How to know if you have a yeast infection
In order to know if you have a yeast infection, there are a few classic signs of yeast infection to look for, that are usually present. Here is how to tell if you have a yeast infection:
- Abnormal yeast infection discharge: looks like cottage cheese discharge which has a thick chunky curd like appearance.
- Discharge color: discharge color is usually milky white or light yellow.
- Odor free: yeast infection is usually odorless. Some people describe the yeast infection smell as similar to bread yeast though.
- Yeast infection symptoms: intense itchiness of the vulva (vulvar pruritus) causing the need to scratch.
Additional yeast infection symptoms may include:
- Irritation, swelling and burning around the vulva.
- Soreness.
- Vaginal rash, sometimes with yeast infection bumps. Sores or blisters however, are not common.
- Pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).
- Pain or burning during urination (dysuria).
To learn what a yeast infection looks like in men: yeast infection in men.
To learn about the causes, treatment of yeast infection in women, see: yeast infection in women.
How to be sure you have a yeast infection
Yeast infection test
When it comes to vaginal infections, if you want to be sure you have a yeast infection it is always best to have a yeast infection test by your doctor. This is very important since the needed treatment for each type of infection can be different.
Doctors usually test for yeast infection by a vaginal exam, risk factors based on your medical history, lab tests, and the symptoms and other signs you share. Reading this guide will help you become more aware of the different symptoms and signs of yeast infections which can help your doctor to diagnose the vaginal issue correctly.
Yeast infection treatment
Yeast infection treatment is directly related to the cause of the yeast infection:
| Affected Areas | Possible Cause | Yeast infection treatment for women |
| Only the vagina is affected. | Specific issue in the vagina. | Antifungal creams. Probiotics. Prevention treatment. |
| Vagina and other areas are affected. | Systemic candida overgrowth. | Candida overgrowth treatment. Antifungal creams (relief). |
As you can see in the table, the yeast infection treatment is completely different when the infections is caused by a systemic yeast infection in the body. For this reason, identifying what causes the yeast infection is always the first step of the treatment. This should be done before you take yeast infection medicine, yeast infection home remedy, antifungals or any other anti yeast products. Make sure you know what is the cause of your yeast infection first.
How to cure a yeast infection – Additional facts to consider
- Make sure you know you have a yeast infection. When in doubt, get tested by your doctor.
- Relieving the intense itching is a very important part of the vaginal yeast infection treatment. Constant itching often causes the desire or reflex to scratch (pruritus) which can make the infection and irritation become worse. If you need a relief, see: natural antifungal creams.
- To avoid chronic yeast infections or other complication, it is important to confirm that no other yeast infection symptoms are present in other areas of the body. To see the complete list of yeast infection symptoms broken down by different areas in the body see: candida overgrowth symptoms checker.
Signs you have a yeast infection
Do pictures of yeast infections tell the whole story?
The signs you have a yeast infection are usually very clear and are a combination of the symptoms shown above. We get many questions from people who spent hours looking at pictures of yeast infections, comparing them to how their yeast infections look like, only to find out they are not sure if they have a yeast infection.
Before you spend your time looking at different yeast infection pictures and compare them with your symptoms, here’s something to consider. Yeast infections can look like infection caused by other conditions. Your infection may look alike or may be different than what is shown in the pictures. This can be very confusing. Do not base your decision to treat your yeast infection based on pictures.
A better way to tell if you have yeast infection is by looking for the classic signs of yeast infections that we covered in the beginning of this guide. These symptoms are usually present in the majority of the cases and can help you to know if you have a vaginal yeast infection.
Bacterial infection symptoms
Yeast Infection or Bacterial Vaginosis
Some bacterial infection symptoms (bacterial vaginosis) are very different from the signs of a yeast infection. If you see any of these symptoms, you may have a bacterial infection:
- Abnormal vaginal odor: strong musty or fishy vaginal odor, or strong unpleasant smell.
- Discharge color: dark, yellow – green, gray.
- In some cases: cloudy or bloody discharge.
- Thin watery discharge.
- Homogenous discharge.
Other symptoms such as abnormal vaginal discharge, pain, and burning may be common to both bv and yeast infections.
To see a yeast infection vs bv comparison as well as other vaginal infections, see:
vaginal yeast infection vs. other infections.