A guide to antibiotics and yeast infections

Once upon a time, a simple infection could rob you of life or limb. Today doctors can turn to more than 100 antibiotics that are capable of quashing bacteria of all sorts. Unfortunately, we've used these drugs so much that the germs are adapting; some are now "immune" to the drugs' effects. If you have a yeast infection, taking antibiotics is not the smartest course of action for you. Here's why.

Yes. These germ killers may wipe out "good" bacteria, making women more vulnerable to uncomfortable infections.

• Taking antibiotics clears up infections, but the cure may come at a cost. These infection fighters seek and destroy bacteria, but they don't discriminate.
• Unfortunately, antibiotics can kill beneficial bacteria, like those in the vagina that normally control the population of Candida albicans, a fungus that causes yeast infections.
• Many other factors may promote an overgrowth of yeast in the vagina, such as douching, birth control pills, diabetes, pregnancy, and even stress.
• However, doctors have known since the 1950s that women who take antibiotics are at risk for yeast infections, which can lead to burning, itching, pain during intercourse, and a white discharge.
• The magnitude of the risk was unknown until recently. In a 2006 Australian study, researchers studied 233 women who had received prescriptions for antibiotics. At the outset, 21 percent tested positive for Candida. After each woman completed the course of antibiotics, that number jumped to 37 percent.
• This study's authors suggest that women who are prone to yeast infections and have to take antibiotics may avoid this uncomfortable condition by taking an antifungal medication at the same time.

Some (but not all) studies suggest that women who eat yogourt containing live bacteria may gain protection against yeast infections. It can't hurt.

• Alternative medicine practitioners also recommend taking probiotics, beneficial bacteria sold in capsule form, when you take an antibiotic.

Keep these tips in mind and talk to your gynecologist for more treatment options.