Update: To answer 1000s of emails we have received about Canxida Cream. Yes. It works great for jock itch and penis yeast infection.

Penis yeast infection is candida infection in men and as the name suggests, it affects the penis. It is also known as male yeast infection, candida balanitis (inflammation of glans penis caused by candida), candida posthitis (inflammation of foreskin), and candida balanoposthitis (inflammation of both glans penis and foreskin).

Many men, irrespective of their socioeconomic or cultural status, get this infection. In 2010, Lisboa and colleagues from Portugal studied 478 men visiting an STD clinic and found that 18% of them had candida balanitis and 26.2% had candida colonization of the penis. It is rather an unbearable infection because the unpleasant symptoms may affect a man’s social and sexual life.

Penis infection can be mild or chronic. In the mild case, the infection is localized to a region, has milder symptoms and may go away by itself. In cases where the infection is chronic, the infection may last for months to years, may come and go (be recurrent), may spread to other parts of the genitalia and groin, and is likely to cause other complications like phimosis (where the foreskin does not retract).

For you to be able to treat your infection, you need to know all that is there to know about this infection. So, let us go into details of this very annoying problem.

What are the causes and risk factors?

Yeasts like candida are found naturally inside and on our body without causing any issues. Candida is found in the preputial space (area under the foreskin) of normal men – nearly 21% of healthy uncircumcised men and nearly 66% of healthy circumcised men have been found to have candida on their glans penis. Normally, our immune system and the bacteria that live in and on our body do not let yeasts and fungi grow too much. Only under certain conditions the pathogenic hyphal form of candida can penetrate the tissue and cause disease.

The factors that put you at a higher risk for penis yeast infection are:

• • Weak immune system: any medical condition that reduces your immunity, for example, diabetes, HIV infection, inherited immunodeficiency disorders; taking corticosteroids for a condition; chemotherapy. Watch the video here to learn how to boost your immunity.

• • Antibiotic use: The normal microbial flora is changed by taking antibiotics leading to microbial imbalance and consequent candida infection.

• • Diabetes: Poorly controlled diabetes and the resulting higher levels of blood sugar provide an environment to candida to grow.

• • Uncircumcised men with poor hygiene: The moist, dark and warm environment under the foreskin is conducive to candida growth. Additionally, poor hygiene leading to build-up of cheesy-looking substance called smegma under the foreskin can irritate the skin and allow candida to penetrate the tissue.

• • Use of irritants: Overuse of bath foam, soaps, shower gels, lubricants can irritate penis and cause damage to the skin allowing favourable growth environment where candida can easily penetrate the tissues. Also, use of antibacterial soaps would lead to imbalance of natural microbes and thereby allow candida to grow.
  • Sweat and moisture: working in sweaty conditions while wearing synthetic underwear and not drying the penis carefully after washing. Candida likes warm and moist environment.
  • Poor nutrition and alcohol use: both disturb the fine balance of good and bad microbes. Alcohol also causes poor nutrition. Apart from this alcohol can impair immune function which can in turn lead to candida infection. We have written a comprehensive article on alcohol and candida connection which you can read here.

• Age: Lisboa and colleagues showed in 2010 that candida balanitis is strongly associated with age above 40 years and diabetes.
• STDs: Sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea, genital herpes and syphilis
• In boys, repeatedly playing with foreskin
• Renal dialysis

What are the signs and symptoms?

Signs are what can be seen and observed, whereas symptoms are what you feel and can only describe. The following table gives you an idea of what you should look for.

Signs	Symptoms
White curd-like discharge under the foreskin	Mild itching, burning of glans penis
Mild redness with small, white bumps surrounding the red patch	Difficulty urinating
White plaques seen when the foreskin is retracted	Ulceration of glans penis
Unpleasant odour
Complication: Tight foreskin that does not retract (phimosis)

Testing and Diagnosis

If you suspect you have the infection, see your doctor for a diagnosis. It is better to be sure if it is candida or something else – you also need to be certain if there are other underlying issues causing the infection. Your GP should be able to diagnose your infection just by examining your penis and questioning you.

