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Candida - female genital - Management
When should I treat the sexual partner of a woman with vulvovaginal candidiasis?
- Treat the sexual partner only if they are symptomatic.
Clarification / Additional information
- Rarely, the male partner of a woman with vulvovaginal candidiasis has symptoms of balanitis, and this should be treated with a topical or oral antifungal. See the CKS topic on Balanitis for more detailed information.
- There is no need to investigate or treat an asymptomatic partner.
Basis for recommendation
- There is some evidence that treating an asymptomatic male partner is of little or no benefit in reducing the woman's risk of reinfection/recurrence.
- Guidelines recommend that asymptomatic male partners not be treated [BASHH, 2002; CDC, 2006; FFPRHC and BASHH, 2006].
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