Can Swimming Pools Cause Yeast Infections?

 

If you often go to the swimming pool you may start getting vaginal yeast infections. You’re surely asking yourself why. Some believe that you get a yeast infection from other women swimming in the pool. FALSE.

 

Vaginal yeast infection isn’t a contagious disease, and you’ll surely not get a yeast infection from some random Candida albicans cells floating in the pool waiting to get into your vagina to invade it and give you all those nasty symptoms!

 

Can Swimming Pools Cause Yeast Infections

 

But swimming pools can indeed cause vaginal yeast infections, most probably due to the chemicals in the pool that can alter your vaginal pH making it easier for Candida (which is a part of your vaginal flora) to start multiplying.

 

Let me explain how it works. Chlorine is a common chemical used to sanitize pool water, it’s very effective in killing all sorts of bacteria and microorganisms, making the water safe for you to enjoy. However, not all bacteria are bad.

 

There are some friendly bacteria in your body that help fend off invasions by other, less friendly microorganisms, such as Candida.

 

Can swimming pools cause yeast infections?

 

Once the balance of friendly and unfriendly organisms is upset, you may get a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, as well as other sorts of inflammations and irritations within the vaginal area.

What’s the Best Way to Get Rid of Yeast Infection?

 

One of the best OTC treatments for vaginal yeast infection is boric acid suppositories. They’re 100% natural and they are able to treat chronic yeast infections caused by yeast strains that are difficult to treat with conventional antifungal medications.

 

There are many different probiotic suppositories you can buy online, but I usually recommend BoriCap. It’s because they offer same day shipment if you order before 2 pm, so you can get rid of your yeast infection fast.

 

Can Swimming Pools Cause Yeast Infections

 

The treatment takes 7 days, you have to insert one suppository in the morning and one in the evening. You’ll notice a great relieve in your symptoms within 48 hours, but make sure you continue using the suppositories for a full week to make sure the infection doesn’t come back.

 

How to Prevent a Vaginal Yeast Infection After Swimming?

 

  • After a swimming session, insert a probiotic suppository overnight to reestablish a healthy bacterial flora in your vagina.

 

 

Can Swimming pools cause yeast infections

 

 

  • Take off your wet swimming suit straight away after swimming. Humidity is a perfect breeding ground for Candida.

 

  • Delicately dry your vagina with a dry towel, avoid rubbing it to avoid irritation.

 

  • Avoid spending a lot of time in jacuzzi and warm swimming pools. Warmth, humidity, and chlorine will make you much more prone to develop a vaginal yeast infection.

 

  • Try to find ozone or UV-sanitized pools in your area. They still use chemicals, but much less than the traditional swimming pools.

 

 

 

 

Can Swimming Pools Cause Yeast Infections

Can I go swimming with a yeast infection?

 

You can go swimming during a yeast infection, but I wouldn’t recommend it. As I said before, chlorinated water messes up with your vaginal microflora and can cause friendly bacteria (probiotics) to die off.

 

When you’ve got a yeast infection you really need as much of that bacteria as possible because they produce lactic acid which changes vaginal pH and makes it difficult for Candida to thrive.

It’s recommended to use probiotic suppositories along with antifungal suppositories to speed up the recovery process and prevent future infections. So if you want to recover swiftly, make sure you avoid going to the swimming pool (go for a swim in the sea or a lake instead) for at least a week after your symptoms disappear.

 

Read More: Not Sure if it’s a Yeast Infection? Get Tested!

Conclusion

 

Although swimming in the swimming pool can cause a vaginal yeast infection, it’s such a relaxing and health-boosting activity! Try to stick to the tips above and you should be able to avoid getting yeast infections in the future.

 

Can Swimming Pools Cause Yeast Infections

 

Please share your experiences in the comment section below. Perhaps there’re other things you can do to avoid yeast infections after swimming that I didn’t include in the list? Let me know what worked for you.

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16 comments

  • I started taking water aerobics seven months ago. Since I began my classes I have had four raging yeast infections. These are very uncomfortable. I really don’t know what to do. My prescription of flucozanole does not seem to work as fast as it use to. My YMCA is building a new location, I hope they use this new type of chlorinating system.