Further testing may be needed if the symptoms are severe. This would involve taking a small swab sample from the head of the penis and testing it for infection – the sample will be tested for the characteristic appearance of candida (single oval cells and hyphae) and may also be tested for the species of candida. Your GP may also get you to give samples for blood and urine tests to check for your blood sugar levels and possibility of diabetes making you susceptible to this infection.

You may be referred to a specialist (for skin or genial and urinary tract infection) if your GP cannot find out what is causing your infection, or if the treatment is not working or if you are suspected to have an underlying condition. You also may be referred to a clinic for testing for sexually transmitted infection. They may also recommend testing of your sexual partner(s). Although candida infection is not usually a sexually transmitted disease, you may get it from your partner if you have an underlying condition that makes you more susceptible.

Complications

It is important to get to the underlying cause of the infection to avoid complications.

If the root cause is not treated, the infection and consequent balanitis may recur. Recurrent balanitis may cause scarring of the opening of the foreskin leading to reduced elasticity of the foreskin. This can lead to pathologic phimosis where the previously retractable foreskin becomes unretractable. Repeated balanitis may also cause scaring and reduction of urethral opening leading to urinary tract, testicular or prostate infections and inflammation.

If your immune system is weak (for example if you have HIV , type 2 diabetes, are taking immunosuppresants, undergoing chemotherapy etc), there is a risk that candida spreads to your blood causing a condition called as invasive candidiasis. The initial symptoms can be high fever above 38C (101.4F), shivering, nausea and headache. Invasive candidiasis is serious and can be fatal and therefore should immediately be reported to your doctor.

Treatment

Penis yeast infection requires treatment – both external and internal. You can do the quiz at yeastinfection.org to find out if you have internal as well as external infection.

When a man visits a clinic for such an infection, he generally comes back with antifungal or corticosteroid creams. Both antifungals and corticosteroid creams although may give relief initially, they do not treat the condition. These actually can worsen the infection through development of antibiotic resistance in candida and suppression of local immune system by the corticosteroids. Many men will notice that as soon as the corticosteroid cream is stopped (and steroid creams can only be used for few days at a time), the infection comes back with a vengeance. This is because the corticosteroid only manages the symptom but does not take care of the underlying cause – the yeast keeps growing (or even growing better due to suppression of local immunity) unchecked.

So what steps should you take for internal treatment? You need to regain the balance in your body with regards to the normal bacterial flora, regeneration of your mucous membranes that have been destroyed by years of abuse with antibiotics and alcohol, and boost your immunity.

First of all, completely stop alcohol. It is not something your body likes. This is one of the main things that will help you. You need to make some long term lifestyle changes if you really want to treat your candida infection. A good diet that includes meat, eggs, vegetables and yogurt (MEVY diet) will be good for a man. You will need the protein and fat that comes from meat and eggs, minerals vitamins and fibre from vegetables and good bacteria from the canxida restore. You should reduce carbohydrates in your diet, but of course don’t stop them completely – definitely stop sugar in your food and other refined carbohydrates.

Related articles:

• All You Need To Know About Cryptosporidium
• Recurring Ringworm: Can It Be Candida?
• 8 Ways Fungal Candida May Reoccur
• Understanding and Crushing Male Yeast Infections
• Is Labored Breathing a Sign of Candida?
• Everything You Need To Know About Candida Glabrata

Avoid taking pharmaceutical anti-fungal (unless prescribed by your doctor) “azole” drugs like fluconazole orally. A 1999 study was carried out by Rodriguez and colleagues from Spain and Netherlands on nearly 70000 patients without any liver disease who received at least one prescription of the “azole” drugs. The aim was to study if these azole drugs caused liver injury. They found that these indeed increased acute liver injury.

