- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
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Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
"Nothing helps people stay healthy more than the power of real knowledge about health." — Dr. Roger Harms
As medical director of content, Dr. Roger Harms is excited about the potential for Mayo Clinic's health information site to help educate people about their health and provide them the tools and information to live healthier lives.
The Auburn, Neb., native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1981 and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Harms is a practicing physician and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and his specialty areas include office gynecology, high-risk obstetrics and obstetrical ultrasound.
From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Harms was director for education at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Harms was the 1988 Mayo Medical School Teacher of the Year and served as associate dean for student affairs and academic affairs. He is the co-author of the "Mayo Clinic Model of Education." In 2008, Dr. Harms was presented the Distinguished Educator Award, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Dr. Harms is vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and medical editor of the Pregnancy section on this website. In addition, Dr. Harms is editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, a month-by-month guide to everything a woman needs to know about having a baby.
"My medical education experience has grown out of a love of teaching, and that is what this site is about," Dr. Harms says. "If any visitor to this site makes a more informed and thus more comfortable decision about his or her health because of the information we provide, we are successful."
Treatments and drugs (1)
- Yeast infection during pregnancy: Are over-the-counter treatments OK?
Lifestyle and home remedies (1)
- Sex during vaginal infection: Is it harmful?
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Question
Yeast infection during pregnancy: Are over-the-counter treatments OK?
What's the best way to treat a yeast infection during pregnancy?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
You can safely treat a yeast infection during pregnancy with various over-the-counter antifungal creams or suppositories, including:
- Miconazole (Monistat)
- Clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin)
These products can be used at any point during pregnancy and don't pose a risk of birth defects or other pregnancy complications. For best results, choose a seven-day formula. Home remedies or natural treatments generally aren't recommended.
Yeast infections, a type of vaginitis, occur when certain internal or external factors change the normal environment of the vagina and trigger an overgrowth of a microscopic fungus — often C. albicans. Yeast infections are especially common during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. Signs and symptoms of a yeast infection typically include vaginal itching and a white, thick discharge that resembles cottage cheese.
If you haven't been previously diagnosed with a yeast infection and develop symptoms for the first time during pregnancy, consult your health care provider before using an over-the-counter yeast infection treatment. It's possible to mistake a yeast infection for other types of vaginitis or other conditions that need different treatment.
Next questionSex during vaginal infection: Is it harmful?
- Soong D, et al. Vaginal yeast infections during pregnancy. Canadian Family Physician. 2009;55:255.
- Briggs GG, et al. Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation: A Reference Guide to Fetal and Neonatal Risk. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005.
- Vaginitis: Causes and treatments. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp028.cfm. Accessed Feb. 23, 2010.
- Vaginal discharge: Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines 2006. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/2006/vaginal-discharge.htm. Accessed Feb. 25, 2010.
- Eckert LO, et al. Infections of the lower genital tract: Vulva, vagina, cervix, toxic shock syndrome, HIV infections. In: Katz VL, et al. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/115153683-6/787438538/1524/148.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-02951-3..50025-X--cesec14_766. Accessed Feb. 25, 2010.
- Gallenberg MM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 3, 2010.
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