Seeking Advice for 4Y Daughter's Recurrent Vaginitis and Infections.

No feminine wash or other chemical on privates! Even though we have been taught our privates are "dirty", they really aren't and the female genitals in particular are "self cleaning". A healthy vagina has a delicately balanced flora of beneficial bacteria. Too much "hygiene" destroys this protective flora and makes us susceptible for fungal overgrowth (normally the yeast is also present, but held in check by beneficial bacteria).
Clear water and a soft cloth are perfectly enough to keep her clean.

You might also look at her underwear and your laundry soap. Size her undies up so they aren't too tight, make sure her pants aren't too tight either. Switch to a "free" or baby detergent or even try washing without detergent at all or give extra rinses to be sure there is no residue.

When your daughter urinates, you may want to skip "wiping" and just dab the area dry. Teach her to do the same. Little girls often get irritation because they are wiping to hard.

And I ditto the probiotics.
Good luck!

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Hi Luann,

Try getting her on a probiotic regimen. You could just have her eat live culture yogurt if she likes that, or get an acidophilus supplement (which is what I take).

I'd also probably stop with the "feminine wash" it's not necessary at all and is still really a soap and may be bothering her. Try just washing her with clean warm water down there. Remember the yeast infections come from a LACK of good bacteria not an over abundance of it (That's why you get them after an antibiotic) so don't work so hard to clean it... let her little body get back in balance.

I've seen hydrocortisone that has a little numbing agent in it. Ask your dr about that so that it won't bother her and will actually make it feel better on contact.

HTH
T.

4 moms found this helpful

Ask her doctor to test the pH of her parts. pH problems can cause a LOT of these types of things.

If pH is too high (likely if she's getting recurrent yeast infections) then you can ask your doctor for something acidic that is safe to use to bring the pH down. I know some women use boric acid packed into pill capsules and inserted into the vagina to combat recurrent yeast infections.

If pH is too low (not likely) then ask about something safe to bring it back up, like baking soda.

Ask you doctor if that feminine product RepHresh is okay to use on your daughter. It's supposed to balance vaginal pH.

Also, make sure she's not sitting around in a wet bathing suit at ANY time. This is truly one of the most common causes of yeast infections and yes, even UTI's. You should also have her tested for diabetes. Extra sugar in the system can REALLY cause yeast infections. Try cutting all of the refined sugars out of her diet.

Best of luck!

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PB8 orally every night - open the capsule and dump the contents into her mouth. Decrease dairy and stop sugar....but absolutely NO synthetic sugars. you can find it locally and it's just an awesome probiotic.

3 moms found this helpful

Probiotics! You can do a google search to see how these have helped manyu people.

I really think they will make a difference. In fact a prebiotic wouldn't hurt either. I take a tiny pill each day (smaller than a pea) as a probiotic and my yeast infections stopped and have never returned since doing this. I even give one to my dog to prevent ear infections.

Here is a link:
http://healinghappens.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sk...

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Sorry to hear about your daughter's problem. I don't know how common this is in little girls, but to have been dealing with this for 2 years sounds excessive to me. I think I'd be getting another opinion.

My only advice is about using hydrocortisone. My son has mild eczema, and we use hydrocortisone occasionally to treat little flare ups. Our ped told us to use hydrocortisone OINTMENT, as the cream can sting, and the ointment is much gentler. And it's absolutely true. Twice, I used the cream because we didn't have the ointment on hand, and once, it even made his skin redder than it already was, like it burned him, and both times, he cried because it was stinging after application. He has NEVER complained using the ointment. I think ointment is always more soothing than cream. Also, you can get prescription hydrocortisone that is in a higher concentration than what you buy otc. That's what we use. I know hydrocortisone is probably not the ultimate solution to your problem, so I'd definitely get another opinion, but just wanted to make you aware about the cream vs. ointment issue, in case you weren't aware.

Best wishes on getting this resolved.

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This sounds like something else is going on. Allergies, something. Does she eat yogurt? That helps with the vaginal fauna that help keep everything helpful.
Do not be afraid to seek a second opinion.

Probiotics! You can get a powder at a health food store (keep in the fridge) like Whole Foods and put powder in apple sauce, yogurt, or whatever so she can ingest it. For fast results you can make a paste with water with the powder (I know it sounds crazy because you don't want moisture) and the paste will dry on her and give her some of the good bacteria back that she needs that kills that. And of course rinse the paste off after you think it has been on long enough.

I'm told some people whose bodies hold on to yeast crave starchy foods and if you can try to eliminate some of that or reduce it it may help in the long run. Good luck!

Have they checked her blood sugar levels for diabetes? That is the first thing that popped in my head when I read your question.

How much water does she drink? I would offer her lots of water throughout the day and keep her in loose clothing and cotton undies. I also agree to stop using the feminine wash and start using yogurt or probiotics.

Hope your little one gets better soon.

It is mostly likely the antibiotics taken for the vaginitis that are causing the yeast infections (it kills all the good bacteria which are needed keep the fungal growth at bay). I avoid using antibiotics by using an acidophilus pessary for several nights. Its natural, easy and works a million times faster/better than antibiotics. Once the antibiotics are out of her system, you can give her an over-the-counter med for the yeast infection (like Monistat). The yeast infection shouldn't return unless you go back on antibiotics. I would also recommend not using any soap or wash on the privates - it can mess up the natural balance down there.