Canxida Remove is a good antifungal alternative as it provides multiple benefits against candida without any serious side-effects. Of course, Canxida must be combined with a good candida diet and lifestyle changes for best results.

Good hygiene is needed to treat yeast infections. National Health Service, UK, advises to wash the penis carefully with lukewarm water – shower is better than bath. It suggests not using perfumed shower gels or soaps on the genitals as they can cause irritation. The penis and groin should be dried carefully so that there is no moisture left for the candida to grow. Finally, it also suggests wearing loose-fitting cotton underwear to keep the penis dry and cool.

Externally, you can use different herb-based antifungal creams. Pharmaceutical based antifungal creams are not recommended. This is because in some cases these do not give relief at all. It is known that “azoles” are not very effective against some candida species. Different candida species have different resistance to different antibiotics/antifungals. Long term usage of antifungal creams may also make candida resistant. Many of the recurrent candida infections are due to these more resistant species of candida – it is obvious then that the common pharmaceutical antifungals may not be effective. The best alternative is to use natural based antifungal creams such as canxida cream. In 2006, Mondello and colleagues from Italy showed that a component of tea-tree oil is effective even against candida resistant to “azole” antifungals. Thus, a tea-tree oil based antifungal cream will be more helpful to treat candida infections.

Washing the affected regions with water based tea-tree oil will also be effective. Additionally, use of organic apple-cider vinegar wash will be helpful. You can follow the 3-step cleansing wash treatment that is described in detail here.

Difference between male yeast infection and genital herpes

Herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus and is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Male yeast infection on the other hand is caused by candida and is not a sexually transmitted disease. The difference between signs and symptoms of male yeast infection and herpes can be found here.

Difference between male yeast infection and jock itch

Jock’s itch is informal name for “tinea cruris” which is caused by the fungi called Trichophyton or Epidermophyton. Jock’s itch is also known by various other names such as crotch itch, crotch rot, dhobi itch, or ringworm of the groin. The table below gives you an overview of jocks itch and male yeast infection and will help you differentiate between these.

	Male Yeast Infection	Jock Itch
Microbe causing the infection	Candida	Trichophyton or Epidermophyton
Infection may be got from	an infected sexual partner (despite not being a sexually transmitted disease)	sweaty underwear/clothing or from sharing contaminated towels/clothing
Area affected	Most often penis. Sometimes scrotum and other areas in the groin	Usually the areas of the groin, skin folds, inner thighs or buttocks. Generally not on the scrotum or penis.
One or more of the following symptoms:
Irritation, itching or burning under the foreskin or tip of penis	Yes	No
Rash on the groin, skin folds, inner thighs or buttocks	Not common	Yes
White patches/red bumps on the skin of penis	Yes	No
Thick discharge with unpleasant odour under the foreskin	Yes	No
Difficulty pulling back foreskin (phimosis)	Yes	No
Pain when passing urine	Yes	No
Painful sexual intercourse	Yes	No
Flaking, peeling or cracking in the groin area	No	Yes

Difference between yeast infection bumps and genital warts

The following table compares the distinctive features of candida infection and genital warts.

	Male Yeast Infection	Genital warts
Microbe causing the infection	Candida	Human papilloma virus (HPV)
Infection may be got from	an infected sexual partner (despite not being a sexually transmitted disease)	An infected sexual partner (is a sexually transmitted disease), shared sex toys
Area affected	Most often penis. Sometimes scrotum and other areas in the groin	Penis, scrotum, groin, thighs, inside or around anus
One or more of the following symptoms:
Red bumps	Yes	No
Small flesh coloured or grey cauliflower like bumps	No	Yes
Irritation, itching or burning under the foreskin or tip of penis	Yes	Not common
Rash/bumps on the groin, skin folds, inner thighs or buttocks	Not common	Yes
White patches/red bumps on the skin of penis	Yes	No
Thick discharge with unpleasant odour under the foreskin	Yes	No
Difficulty pulling back foreskin (phimosis)	Yes	No
Pain when passing urine	Yes	No

Frequently asked Questions

Below you will find list of questions I have been asked over the years related to male/penis yeast infection. There are questions about causes, symptoms, related issues and everything else you may want the answer for. If there is anything missing drop me an email and I will add it to the list.

