Vaginal yeast infections are of course a female ailment, one that causes great discomfort and has some nasty symptoms. These include itching, burning, pain when urinating, pain during sexual intercourse and irritation. There are several treatments you can opt for and some things you can do to ease the infection. First of all anti-fungal medications are common vaginal yeast infection treatments. They come in the form of suppositories and creams and can be applied to the area around the vagina and to the vagina itself. Pill form is also another way the medication can be taken. How long you follow a treatment regime depends on how bad the yeast infection is and varies from patient to patient.

When you take an oral yeast infection medication it treats the whole body and creams or suppositories treat the area they are applied to. The length usually ranges from one to three days and though oral medications are probably the easiest, pregnant women cannot take them because since they affect the whole body that includes the fetus.

When you look at the comparisons between oral medications and creams and suppositories there are several differences to consider. Creams and suppositories have fewer side effects because they only treat that one area. Oral anti-fungal treatments have side effects that include nausea, headaches and stomach pains, so though oral medication are simpler to take, people may want to avoid suffering any of those.

At least pills are simple to take with some water, the creams can be messy and there may be a little discomfort with the suppositories and creams. Also it is important to know that condoms and diaphragms will be less effective as birth control methods while you are using the creams or suppositories. This is because they are oil based and therefore the latex in the condoms is affected. For this reason be careful when having sex in case of pregnancy - it may be worth abstaining until the treatment is over. Talk to your doctor so that you decide upon a treatment that is right for you.