Yeast free and low sugar diet. Also, have her take probiotics daily. You can get them at grocery stores. Lastly, don't let her run around in wet swim suits. Have her dry off completely and change into dry clothes before even leaving the pool. Sounds really gross but dry these damp areas with a hair dryer (after she gets out of the bath, for example). Even with all of these things, it's no guarantee. Hot summer months are the worst for this.

My daughter would get vaginitis all the time. We now take probiotics for kids (Little Critters brand - she loves them) and that has made a tremendous difference. Also, there is a cleaning product called Balneol that her pediatrician recommended to use every night. You put it on tp or cotton and clean both the outside vaginal and anal areas (separately of course). Also, when the outside was really red, I would use get the cream Lotriman (sold for athletes foot which is also a yeast infection) on it - especially after a bath. It didn't burn, but it would clear it up. That is what our former pediatrician would recommend. Also, we cut the baths to every other day when we could or do showers instead. That way she wasn't sitting in the water as long.

The probiotics was one of the best things we tried and really has helped so much - it is amaizing. Since she has been taking it daily (or nightly in our case - we do all daily meds before bed) we have not had a problem (knock on wood LOL). Good luck, I know it is frustrating and painful to watch your child go through this.

Elaine

Does she go to a sitter or day care, she could be getting reinfected this is something that is contagious and can be passed to others. Please check this out for her sake.

I think be more aggresive with your doctor....could be laundry soaps, clothing materials, soap, shampoos. Just because it is organic all natural, doesnt mean she isnt allergic. Also, food allergies as well. My daughter had same issue, and i have switched so many products. Good luck, it is so frustrating when our little ones are suffering.

Go to your natural foods store & ask them for help. There's tons of different natural non harsh products out there to help! My niece out of nowhere got 3 of them in 2 months, nothing her ped. prescribed helped. I convinced my sister to go to Henry's with me, (Our local health/whole foods store) They suggested my sister put acidophilus every day in her yogurt the kind with live cultures in it already, & they gave her a natural creme & told her to stay away from the hydrocortisone , & suggested diet restrictions like dairy & a few other things. So far it's been 2 months, so far so good! :)

LOTS of great advice here! I would like to add to take her to a Naturopath or a D.O instead of an MD. At the very least I would take her to a different pediatrician and see what they say. There may be a diet or homeopathic remedy that could cure this for good! Traditional medicine doesn't seem to be working so far.

Do not use the feminine washes. They can make it worse.
Have her eat yogurt with active cultures daily.
Wash her underwear and sheets with HOT water with bleach added.
Have her shower daily with a clean washcloth each day
Change towels daily
Have her wash her hands BEFORE & AFTER the bathroom.
Have her dry her hands with a paper towel not a regular hand towel.
No perfumed toilet paper.
Cotton panties instead of nylon.

Have they prescribed any antibiotics to help? It sometimes takes 2 rounds of meds to knock it out.

M.

After a while, hydrocortisone can make the skin even more sensitive and you'll fall into a vicious cycle of constant infections. I run a child care @ home and have had a couple of little girls w/ the same reoccurring yeast infections. What helped in the end was to give them pro-biotic once or twice a day and also make a mixture of yogurt w/ pro-biotic and use that as a vaginal cream, specially at night. Good Luck!

I have had terrible problems with yeast since I was a teenager. A yeast free diet may be the way to go for right now. I still have issues and never use Monistat or any of those yeast meds anymore due to my sensitivity to them. It got to feeling like I had fireants biting me there all the time one summer. Only thing that ended up helping was to go bare bottom and use hydrocortizone cream 3-4 times a day. Take PROBIOTICS. Very good suggestion from everyone. I take probiotics and eat yogurt everyday. Some people are just more sensitive than others... it's not pleasant and is hard to treat and live with, but it can be managed. I've had terrible issues for the last 2 years and I'm 42. I have not done the yeast free diet due to my inability to stick with a 'diet' no matter how good it may be for me. I'm a sugar-holic.. and that's the worst for yeast.
Good luck.. Lots of good info below.
L./ AustinTx

I go to the health food store and get chewable probiotics for my son. They do quite a lot and I noticed that m son did not get sick all last winter. I had to start a probiotic when I got a yeast infection that I could not get rid of. Most doctor's treat the outside and don't have the training to cure the inside. It is not really their fault but usually a DO goes into more of the natural training than a MD.

a good help for this would actually be to let her take a bath a couple days a week with a few drops of tea tree oil (not a lot, just 3 or 4) in the bath water. Tea tree oil is a great natural anti-fungal and it helps a LOT with yeast. feel free to message me. I know it is a bit of a personal topic.

also having her sleep WITHOUT under wear on will help.

one thing I found out with my nices and daugther, if they do not drink enough the vagina starts to get red and itches. Also I put some oil from Weleda on a Q-tip or tissue and whipe the outside of the vagina. It always prevent the infection to get worse.

I hope you can break the cicle of infections in your little daughter and she feels better soon.

All the best.

Have you tried children's probiotics? You can get them at Whole Foods. They can help. Also, letting her run around the house without underwear, just a loose dress or something. Also, make sure that when she pees, all the pee is wiped off well. It can bother sensitive skin.

Lots and lots of Water--I know it sounds crazy--my mom has had the infections and she would also drink lots of Cranberries..poor baby--good luck

what is she eating? lots of breads and sugars will cause infections too. i would take her to a different doctor. on that specializes in allergies. or even just call and ask the nurse if the two can be connected. ( i really think we are what we eat and this is just one form the body is saying something isnt right ) good luck.