Is there any good antifungal cream I can use?

Yes, you can use herbal antifungal cream like canxida cream which you can find on canxida.com

Can I take yeast infection pill like monistat? Will it work for me even if it is for women?

Monistat is an azole antifungal agent. As described in the treatment section of this article, it is not recommended that you take an antifungal pill like monistat.

Is apple cider vinegar good?

Yes, it is. For details on apple cider vinegar, why it is good for candida infection, and how to use it, read here.

Is yogurt a good option? Which type of yogurt is the best?

Yes, it is. You should use organic plain acidophilus yogurt that does not contain any sugar, fruit or any other added ingredient.

Can it be itchy?

Yes, it can.

Any good ayurvedic medicine that works?

There is no single “bullet shot” remedy in Ayurveda for a permanent cure. Ayurveda is based on the concept of balance within the body. Candida is treated in Ayurveda through a combination of improving digestion, herbal remedies to remove toxins and to increase immunity followed by herbs that kill candida. As with any holistic medicinal traditions, Ayurveda looks and treats the root cause of disease through a combination of lifestyle changes and herbal medicine. For a proper Ayurvedic treatment of the infection, you need to see an Ayurveda specialist.

Can it cause blisters?

No, candida causes white patches or red bumps instead. Blisters are more likely caused by the virus herpes simplex.

Can it cause red bumps?

Yes, it can.

Can you get the infection from using antibiotics?

Yes. Taking antibiotics will disturb your normal bacterial flora which normally keeps growth of harmful organisms in check. Once the check is down, organisms like candida can grow and penetrate the tissues.

Can you also get candida in mouth?

Yes. It is called oral thrush. This happens especially in babies, the elderly or in a person is immunocompromised for any reason.

Can you have this infection with no signs or symptoms?

Yes, you can have candida without any signs or symptoms if your immune function is working well.

I have a rash can it be due to the yeast infection?

Rash can be because of bacterial, viral or fungal/yeast infection. For a proper treatment it is important to find out which of these is causing the rash, and then to find out any underlying cause.

Can penis yeast infection cause erectile dysfunction?

It may cause erectile dysfunction due to both physical and psychological effects it has on the person.

Can it cause frequent urination? I have been running to pee a lot; can it because of this?

Yes it is possible.

Can I experience headaches?

Headaches can be caused by candida overgrowth. If you have candida overgrowth in the intestines apart from penis infection, you may get headaches.

Can it cause prostatitis?

In severe conditions, especially in immunocompromised patients, it can cause prostatitis.

Can it go away on its own without any treatment?

Mild infections may go away by themselves – without any treatment. However, if you have the infection, it should put you on an alert that there is something wrong. You should then consider if there are any lifestyle changes that you could make to avoid the mild infection from becoming chronic.

Can it kill you?

If your immune system is very weak due to immunosuppressant, chemotheraphy, etc. the candida infection can enter the blood and become systemic. This can be fatal if not treated immediately.

Can the infection look like herpes?

Some people can have very mild symptoms of herpes which can resemble candida infection. Otherwise visually these are very distinct infections.

Can it spread to anus or other parts of the body like scrotum?

Yes, it can, but is not usual.

Can cranberry juice help?

Benzoic acid and low pH of cranberry juice have antifungal activity; however, recent research has showed that cranberry juice does not have antifungal effect on either Candida albicans or Candida glabrata. On the other hand, the research showed that proanthocyanidins present in cranberry extract prevented candida biofilm formation. It should be kept in mind though that proanthocyanidins are not present in a large enough amount in the juice to be active.