  • Just a week ago, my friend and I were visiting before the school year started up and we would be going back to our separate colleges. However, whenever she visits, she and I just love to go swimming in my pool. After maybe an hour, I felt all kinds of prickling on my skin like I had hives. I tried to tell my friend but she didn’t feel it so I del with it and we kept swimming until some other things started itching and feeling like I had pricks all over my skin. I told my friend again and since it was getting dark, she decided it was time to get out. And when we went inside, I quickly changed into dry clothes but I felt even more itchy. I check my arms in the mirror. I had hives up and down my arm from the chlorine in the pool. My friend goes home for the night and I get me a shower. It helps in all but one area which itches like hell. The itching became unbearable and I decided I had a yeast infection. Then I started to look up causes. I’m glad I found this page. Maybe it can help my friend. I’m not sure if she has had the same symptoms but she’s not really one to talk about things like that. Even to me. Now I know.

    • Thank you for commenting Keitlyn. If you got a reaction all over your skin perhaps it was because of too many chemicals in the pool? In that case our vagina may simply be irritated and it should get better in a few days. You can check my article about symptoms of vaginal yeast infection if you want to make sure that’s the cause of your itching. I hope you’ll get well soon.

  • Hi, I have exactly got the same problem. Every time I go swim at the pool, river, lake..i will get the yeast infection. I will get infection like almost every month. It’s so annoying. I’ve done pap smear, but the doctor said it’s Candida. I try to control my sugar. I went to gym…every time I sweat, or go swimming I get the yeast infection. I am tried with this feeling. Help me please, I really like to go swimming, but now I even cannot sweat.

    • Hi Ellen, have you tried finding a UV or ozone sanitized pool in your area? They have much less chemicals and the water is less harsh on your vaginal microflora. You can also start using probiotic supplements on daily basis to boost your defenses.

  • Thanks for this article I was completely oblivious to this problem, as I said on your web site, I tend to avoid indoor pools and lucky living in Australia we tend to go to the beach and used out door pools at home. Is the high rates of sugar consumed in our diets a contributing factor with this topic also? The only time I have this problem is when I have been given antibiotics with out the antifungurial agents. Which is very annoying…another way we are all pressed into buying more products by drug companies! Your pictures were great and your website looks amazing. Well done.

    • Thank you Jackie. Studies show that eating sugar is likely to trigger a yeast infection, but only in women with impaired glucose tolerance, so for most of us a sweet treat now and then shouldn’t be a problem. Regarding antibiotics and yeast infections, there are many things you can do to avoid an infection while undergoing treatment without using antifungal drugs, such as eating probiotic-rich foods or using probiotic suppositories.

  • Thanks for your post I had absolutely no idea about this issue, living in Australia, I tend to swim at the beach and out door swimming pools at home. I am not a great fan of public pools either and tend to avoid them. We are a bit lucky here with our weather, I am not aware of this being a problem here. But it may well be. Great information.

    • Thank you so much for commenting Jackie. You’re lucky you can swim in the sea all year long! Outdoor swimming pools at home can also have high levels of chemicals and in some women they will trigger a yeast infection.

  • I really don’t like public pools. I am a male so I don’t have that big of a problem as women do, but I sure don’t enjoy bathing in one. When I was a kid I didn’t care about it, but as I grow older I realize how many people go through that water and what sorts of diseases are possible to catch in there.

    • I’m with you Alex, I read it’s common to find fecal matter in most pools! But I try not to think about it when I use outdoor swimming pools in the summer, can’t live without them.

  • My daughter is a swimmer and I’ve always mentioned in our conversations how it would be a good idea for her to remove her bathing suit and not wear it all day long.

    Personally, I have never had a vaginal yeast infection, but I do know many women that experience it.

    This is a great article for all those women who love to swim but, also need advise on how to better take care of themselves!

    • Thank you for your feedback Meherbani. It’s definitely best for your daughter to take off her wet swimming suit after swimming. Some women are more prone to vaginal yeast infections than others, but it’s always best to take these basic steps to avoid the nasty symptoms.

  • Thank you very much
    Your Tips are much appreciated, and they will help me a lot.
    I will definitely search for some ozone or UV-sanitized pools in my area, but do you know where I can buy replacements for chlorine for my own pool?
    My mum always told me to take off my swim suit after swimming, but I didn’t always listen because me and my friend would be playing in the garden with our costumes on…
    How many times a month would you recommend one must clean a pool?

    • Thank you for commenting Manika. I don’t know how often a pool has to be cleaned. What seems to trigger yeast infections are the actual chemicals used to keep the pool clean, that’s why I recommend a UV or ozone sanitized pools. They are less likely to cause yeast infections as they have less chemicals.

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