Candidiasis During Pregnancy – Symptoms and Treatments

last updated on: 03.06.2025 | Medical review by:

Gynecologist and Obstetrician

During pregnancy, a woman’s immunity is lower. The body adapts to the new condition to nourish, strengthen, and shelter the baby, which is why some occurrences like colds, flu, and even candidiasis are so common more frequently during pregnancy. By the way, it’s not uncommon for women to experience their first episode of candidiasis during pregnancy¹.

There are several bacteria in the vaginal flora, just as in any other cavity of the human body. Candidiasis, or moniliasis, is characterized by a proliferation of common fungi from the vaginal flora, which multiply considerably due to increased activity of certain hormones during pregnancy. Know that candida can affect pregnant women at any stage of gestation and does not harm the fetus in any way.

Symptoms of Candidiasis

The increase of the fungus Candida albicans causes certain characteristic symptoms of candidiasis to appear, whether during pregnancy or not. These include:

Increased vaginal discharge: the white and abundant discharge looks like milk curds. It can be confused with hormonal mucus, which is very common in pregnancy.

Itching: candidiasis during pregnancy causes great discomfort in the intimate area. The woman has an intense and persistent sensation of itching inside and outside the vagina.

Pain and burning: a main sign of advanced candidiasis is pain. If a woman feels a lot of pain when sitting or during intercourse, even without itching or white mucus, she should seek a gynecologist for evaluation.

Characteristic odor: candidiasis has its own specific smell, so if you notice your underwear does not have its usual odor, be alert. Normally, the smell of candidiasis during pregnancy is similar to bleach.

Scabs and swelling: those who have candidiasis episodes also tend to have scabs in the groin area. The skin in the area becomes dry, thick, and swollen, becoming very sensitive to the touch. In my opinion, this sensation is one of the worst symptoms of candidiasis during pregnancy.

How to Treat Candidiasis in Pregnancy?

Candidiasis has a relatively simple treatment² and it’s up to the obstetric gynecologist caring for the pregnant woman to provide the right guidance. Some medications are quite effective, and one that is frequently prescribed is Flogo Rosa. This medication is for external use only as a sitz bath and reduces symptoms of candidiasis in pregnancy at the very first application due to its anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal effects.

Vaginal creams or ointments are also highly recommended, as are medicated suppositories that are inserted into the vagina and quickly relieve symptoms, such as nystatin. All these medications help rebalance the vaginal flora and reduce the discomforts of candidiasis during pregnancy.

Self-medication is strictly contraindicated for any illness or discomfort during pregnancy, only the doctor should indicate the best treatment for symptom reduction. But tips are always welcome, especially for those going through a crisis of candidiasis during pregnancy!

How to Relieve Symptoms

During the day, the pregnant woman can take sitz baths with cooler water. Cold water helps reduce symptoms, especially itching.
Wearing looser and cotton underwear also makes an incredible difference!
It is important to avoid using pads or panty liners, as they keep the area affected by candidiasis moist, which can make the problem even worse.
Hot baths are forbidden.

Note from the author

I had candidiasis in all three of my pregnancies! I suffered a lot with the episodes and, as strange as it sounds, they only happened when I was pregnant. Around the 15th week they would always appear, and the discomfort when walking, sitting, and even wearing pants for many hours would come. Sexual intercourse was practically impossible during the crises of candidiasis! I felt a lot of pain and burning.

I had exactly three episodes of candidiasis and in all of them I only used a topical medication. None of them were ointments, by coincidence, since three different doctors prescribed the treatment. What helped me a lot at the beginning of treating candidiasis during pregnancy was taking cooler baths, sitz or not, as it seemed to greatly ease the itching. In general, treatment would last about 10 days, but by the 5th day I hardly felt any discomfort.

References:

1 Yadav, K., & Prakash, S. (2016). Prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis in pregnancy. Glob J Med Med Sci, 4(1), 108-116.
2Pappas, P. G., Rex, J. H., Sobel, J. D., Filler, S. G., Dismukes, W. E., Walsh, T. J., & Edwards, J. E. (2004). Guidelines for treatment of candidiasis. Clinical infectious diseases, 38(2), 161-189.
3 Godha, K., Tucker, K. M., Biehl, C., Archer, D. F., & Mirkin, S. (2018). Human vaginal pH and microbiota: an update. Gynecological Endocrinology, 34(6), 451-455.

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