Although cranberries by themselves are nutritious and antioxidant in nature (and therefore can attack candida in indirect manner in your body), the juice will contain higher amounts of natural sugar released due to pressing of the berries. This and added sugar can actually worsen your candida woes. So stay clear of juices (of any kind) and go for fresh berries. You can also use cranberry supplements.

If I see blood in urine could it be because of it?

Unless your kidneys or bladder are involved in candida/bacterial infection, it is unlikely that penis candida infection will cause blood in urine. So, if you do observe blood in urine, see your GP immediately.

My wife had yeast infection and she had discharge can I experience discharge as well even if I am male?

Yes, you can have a thick, white, curd-like discharge with candida infection.

Can it cause epididymitis?

Candida can cause epididymitis but is unusual. Bladder catherization is a risk factor that can cause candida epididymitis. If it is left untreated for long, there can be constriction of the urethral opening which will restrict urine flow. This could cause buildup of bacterial infection of the genitourinary tract and thus also cause bacterial epididymitis.

If you have the infection can it cause fever?

It can only cause fever if candida enters your blood stream and becomes systemic. If you do get fever, it is very important that you contact your doctor immediately as systemic candida infection can quickly become fatal.

Is infertility related to this? Can penis yeast infection affect sperm?

There is some evidence that candida can lead to male infertility. Experiments carried out in 2007 by Tian and colleagues from China showed that Candida albicans and its infiltrates reduced human sperm motility and affected the structure of the sperm and suggest that this could be a reason for infertility in men. However, unless the infection has spread to the testes, it is highly unlikely to affect the sperm as it is a topical infection. It is unusual for the infection to spread to the testes, but it can happen in cases where there is severe immune suppression.

Can I get swollen lymph nodes?

Swollen lymph nodes could be caused by a variety of reasons ranging from impacted tooth to infections to autoimmune or immune disorders to cancers. They also can be an effect of candida infection. So, if you have swollen lymph nodes for a long time, it is better to get yourself checked and find out what is causing it.

Should I stop having sex if I have it?

It is better to stop having sex until your infection clears up. This is because the infection can spread or become worse during sexual intercourse. If you do have sex, use a condom to avoid spread of infection and injury.

Can it cause some sort of testicle pain?

Unless the infection has spread to the testicles and is causing epdidymo-orchitis, it will not cause testicular pain. If you are experiencing testicular pain, it will be advisable to get yourself checked.

Can you experience UTI because of it?

If you are experiencing balanitis, the tip of glans becomes prone to damage if not treated. The tip of the glans scars easily and when there are acute inflammation flare-ups, the blood flow to this region gets affected. Even small amount of scarring of the tip of glans can lead to tissue thickening causing narrowing of the urethral opening. This narrowing can lead to buildup of urinary pressure as bladder is not easily emptied. Not only do the kidneys suffer damage from this, slowing of urine flow makes it easier for the bacteria to grow. This can cause you to get UTI, bladder, prostate and kidney infections by bacteria.

Is canesten good option? What about lotrimin? Is clotrimazole cream okay to use?

Canesten and Lotrimin are trade-names for clotrimazole which is an azole type antifungal drug. We don’t recommend you to use this in either oral or cream form for the reasons described in the treatment section of this article.

Can I put coconut oil?

Coconut oil is naturally high in lauric and caprylic acid which makes it anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It is very good at killing off candida. So applying coconut oil to the affected area will be very useful as a part of your anti-candida efforts.

My doctor told me to take diflucan how much should I take to get rid of this?

Diflucan is the tradename for fluconazole and we don’t recommend you to use this azole type antifungal agent for the reasons discussed in the treatment section of the article. However if your doctor has recommended you then please consult with him/her.

Is garlic recommended orally to treat this infection?

