This article will look into a vaginal yeast infection, its causes and symptoms, and whether smoking weed directly or indirectly is one of the causes of yeast infection in women.

What is a yeast infection?

A yeast infection is an infection that affects the soft tissues that line a woman’s vaginal opening. It is a fungal infection that causes excessive itchiness, irritation, and discharge in the vulva and the vaginal region.

Yeast infection also referred to as ‘vaginal candidiasis’, affects up to every 75 out of 100 women in their lifetime or the other. Some women even experience no less than 2 occurrences of yeast infection in their lifetime. 

Though vaginal candidiasis is not an infection transmitted during sexual intercourse, however, the risk of acquiring a vaginal yeast infection is much higher during the time of initial regular sexual activity. Some evidence indicates that the chances of vaginal candidiasis or vaginal yeast infection are much higher with activities associated with oral sex.

Causes of vaginal yeast infection

Candida albicans is the pathogen for yeast infection. The overgrowth of this fungus resulting in its spread deeper into the vagina, causes signs and symptoms of vaginal yeast infection.

The cause for the overgrowth of candida Albicans that leads to yeast infection includes –

• Pregnancy.
• An immune system that is not functioning properly.
• Diabetes is out of control.
• Consumption of oral contraceptives and other forms of medications may increase estrogen levels.

The symptoms of vaginal yeast infection

The symptoms associated with a vaginal yeast infection can go from minor to moderate, which may include –

• Discharge of vaginal water.
• Vaginal rash, leading to itchiness and irritation.
• Soreness and pain in the vaginal area.
• The sensation of burning, especially during urinating and sexual intercourse.
• The swelling of the vulva.

Smoking weed and vaginal yeast infection

Does smoking weed or marijuana cause vaginal yeast infection in women? The answer to this question was provided by a study conducted by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Metro Health Medical Center, and Case Western Reserve University in 2004.

The study was done over 12 mothers, involving 1248 women participants. As per the study’s findings, vaginal yeast infection was associated with all women participants who had smoked weed or used marijuana in the last four months. Of course, this might be a coincidence, but scientific studies and experiments do not believe in coincidences but facts. And the fact was women who smoked marijuana contracted vaginal yeast infections. 

Having said this, one must also consider that there might be some other factor that might be in play here and smoking weed leads to the condition, which further results in vaginal yeast infection. However, studies still have to be done conclusively prove that smoking weed is directly related to vaginal yeast infection.

Conclusion

Smoking weed may or may not directly lead to vaginal yeast infection in women. But as all drugs have the potential to raise peculiar medical conditions, one must be careful while using them and be aware of their side effects to be able to manage and respond to them accordingly.