Harm when wearing wet bathing suits and the risk of yeast infections

Will wearing a wet swimsuit cause yeast infections? What a difficult question!

Vaginal yeast infections are fungal infections that most women will get. Although annoying, they are not dangerous. Women's vagina contains yeast and infection occurs when this natural yeast grows out of control. According to the gynecologist in San Francisco, this can happen when vaginal bacteria cannot control yeast populations or when an external yeast strain enters the vagina.

So wearing wet swimsuits stimulates yeast infection?

Yvonne Butler Tobah gynecologist at Mayo Hospital said wearing a wet bathing suit for a long period of time may increase women's risk of yeast infection , although it is not a direct cause. "If the question is," Will a wet bath cause yeast infection? "Then the answer is" No ", but it can increase the risk of infection, depending on how long you wear it." , Butler Tobah said.

Picture 1 of Harm when wearing wet bathing suits and the risk of yeast infections
Wearing a wet bathing suit for a long time will put women at risk of yeast infection.

According to gynecologist Leena Nathan, yeast thrives in a warm, damp, stagnant environment like in a wet bathing suit after swimming or swimming."Wearing a wet bathing suit for a long time will put women at risk for yeast infection. However, swimming does not increase the risk of yeast infection because when water is constantly flowing, it will create an adverse environment for yeast thrives, " Nathan said.

However, Dr. Gunter disagreed and argued that wearing wet bathing caused yeast infection is a myth. Gunter said: "The reason can only exist before we have knowledge of vaginal microorganisms. If humidity causes yeast, how do we control it when the vagina is also wet? " .

So why not related? After all, wearing wet bathing suits and yeast infections is also linked.

Butler Tobah says that wet clothes are generally difficult to study. To be sure whether long-term bathing suits can cause yeast infections, researchers will have to conduct a controlled study: follow the group of people wearing wet bathing suits and wearers. Normal clothes get wet for several hours and see which group gets more yeast in the end. There are always practical problems when doing research like this, not to mention the ethical issue of deliberately causing yeast infections for participants.

In the absence of empirical data, researchers will make use of observed data. Butler Tobah points out a review of the cause of yeast infection, published in the International Journal of STD and AIDS in 2002. The authors received mixed data about wearing wet clothes that could be infectious. yeast infection or not. They focused on tight, wet clothes near the crotch, creating a favorable environment for fungal yeast to grow. Some studies have shown that yeast infections are more common when women wear tight and wet clothes, while others do not.

Finally, we have two different questions:

  1. Wearing wet bathing suits can lead to yeast infections in appropriate circumstances?Probably - at least, Dr. Butler Tobah and Nathan.
  2. Do people need to worry about yeast infections from using normal bathing suits?The answer is no .