Oral garlic is unlikely to directly resolve your penis infection. A random controlled trial from 2014 by Watson and colleagues from Australia that studied the effect of 14 days of oral garlic capsules on vaginal candida infections found no improvement compared to placebo. As there penis candida infections are not that well studied and experimented on, the evidence from vaginal candidiasis experiments seem to suggest that garlic may not help.

However, as the authors state, longer duration treatments need to be tested for any effect. It is very unlikely that candida infection can really get resolved in 14 days – only the symptoms can if you just kill candida topically. Thus, considering the anti-candida nature of garlic, it is likely to help you in the long term and also help against any intestinal candida overgrowth.

Can this cause burning sensation down there?

Yes, it can.

Can I have smell down there if I have this problem?

Yes, the accumulation of discharge under the foreskin can cause unpleasant smell down there.

Can I apply vagisil? Will it help?

Vagisil is used to numb the itching and pain. It may help from the itching, but it is not a cure. Also, there can be side-effects to the use of these on the mucous membranes (as the membranes absorb anything very fast and take to the blood stream).

A better option is to use is yogurt. Applying yogurt to the affected area will sooth the itch and burning sensation without any side effects. You can also try Canxida Cream which works great for penis yeast infections.

What are some early signs and symptoms so I can find out before it is too late?

Early in the infection you may feel itching and may see tiny red bumps on the foreskin and burning at the tip of the penis. As soon as you notice these signs, you should attempt to find out if it indeed is candida infection or something else and proceed to treat it.

Are there any stages of this infection?

Not that I know of.

Is it contagious? Can I get it from my partner or pass it on to my partner? Is it sexually transmitted?

There is contrasting evidence for this. Li and colleagues from China noticed in 2008 that the 10 men they tested who had balanitis had the same candida strain that their partner with vaginal candidiasis had. They considered this as evidence that there is a possibility of sexual transmission of candida.

In 2011, Lisboa and colleagues investigated 64 sexually active couples with at least one of the partners with genital candida infection, where both had positive culture for candida. They found that only a few of the couples had genetically similar candida. They also found that women with vaginal candidiasis were more likely to have asymptomatic candida negative sexual partner. These authors found the relevance of sexual transmission questionable.

It may be important to keep in mind that one may be more susceptible to get the infection from one’s partner if one has reduced immune function or has higher risk for candida infection.

However, in the light of contradicting data, it would not harm to be careful and use safety measures when engaging in sexual intercourse with an infected partner.

Is there a good home remedy that I can use?

You can use the 3 step process described here.

What is the healing process like? How long can it take to get rid of it? How long if it is left untreated?

When you see an improvement in the symptoms, you know that you are healing. There will be a reduction in redness, itching, and discharge if any. The healing time depends on how severe your infection already is or if it is chronic – but it also depends a lot on you, on how much you are willing to work for getting rid of it. Take our quiz to find out how severe is your case.

As the underlying cause for this infection is not obvious, you need to find out what it could be. You need to also find out if you can make any lifestyle changes that could make the healing process faster. Your will power and your desire to get rid of your infection by tackling the underlying issues will be tested if you want to get rid of candida once and for all. There is no miracle pill/cream that can cure you in no time..Your body needs to heal from inside as well as outside to give you a permanent cure. Your mind needs to heal from any stress or difficult situation that you may be undergoing in your life. You need to make changes in your personal life to heal the injuries to your mind. Give yourself a year and see if you are able to get rid of your internal candida as well as external

Related articles:

• The Gallbladder: Does Candida Increase Your Risk of Gallbladder Disease?
• Always Disconnected & Dizzy: Is It Candida?
• Everything You Need To Know About Candida Auris
• Oral Yeast Infection (Oral Thrush) Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
• 3 Step Plan for Male Yeast Infections: Stage 3 – The Soothing Treatment
• Do I Have A Vaginal Yeast Infection Or Is It Something Else?

So it is all up to you. The stronger your desire to get rid of the infection completely, the more proactive you are, the faster the healing.

If left untreated, unless it is a very mild infection which disappears by itself, the infection is likely to be with you the whole of your lifetime.

