# 8 year old daughter has a yeast infection



## mamabird83 (Nov 26, 2008)

My 8 year old daughter has her first yeast infection and I would love some advice on treatment and causes.

We eat a LOT of fermented food in our home. She consumes sauerkraut, kim chi, kefir and yogurt almost daily. She wears cotton underwear, gets a good amount of sleep and has a strong immune system (only being sick once this year). We also limit the sugar in our home, although permit sweet treats for special occasions.

The infection came after her birthday party. We had some sweet treats, the day was hot and she wore tight fitting pants. I am sure this is what brought it on, but I am surprised that her system was so vulnerable. Could there be an underlying health concern? Food sensitivity? Too many fermented foods?

Regarding treatment, I have been cleaning her with a clean wet rag. No soap. I then have a homemade calendula salve that contains small amounts of tea tree. (We used this on our girls when they were babies with diaper rash.)

The infection seemed to clear up last week, but came back a couple days later. Tonight I cleaned her with some diluted apple cider vinegar, and applied the calendula salve and probiotic powder. Any other suggestions?

I have only had a yeast infection once or twice in my 33 years so I am a bit concerned that she is having this problem at age 8.

Thank you in advance for your responses. I love the Mothering Forums! :heartbeathttp://www.mothering.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

The first thing which comes to mind is diabetes but sometimes it can happen without an obvious reason as well. 


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

It is pretty rare for an 8yo to have an actual yeast infection. How sure are you about your diagnosis?

I would probably have her seen by her doctor or by a GYN/midwife with a specialty in adolescent health.


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## mamabird83 (Nov 26, 2008)

katelove said:


> The first thing which comes to mind is diabetes but sometimes it can happen without an obvious reason as well.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That occurred to me too. But she has no other indicators for that. She is in the 50th percentile for height and weight. She is athletic and full of energy. We also have no family history of diabetes.

The only other trait I notice in her that could indicate diabetes is a tendency to be ALWAYS hungry, but I have attributed this to her being very active.

On a side note: She does have some issues with anxiety. (As you can imagine an 8 year old with anxiety AND a yeast infection is a recipe for a pretty stressed out kiddo and mama). I have long wondered if the anxiety is related to something in her diet... just one more piece to this puzzle.


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## mamabird83 (Nov 26, 2008)

chickabiddy said:


> It is pretty rare for an 8yo to have an actual yeast infection. How sure are you about your diagnosis?
> 
> I would probably have her seen by her doctor or by a GYN/midwife with a specialty in adolescent health.


We had her seen a week ago, initially thinking it could be a UTI. The test came back negative so we can rule that out. The doctor examined her and did not comment on the possibility of a yeast infection since I think it had started to clear up before we saw her. Now that it is back, I have emailed our doc and am waiting for a response.

She has all of the signs a yeast infection: redness, itching, cottage-cheese-like discharge (some but not alot).


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## AliceandtheRabbit (Apr 15, 2016)

Oh gosh! Okay, I've done some research, and here's results:
http://www.prevention.com/health/yeast-infection-treatments lists eating yogurt (and other foods with probiotics), and wearing cotton panties as some of the things that might help. Some sources say that if you are susceptible to the fungi that causes yeast infection, then even things like bath foam and other chemical washes can be the cause of it. People with diabetes are at the much higher risk group. Antibiotics could be a cause, as they kill natural bacteria. All sources advice to make sure that you are dealing with yeast infection before trying to treat it yourself, but here are some stuff that is used as a remedy:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/yeast-infection/guide/treatments/home-remedies/ diluted Tea-tree oil, and once again, probiotics.
https://herbalref.com/olea-olive-leaf-oleae-folium/ olive leaf is used for a lot of urinary and gynecological problems
http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/treating-yeast-infections-natures-way this article lists cranberries and echinacea as helpful too and http://www.yeastinfectionadvisor.com/herbalyeastinfectionremedies.html also lists grapefruit extract along other remedies.
Take care and may your daughter have a swiftest possible recovery!


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## mamabird83 (Nov 26, 2008)

I heard back from our doctor. She said that this is a normal problem for girls of this age because the labia do not air out as well at this stage of development. She said to focus on controlling moisture and to apply lanolin as a protective barrier. We'll see how it goes.

She is much more comfortable after applying the diluted tea tree and the probiotic powder. Hopefully the lanolin will keep her protected against future infections.


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## Alebertina Geller (Mar 23, 2020)

mamabird83 said:


> I heard back from our doctor. She said that this is a normal problem for girls of this age because the labia do not air out as well at this stage of development. She said to focus on controlling moisture and to apply lanolin as a protective barrier. We'll see how it goes.
> 
> She is much more comfortable after applying the diluted tea tree and the probiotic powder. Hopefully the lanolin will keep her protected against future infections.


You should also give some probiotics pills or probiotics powder mixed in food or drink. You can try this kid's probiotic powder.
Ask your doctor before taking this or any other probiotics.


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## dori2888 (Jun 24, 2020)

Asking these questions to the forum site can cause alarming answers. My advice to you is to contact the doctor without wasting too much time.


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