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Candida - female genital - Management
What advice can I give about self-management of future episodes?
- Advise the woman that:
- If she suffers from a similar episode in the future, she can buy oral and topical treatments at pharmacies, and no prescription will be required.
- Self-diagnosing can be unreliable and over-the-counter products should not be used over the longer term without medical advice.
- She should return for assessment by a healthcare professional if she:
- Is under 16 or over 60 years of age.
- Is pregnant.
- Has abnormal menstrual bleeding or lower abdominal pain.
- Develops systemic symptoms.
- Has symptoms that are not entirely consistent with a previous episode (e.g. discharge is coloured or malodorous, there are ulcers or blisters).
- Has symptoms that do not settle after use of over-the-counter products.
- Has had two episodes in 6 months, and has not consulted a healthcare professional about the condition for more than a year.
- Has had a previous sexually transmitted infection (herself or her partner).
- Has had a previous adverse reaction to an antifungal drug; or antifungal drugs have proved ineffective.
Basis for recommendation
- This advice is based upon expert opinion from the published medical literature [Nyirjesy, 2001; Watson and Bond, 2003; CDC, 2006; Sobel, 2007].
- Self diagnosis:
- Over-the-counter preparations:
- Guidelines state that unnecessary or inappropriate use of over-the-counter preparations can lead to a delay in the treatment of other vulvovaginal conditions [CDC, 2006].
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