Can I rub honey around the area is it good option for treatment?

Yes, you can use a good organic tea-tree honey with high UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) or eucalyptus honey for rubbing on the affected area. A 2006 study by Irish and colleagues from Australia showed in laboratory tests that honey has antifungal effects against candida. They tested eucalyptus honey and manuka (tea-tree) honey. The authors argued for controlled clinical trials to be carried out to establish honey as topical fungal agent.

Is it good to take probiotics? Can it work?

Yes, it is. It is important to remember that one of the reasons that you have candida issues in the first place may be that the natural microbial balance of your body is disturbed. Probiotics can restore this balance. Additionally, with any antimicrobial treatment – whether pharmaceutical or natural, it is always good to take probiotics to mitigate the harmful effects of losing good bacteria. With probiotics you replenish the good bacteria thereby restoring the natural balance of the body. Replenishing good bacteria would also keep the growth of candida in check. Taking probiotics is one positive step in your fight against candida.

Is this infection STD?

No, this infection is not STD although it may be got through sexual intercourse. Candida is a normal inhabitant of the vagina and if your immunity is not compromised due to any reason, you should not get the infection.

What do you think of hydrogen peroxide?

It could be a great option for oral yeast however I have never used it otherwise.

Can I use lamisil?

No, you should not use Lamisil (contains an antifunfgal agent – terbinafine) for a couple of reasons. For one, it is meant to be used for fungal infections of skin and toe nails and has a specific warning to not be used inside the vagina, eyes, nose or mouth – this should also hold true for the penis due to the mucous membrane exposure risk. Added to this there are side-effects of this medication and it may or may not work for you.

What are your thoughts about lemon juice?

Freshly squeezed lemon juice in water is great when taken first thing in the morning. It helps detoxify and clean the body. It also contains the essential vitamin C and helps maintain the internal pH and thus inhibits candida. Do not take bottled or concentrated lemon juice.

What are the long-term effects?

The most common long term effects of the infection are balanoposthitis and phimosis. These may require partial or full circumcision. In cases where the infection spreads to the genitourinary tract, bladder, kidneys and testes may be affected. Long-term effects can also be erectile dysfunction and infertility. In severe cases prostatitis may also occur.

Is alcohol connected to having the infections?

Alcohol has a huge role to play in these infections. You can read more about the alcohol and candida connection here.

Can I have cloudy or dark urine?

Cloudy or dark urine is a sign that you have infection (bacterial or fungal) of the urinary tract or kidneys. If you have cloudy or dark urine, you should contact your doctor.

Is diabetes connected to it?

Yes, diabetes is a risk factor for developing the infection.

Is it possible to get sore throat as well?

If you have candida infection of the throat, you may get sore throat.

I have heard tea-tree oil is one of the best solutions for this issue is it true?

Yes, tea-tree oil has antifungal properties and is known to be active against candida. For more information on this, refer to the treatment section of this article. Canxida Cream has tea tree oil in it.

Can you experience bladder or abdominal pain?

In case you have infections of the urinary tract brought about by your male yeast infection, you may get bladder or abdominal pains.

Can it cause scabs or urethritis?

Scabs are generally caused in viral infections like herpes. When the blisters of herpes start healing, they form scabs. There is no scabbing in yeast infection.

Urethritis on the other hand can be caused by yeast infection apart from STDs.

What are the die-off symptoms if you start the treatment?

You generally will not have die-off symptoms from penis yeast infection. However, if you have intestinal overgrowth and try to kill the candida too fast you may get die-off symptoms like headache, flu-like symptoms with muscle and body ache and fatigue. If you gradually treat your candida infection, you should not get any die-off symptoms.

Does diet play any role in the treatment can it help?

