Yeast infections: Doctors warn over trendy boric acid treatments
What you need to know:
- The vagina is self-cleansing, it is created by nature to sustain itself.
- Yeast infection or candidiasis is caused by changes in the physical environment.
- Boric acid for treating yeast infection is the newest social media health trend.
If you were to search #boricacid on Instagram, and if it treats vaginal yeast infections, you will find over 33,000 posts. On TikTok, the hashtag is barred with the “phrase being associated with behaviour or content that violates guidelines.” The hashtag, however, has over 209 million views on the platform.
Every woman gets vaginal infections or hormonal imbalances at one stage of their life. Be it during adolescence, pregnancy or menopause. Or just when there are changes in the vaginal ecosystem. Some see a gynaecologist to get prescription medicines, but an alarming number of women are turning to TikTok and Instagram to seek medical advice to treat yeast infections.
Safety concerns
Boric acid for treating yeast infection is the newest social media health trend. But is it safe?
Dr Nelly Bosire, an obstetrician and gynaecologist said boric acid suppositories are not curative.
A suppository is a solid medical preparation in a roughly conical or cylindrical shape that is inserted into the vagina or rectum to dissolve.
“I don’t know why women are so hell-bent on putting things in their vaginas that they don’t know how they work but people seem to prefer being treated online than getting a consult from a doctor,” she said.
The number of accounts showing the pros and cons of boric acid can be confusing. Some users said they experienced itchiness and a burning sensation while others termed it a game-changer.
“Kenyans are in the habit of copying what is in vogue, and it’s not necessarily a cost issue, it’s more because “so and so is an influencer and they said it works so it works and let me try it,” Dr Bosire says.
Cost
The women buying the boric acid suppositories part with between Sh1,400 and Sh3,000.
One Kenyan Instagram page selling boric acid suppositories told BDLife that half of their customers are looking to clear an infection and the other half are regulating the pH.
A sales representative, not a qualified doctor or pharmacist, told this reporter how to use it if she were to buy it.
“If you’ve never used it again, I would recommend the 14-pack, we have that and a 28-pack, if you use it to regulate pH balance, you can take for two days and up to seven days to clear an infection,” she advised.
BDLife asked her about its side effects and if it is medically approved. "Sometimes it can cause bloating and cramping," she said.
“If you swallow it, yes [it can cause heart diseases],” she cautioned, continuing, “No, boric acid is not medically approved. But some gynaecologists recommend it, even if it is not regulated.”
Yeast infection or candidiasis is caused by changes in the physical environment like if one sits for too long in wet innerwear, experiences severe stress or lack of sleep, or wears tight clothing or non-cotton innerwear that traps heat and moisture among others.
High intake of sugar may also weaken your immune system or cause overgrowth of yeast in one's vagina. Inserting foreign objects like vaginal sprays or douches can also change the balance of bacteria in the vagina.
Dr Bosire and several gynaecologists that Business Daily interviewed said they do not prescribe boric acid.
“When you use it, you’re trying to achieve a high-acidity environment to see if it suppresses the yeast from outgrowing the other bacteria that keep the vagina ecosystem in balance,” she explained.
The vagina has bacteria called the vaginal flora. When the bad bacteria overgrow the good ones, this results in bacterial vaginosis (BV).
Doctors cautioned against the use of boric acid to fight these infections.
“I have not seen women come to my clinic who use boric acid as remedies for vaginal infections, but it could be happening out there because people like to experiment and most do not consult doctors because they [doctors] will not prescribe them boric acid,” said Dr John Odero Ong’ech, consultant obstetrics and gynaecology in Nairobi.
“The vagina has its natural way of self-cleansing, its flora is self-sustaining and women do not need to interfere and regulate its pH balance with any products,” added Dr Ong’ech.
“Yeast is a fungal infection so an anti-fungal is recommended to get rid of it.”
Men as carriers
Dr Ong’ech said recurrent yeast problems can occur after menstrual periods, and since men are the carriers of yeast, and they do not get treated for it, it is passed on to women during sexual intercourse, leading to the recurrence.
“Most of the time, the mistake people make is to give one partner the anti-fungal, usually the woman, and not the man, who is the more likely carrier of yeast,” added Dr Ong’ech.
“My advice is the vagina is self-cleansing, do not put boric acid or anything else, it is created by nature to sustain itself.”
