, you can relax – you almost certainly don’t have a yeast infection.

The Swab Test
Several companies are now making a home swab test for yeast infection which has proved to be really quite accurate. You may be able to get one from your local pharmacy or drugstore.

The swab test uses a piece of litmus paper, rather like you may have seen in the chemistry labs at school, to test the pH value of the discharge that usually accompanies a yeast infection. The test kit has a test paper and a scale of colours. Simply apply the test paper against the affected area for a few seconds and compare it to a scale of colours.

The yeast infection home test kit will have a scale from 1 to 14. A normal pH would be between 3.9 and 4.5. If your pH is outside this range, the test kit includes guidance on what condition you may have. This could indicate yeast infection or other conditions.

Which Treatment Works?
Doctors find Candida yeast infection difficult to eradicate – simply because it can be triggered by a combination of so many different factors.

There are a lot of anti-fungal thrush creams and over-the-counter Candida treatments which will go some way to combat the Candida symptoms but very few (if any) are able to properly tackle the root cause - the overgrowth of Candida albicans bacteria.

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