What is recurrent vaginal yeast infection?

If you have symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection and have been diagnosed and treated by your doctor for this in the past, you may want to try treating it at home. You can use an over-the-counter medicine to treat your symptoms. Examples of medicines are tioconazole (Vagistat), clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin), and miconazole (Monistat).

If your symptoms don't improve with home treatment, contact your doctor. Vaginal symptoms that may be related to another type of vaginal infection or a cervical infection need to be checked.

If you are pregnant or if you take the blood-thinning medicine warfarin, talk to your doctor before using an over-the-counter medicine for a yeast infection. If you take warfarin and use an over-the-counter medicine, you may have increased bruising and abnormal bleeding.

For your vaginal yeast infections to be thought of as recurrent, you must have three or more infections within 1 year. And they must cause symptoms.