Health Questions and Answers: Do water-based lubricants increase the likelihood of a yeast infection?

Health Question:
Do water-based lubricants increase the likelihood of a yeast infection?

Question:
I am interested in any research that may have been done that observes the possible links between the use of water based lubricants and increased yeast infections among women. I have observed by personal experience that when I ceased using K-Y type products and instead used a lubricant that has a base of cosmetic grade sweet almond oils and a small amount of frankincense and myrrh essential oil that the number of "yeast infections" that I have experienced has gone down dramatically. I am now in the process of gathering material for an article about this topic. Any ideas for resources I might look at are very welcome.

Response:
Yeast is an opportunistic organism. We live with it all the time. It's inside our bodies and outside our bodies. Yeast thrives on sugars, so that when our diets are high on sugars and/or heavy stress in our lives delivers higher levels of the stored sugars into
the circulating system, yeast takes over.

We also know that the friendly bacteria in our bodies also keep a check on yeast growth. In the vagina specifically, the lactobacillis bacteria helps control yeast overgrowth.

You may want to look up each of the ingredients that are in the commercial type lubricants, such as the K-Y's, to get an idea how they might affect normal bacteria. Also if they contain any sugars. Drug manufacturers are thinking about making their products "sweet" for oral sex to ensure their produces will sell.

Also learn what's in the other lubricants you are using and see if they have anything that would discourage yeast growth, such as a higher pH towards acid rather than alkaline. Yeasts thrive in alkaline environment and are destroyed in acid bases. The vagina is normally weekly acid.

Good luck. We need your work.

Lorraine, MS Health Educator, FWHC

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