The Risk of Untreated Yeast Infections During Pregnancy

While pregnancy is an exciting time in life, it’s also a time when you’re more likely to get a yeast infection. In addition to changes in your immune system and hormone changes that can disrupt the pH balance of your vagina, your vaginal secretions may contain more sugar during pregnancy on which the yeast can feed. This can cause more yeast to grow, resulting in a yeast infection. 

The questions we address here are: Do you need to worry and what are the risks of not treating a yeast infection while pregnant?

Risks of Not Treating Yeast Infections While Pregnant

In general, the risks of not treating a yeast infection are that you could end up with more severe symptoms that could lead to increasing discomfort and a skin infection if the skin breaks open or you scratch tiny tears in the skin. There are some instances of women ending up with more fatigue, digestive problems, or oral thrush as a result of an untreated vaginal yeast infection, but these are rare cases. 

If you’re pregnant, you can feel assured that yeast infections typically do not affect a developing baby. However, there is a slight chance of passing the Candida yeast to a newborn during vaginal delivery. This can result in the baby having thrush, which is essentially a yeast infection affecting the mouth, fingernails, eyes, skin folds of the neck and armpits, or genital area.

If you have yeast infection symptoms—such as vaginal redness, itching, and discharge—one important reason to call your doctor and get treated right away is it may not be a yeast infection. You might have a urinary tract infection, bacterial vaginosis, a sexually transmitted infection, or another type of infection that potentially could harm your baby or result in early delivery. Even if you’ve had a yeast infection before, when you’re pregnant and have symptoms, it’s smart to talk to your doctor first.

Is It Safe to Treat Yeast Infections While Pregnant? 

Visiting your doctor can also help determine the right treatment for you. Many over-the-counter topical yeast infection treatments, vaginal inserts, and vaginal suppositories, like the ones from Monistat, are safe for use if you are pregnant. But, some are not, and certain oral medications such as those containing fluconazole are not recommended for pregnant people.

The Mayo Clinic says that vaginally applied products containing miconazole (like Monistat), terconazole, and clotrimazole “can be used at any point during pregnancy and don't pose a risk of birth defects or other pregnancy complications.” It’s recommended to use the seven-day yeast infection treatment, which gives you a lower dose each day rather than bigger doses over one or three days.

Don’t worry about not being able to take oral meds for a yeast infection while pregnant, even if they’ve worked for you before. Monistat has been proven to relieve symptoms four times faster than fluconazole.*