Joy
For the past nine months Joy has had recurrent thrush before or during every menstrual cycle. She has used antifungal pessaries and cream that she got over-the-counter and from a GP, which provides temporary relief. She wonders if her HIV medication or being perimenopausal might be causing recurrent thrush. She plans to see a GP for testing and more answers if recurrent thrush gets worse.
Joy (she/her) is a straight woman. She has a daughter. She works in machine operative manufacturing. Her background is white British. Interview clips read by an actor.
More about me...
Joy began experiencing recurrent thrush nine months ago. Her symptoms occur monthly and before or during her menstrual cycle. Joy said “sometimes it’s quite mild and then sometimes it’s there and it’s just raging, raging, raw”.
Her experience with thrush affected her emotionally. In her work environment, the condition occasionally required her to step away to manage symptoms. In relationships, she admits to feeling “embarrassed” and often delaying intimacy due to thrush as thrush symptoms worsen with sexual activity. Since being single, she has found her symptoms are milder.
Joy’s hobbies were also affected as she enjoys walking and running. However, during a bad episode, she found walking difficult. In terms of mood, she found herself feeling more “crabby”.
Initially, Joy managed recurrent thrush with over-the-counter pessaries and creams. However, frequent visits for the same treatment prompted the pharmacist to advise her to seek medical help. Despite this, the participant hesitated to consult her GP, partly due to her perception that thrush is a hormonal imbalance that does not necessarily require medical intervention. She wonders if her age and being perimenopausal could be causing the problem.
Despite her hesitation, Joy brought up recurrent thrush during an appointment for another health issue to get antibiotics for a skin condition. The GP provided some cream but did not offer any tests for thrush. This appointment made Joy think “it’s just one of them, you just get your cream and you deal with it”. She wonders if she went to the GP about recurrent thrush and asked for more help whether the response would be any different.
The doctor also offered an antifungal oral tablet or pessary, and Joy chose the pessary as she had not tried the oral option before and felt a more localised approach was better. While pessaries have been helpful, Joy finds them difficult to use while “red and swollen” so would consider taking oral tablets in the future.
Joy expressed frustration over the lack of clear answers regarding self-management, especially considering her HIV-positive status. She has been on HIV medication since 2015, and wondered about its potential role in her recurrent thrush episodes and “why now” this issue has occurred.
Joy found it difficult to discuss recurrent thrush in her HIV clinic, feeling it may not be directly related to her HIV treatment or care. She was not sure whether recurrent thrush would fall under the umbrella of sexual health services so had not consulted there. Joy has also had a negative experience in the past where a sexual health nurse did not want to see her for a contraception appointment after learning her HIV-positive status. Other than that, she has found GPs supportive.
To help manage recurrent thrush, Joy wears cotton underwear, avoids tight clothes, and uses soap-free products to reduce irritation. She also avoids over washing and uses a cold compress.
Joy does not feel stigma around recurrent thrush and finds herself able to speak openly with her family and daughter.
Looking forwards, Joy plans to see a GP if her symptoms worsen and to get an examination and tests done. She thinks recurrence will continue and is hoping to get more answers soon.
Joy found it difficult to work while having recurrent thrush (read by an actor)
Joy found it difficult to work while having recurrent thrush (read by an actor)
At work I have had to sort of like walk off my own station to go and sort of like get a cold compress, put more cream on, hide the cream in work just in case it fell out my bag, and I would be embarrassed. So yeah, to be honest, yeah, I have you know... even though I’d talk about it, I wouldn’t like to show it, if you know what I mean? You know, yeah, so... but I have had to... to come off, instead of breaktime, I’ve had to come out of my own worktime to sort it out. Even walking, you know, would just be like, ‘oh my God, this is like agony,’ so yeah, there’s been a few times in work where it’s affected me, yeah, absolutely.
Joy planned to see a GP if she had a big flare-up (read by an actor)
Joy planned to see a GP if she had a big flare-up (read by an actor)
I think if it was a really big flare-up then I would absolutely go. I think but... I think because I’m just... be able to contain it myself, then I think, ‘why would I go to the... the GP?’ But now I’m starting to think now, ‘well, this has been nine months now, maybe having that... that time under my belt, I can sort of say... I can turn round and say, ‘listen, it’s not just been a couple of months,’ you know, I’m... I’ve got that longevity under my belt now, so I can say, you know, ‘this has been this amount of time, it’s obviously not disappearing, you know, it’s obviously not... there’s... there’s something there that needs... I probably need some help with,’ maybe, I don't know.
Joy found it difficult to insert a pessary while having thrush (read by an actor)
Joy found it difficult to insert a pessary while having thrush (read by an actor)
I don’t mind having a choice because sometimes, you know, it may be that we... it may be that sore down there that I think to myself, ‘well, maybe I couldn’t even put... be able to put the pessary in,’ because sometimes it can be that red and swollen, it is good to have the choice, because if I couldn’t, and I really needed to, then I would absolutely take the oral, so I absolutely do like that there is the option there. Because, you know, what if it is too sore down there, you know? Red, angry, swollen, [sighs] God, yeah.
Joy offered advice on changing daily practices to prevent or soothe recurrent thrush (read by an actor)
Joy offered advice on changing daily practices to prevent or soothe recurrent thrush (read by an actor)
Do you know, I think it would just be about the personal hygiene really, I think would be, you know, obviously not to carry on swooshing, washing as often, I don’t think I would do that, I... and I would always use soap-free, you know, no perfume, nothing, you know, that would aggravate in any way. Like I say, cotton knicks so it’s breathable, you know, and nothing that would hold onto any like you know... you know, like heat or sweat or anything like that, you know, just keep it as nice, fresh and open as possible. Yeah, and like I say, just, you know, if it’s really unmanageable just to... you know, cold compresses, and to just... just relax and just, you know, yeah, don’t stress, I think that’s just going to make it worse: don’t stress, relax, breathable underwear, soap-free, and yeah.