Patient/caregiver was educated on measures to manage and prevent candida infection as follows:
- Individuals with history of genital candidiasis must avoid wearing tight fitting undergarments. Practice wearing cotton undergarments that are not too tight.
- Females must avoid practices such as, douching, which can eliminate the friendly bacteria in the body needed to maintain the normal vaginal environment and put them at increased risk for candida overgrowth and infection. Use of scented pads & tampons, hot tubs, and bubble baths can also disturb the normal vaginal environment, increase risk for candida infection, and so, must be avoided.
- Though not an STD, candida infection of the genital areas can spread during sex and so, observe abstinence from sex during an active candida infection. Giving and receiving oral sex is one means of spread of candida infection and so, individuals at risk for and with history of candida infection of genital region must abstain from practicing and receiving oral sex.
- Individuals with history of urinary tract infection with candida must keep a close watch for symptoms of recurring urinary tract infection with candida. Report to your physician regarding symptoms of candida UTI, such as, fever, chills, frequency of urination, urgency, pain during urination, difficulty passing urine, passing blood in urine, and suprapubic or lower abdominal pain. Also, involvement of kidneys with flank pain and passing blood in urine must be reported.
