Should I Avoid Hot Tubs, Saunas, and Pools with Vaginal Thrush?

Vaginal thrush is a fungal infection more commonly known as a yeast infection. Though fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms are normal in the female body, when the balance is disrupted they can cause various medical conditions, including vaginal thrush. The symptoms of vaginal thrush include soreness and discomfort, making some of your favorite activities a drag.

For instance, enjoying a relaxing hot tub, sauna, or swimming pool with an active infection may create the fungi’s perfect petri dish, preventing healing and potentially making symptoms worse.

Having vaginal thrush is not pleasant. Females experience terrible symptoms of vaginal thrush due to the overgrowth of Candida albicans, a fungus. The condition is very common for women and it tends to thrive in warm, moist environments.

Vaginal thrush – public wellness centers:

If you are a woman who enjoys the warm temps of a hot tub or a swim in a pool, you might be wondering if you can still spend time basking in these communal baths when you have vaginal thrush.

The short answer is no. It's best to avoid spending time in hot tubs, pools, or saunas with an active yeast infection. Though the odds that you could infect someone else are low, these wet and steamy locations aren't going to help your bout with vaginal thrush.

Let's take a deeper look into why these pose potential problems.

Thriving yeast infections

Candida albicans lives in the human body without causing problems, however, it is an opportunistic fungus. In other words, if there is an open gate for it to spread or overgrow, it will take advantage of the situation.

Hot tubs or saunas are perfect places for pesky yeast infections to thrive. This is because these hot, damp environments create the ideal breeding grounds for fungi to reproduce and multiply, therefore preventing recovery or worsening symptoms of vaginal thrush.

There is little chance that vaginal thrush would be transmitted in a hot tub or water, therefore, it's unlikely that simply visiting a hot tub or pool would cause a yeast infection.

Factors to consider

Getting into a nice, cold pool on a warm summer day or relaxing in a hot tub is soothing and refreshing. However, if you have vaginal thrush, here are some factors to consider before using such facilities:

1. Severity of your symptoms - it is best to avoid wet conditions depending on how severe your symptoms are.
2. Remove your swimsuit immediately once you have finished your session.
3. Practice good hygiene by gently washing and drying the sensitive area afterwards.
4. Put on loose fitting cotton underwear that will help things down there breathe easier and dry off.

Not only does the fungus that causes vaginal thrush like to grow in warm environments it also thrives in wet environments. So getting out of your wet clothes is going to be the best thing you can do if you use a hot tub, pool or sauna while you have vaginal thrush.

Water Activities - what are the risks?

Most medical conditions carry risks and benefits to consider before participating in your favorite activities. The same applies when enjoying the facilities at a wellness center with vaginal thrush.

While you can't transmit vaginal thrush through the water, you can worsen things. There is always the potential to aggravate the infection and cause your symptoms to intensify.

Sometimes you think you have cleared an infection, only to realize the infection hadn't completely gone away and the fungus returned because of the perfect conditions provided by the pool or sauna.

What does research tell us?

Unfortunately, there isn't much research on the effects of using hot tubs, saunas, or pools with vaginal thrush. What research has shown us is that vaginal thrush is the result of an imbalance in our bodies where Candida albicans lives harmlessly until changes in their environment allows them to thrive and multiply.

We also know that certain situations or risk factors make some women more susceptible to developing this condition. These risk factors include antibiotic usage, contraceptive use, immunity status, and diabetes. These will all put you at greater risk of contracting or exacerbating an infection.

There is much conflicting information creating confusion regarding whether it is ok to enjoy a hot tub, sauna, or swimming pool with vaginal thrush. The main thing to remember is that this fungus thrives in warm and wet environments, and there are measures that women can take to prevent or decrease the likelihood of this condition running rampant.

Furthermore, it is very important to seek medical advice if you are unsure about your symptoms and if you are considering such water activities. A healthcare professional will be able to provide personalized care tailored to you.