WARNING: The Embarrassing Bodies website contains images of an explicit medical nature and nudity in a medical context.

Embarrassing Bodies , 9:00pm Friday 19th March 2010 on Channel 4. Catch up for free »

Conditions

Thrush

A microscopic image of the fungus candidia albicans, that can cause thrush

There is definitely nothing to sing about with this condition, which affects 80% of women at least once in their lifetime. Not least because of its recurring tendency. However, men don’t get away lightly either, as they are also susceptible to the condition, but less commonly. This is because everyone has small amounts of Candida albicans, the yeast that causes thrush, present in their body. For women the symptoms may include irritation and, more noticeably, a cottage cheese discharge coming from their vagina. Likewise, men may experience inflammation and a similarly unpleasant discharge coming from their penis. Thrush can often go away without treatment, but there are many over-the-counter remedies on hand to help. However, in first time cases or if you’re suffering from a persistent yeast infection, it may be worth consulting your GP for advice.

What the Men in White Coats Say

Comments and Questions

The EB doctors have been looking at your comments and have answered some of the common questions below. Remember that it is always best to check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.

You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

I also seem to get very itchy after unprotected sex - wondered if it is possible to be irritated by semen - anyone know? After sex i end up having to take tablets for thrush as creams/pessaries don't help. has anyone else experienced this or could my husband have thrush(with no symptoms) and be passing it back to me?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Have had problem down below for years - discharge, odour, irritation, always hot, always sweaty, always uncomfortable. Seriously affects self confidence. Have seen GP's over the years, have suggested thrush, bacterial vaginosis, diabetes, STI's etc, had antibiotics, creams, pessaries - all tests negative. Latest thing is 6 months of pessarries and pills, into third month, no real effect..... desperate now. Sick of dismissive doctors. Someone help. Can anyone suggest anything?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Im nearly 20 and have been on the pill the last 2 years. However every month about a week before my period is due my discharge becomes irritating, it gets alot thicker and it also can be a weird yellow colour!! Its really bothering me as it can be quite bad some months. Please can you help!





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

i have vagainal discharge and it smells really bad it smells verry horrible and i dont know what to do about it please help x





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hi,i'm 19 and i've either suffered from thrush or a bacterial infection for 3years or so? my symptoms seemed like thrush and i tried the over the counter solution but that didn't work. I finally went to my GP who put me on anti biotics which worked for awhile untill,i started going on the pill which my GP said might strigger it again, which it has but what do i do now? Its ruining my confidence and my underwear.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

hi i'm 23years old and i'd been suffering from thrush. i caught it from my girlfriend and we had both been suffering from it luckily its gone now thanks 2 this cream ive used but it has gone red around the head of the penis, it gets really dry now and i get bad oder but i don't understand why because i wash properly everyday and i have been using the cream i was given by doctors. please help





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Im 19 and for about three years now i have been getting unusual and smelly vaginal discharge. Its very uncomfortable and is affecting my sex life with my long term partner. I recently had a sample sent off from the doctors and it returned saying that everything was normal. However this is obviously not normal and i need to get it sorted. Please help!





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

hi im 19 and seem to be suffering from recurrent thrush, ive used the creams; which do clear it up but it always ends up coming back. is there anything i can do to prevent thrush from re-occurring? i get quite bad discharge which makes me feel very uncomfortable so i end up using pantyliner's.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

it could be bacterium vaginosis, which is common like thrush, but different to thrush. I thought I had recurrent thrush so kept using Canestan combination of pessary or pill and creams, but it always came back quickly. In the end it turned out to be vaginosis, and was quickly cleared up by antibiotics. Vaginosis does recur too but I have had no further problems after my second bout of it, and that was more than 2 years ago. I found the things that triggered it were unprotected sex, where my partner ejaculated inside me, but I suppose it is different for everyone. The usual answers like not using perfumed soaps or cleansers around the area, not rubbing the area too hard with your towel after washing, wearing cotton underwear, decreasing your sugar intake etc can all help prevent a recurrence of thrush.

I am 27 and I have a problem with my belly button, every time i wear something tight around my belly or i get really hot i end up with a very smelly, red and itchy belly button. My belly button is quite deep and i sometimes wake up with a crust around the edges. It is very embarrassing as i know other can smell it too especially in the summer months. I was told about 5 years ago that it was thrush and treated it with canesten or the equilvent but it just keeps coming back. Please help if you can





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hello, im 15 years old and i'm having problems 'down below' , im too emabarresed to go to the doctors about it. My vigina get extreamly itchy and sore. it hurts to put any medicated creams on it e.g. Lanacane. This happens every week before im due on for my period. Please give me some answers x





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hi, I'm 14 and also get this problem. At first I thought it was normal because I was using a wash for 'down there.' I told my mum and she agreed to get me something to clear it up but she never got round to it. Iv have a really good friend who has said he would be happy to be my first person to sleep with, because I trust him souch and have been friends with him for so long I would like to share the experience with him, but scared incase I pass thrush onto him or he says anything to me. I just wanted you to know that what you have is normal because I have it too.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.



Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.



Please don't swear or be rude in your questions, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting questions. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines


Important Notice

The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.


If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here


More Information

  1. Doctor Responses: Vaginal Discharge

    In Videos - Dr Pixie answers your most frequently asked questions about vaginal…

  2. Consultation: Soreness on the Penis

    In Videos - A patient is examined for soreness around his penis

  3. Consultation: Second Adult Circumcision

    In Videos - Dr Jessen examines a patient in need of a new circumcision

  4. Bodies Behaving Badly

    In Episodes - Episode 1 of Embarrassing Teenage Bodies examines conditions includ…

  5. Consultation: Painful Penis

    In Videos - Dr Jessen treats a patient whose pleasures in life have been severe…

  6. Vaginas

    In Episodes - The EI team roll into Norwich to setup a clinic in one of the count…

  7. Consultation: Prostate Cancer

    In Videos - Dr Jessen treats a patient whose Prostate Cancer has worsened in re…

  8. Teens Below the Belt

    In Episodes - Episode 4 of Embarrassing Teenage Bodies tackles conditions includi…

  9. Boys, Boys, Boys

    In Episodes - Episode 3 of Embarrassing Teenage Bodies takes a closer look at bin…

  10. Consultation: Vaginal Prolapse

    In Videos - Dr Harper examines a woman who has suffered a prolapsed vagina afte…

  11. Consultation: Enlarged Labia

    In Videos - A woman comes to see Dr McKenna about her enlarged labia.

  12. Am I Normal?

    In Episodes - Episode 2 of Embarrassing Teenage Bodies looks at conditions includ…

  13. Dr Priya Manickavasagar

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr Priya.

  14. Dr James Russell

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr James Russell.

  15. How To Check Your Vulva

    In Videos - Dr Harper's guide to how to self-check your vulva against vulval ca…


More Information

Content supplied by NHS Choices

Vaginal thrush is a fungal infection that causes irritation and swelling of the vagina and vulva (a woman’s external sexual organs). Read More »

Be on the Show

Have you been inspired by the patients in the current series to seek help for your problem? Apply to be on the show here >