Topic Overview

Vaginal yeast infections are a common problem during pregnancy. They may be caused by high estrogen levels. These infections aren’t a risk to the pregnancy. But they can cause uncomfortable symptoms.

If you are pregnant and have vaginal infection symptoms, see your doctor. Don’t assume that your symptoms are caused by a harmless yeast infection. If you have bacterial vaginosis or a sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as gonorrhea or chlamydia, you will need treatment to prevent problems during pregnancy.

If you are pregnant, do not use nonprescription yeast infection medicine unless you discuss it with your doctor first. Experts recommend that during pregnancy:^{footnote 1}

• Vaginal medicines should be used for yeast infection treatment. These may be vaginal creams or suppositories.
• Only certain medicines should be used. Nonprescription medicines include butoconazole (such as Femstat), clotrimazole (such as Gyne-Lotrimin), miconazole (such as Monistat), and terconazole (such as Terazol).
• Treatment should be used for 7 days. (It can take longer than usual to cure a yeast infection during pregnancy.)

In the past, nystatin (such as Mycostatin) was the drug of choice for the first trimester of pregnancy. But now all vaginal medicines are considered safe during pregnancy.