Diet does play an important role in infections – be they internal or external. Your diet determines your health and immunity status. If you eat and drink (and smoke) harmful substances, they are likely to affect your health and immunity to infections. Eating sugary and highly processed foods, for example, are known to help candida infections due to glucose utilization by candida and buildup of toxins in the body respectively. Alcohol has multiple harmful effects and can increase your candida issues. Lack of minerals and vitamins are also pro-candida. So, if you want to have a holistic treatment of your candida issues, you need to pay attention to your diet – eat healthy, balanced diet, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol like plague!

What is the discharge color like?

The discharge is white and curd like.

Can penis yeast infection be misdiagnosed?

Yes, penis infections can be misdiagnosed for jocks itch, for example. They can be easily misdiagnosed in the early stages of infection for bacterial or viral infection – and tests may be required. When the infection becomes more pronounced, it has very characteristic symptoms and there should not be difficulty in diagnosing it.

Is any of these medications good – neosporin or Nizoral or nystatin?

Neosporin is anti-bacterial, so it is definitely not recommended. Nizoral is an anti-fungal agent of the azole group and hence is not recommended for reasons mentioned in the treatment section. Nystatin is an antifungal of polyene group and is a prescription drug. This drug can also have side-effects and candida can become resistant to it like any other single component antifungal agent. Hence it may not be effective long term.

How to know it is not chlamydia?

Chlamydia rarely produces visible symptoms. In some cases it may produce thick, milky, watery, or yellow discharge, painful urination or ejaculation, rectal pain which may be accompanied with discharge or bleeding, red eyes, red joints. In very rare cases it can produce burning or itching around penis opening, pain or swelling in testicles, and sore throat. There are no bumps or any other visible signs on the head of the penis in chlamydia.

Can it be fishy odour down there?

Fishy odour down there is a symptom of infection with bacteria. In fact, a test called the “amine whiff test” is used to distinguish between infections by bacteria and other organisms where a drop of KOH is mixed with some discharge. The presence of fishy odour is indicative of bacterial infection.

Can it leave scars after it is gone from down there?

Untreated balanitis can cause scarring on the head of the penis and the urethral opening.

Is there any screening kit I can use to diagnose myself?

No, there is no reliable screening kit for self-diagnosis of penis candida infections.

Can it affect scotrum or shaft?

In rare cases, it can affect the scrotum or shaft.

What is the swab test?

It is a test where a small swab (cotton attached to end of a stick used to lightly touch the affected area to pick up the microbes) sample from the head of the penis is taken to test for infection – the sample will be tested for the characteristic appearance of candida (single oval cells and hyphae) under the microscope and may also be tested for the species of candida that is involved in the infection.

What should I do if it doesn’t go away after treatment? What can I do?

Even after treatment if the infection does not go away, you should see your doctor. They should test you for any underlying conditions that are making it difficult for your infection to resolve. Also, if there is a condition like diabetes or any other issue, you should know about it to keep that condition in check. You also need to assure that you are doing all that you can (see the next question below)

What could be the cause of recurring infection? I want to know why it keeps coming back?

Recurring infection may point towards an underlying medical condition – impaired immunity, diabetes etc. It may also be because your candida is mutating (changing) and is becoming resistant to some treatments – therefore you need to have multiple modes of attack on candida.

It may also be worthwhile checking if there are local irritants like soaps, washes etc. that could be causing injury to the penis, thereby allowing penetration and growth of candida. Other questions that you should ask yourself are: Are you taking any antibiotics? Is your partner taking any antibiotics? Does your partner suffer from candida infection? Do you experience pain during sexual intercourse – is it causing you injury? Are you following the recommendation of wearing only breathable cotton underpants and making sure that the genital area does not stay humid for long? Are you taking care of genital hygiene? Have you stopped alcohol completely? Is your treatment regime more holistic and includes your diet – are you working towards both internal and external healing?

If you are treating only the symptoms and not the root cause, it is more than likely that you will have a recurring infection.

I hope this article covered everything you wanted to know about penis/male yeast infections. Please share your comments below if you have something to add.