Research claims that up to 10 % of pregnant women develop a vaginal yeast infection.
Fortunately, most of them respond very well to topical anti-fungal treatment.
However, a small percentage do not respond to topical anti-fungals and some, unfortunately, go on to develop chronic recurrent infections.
In such cases, some pregnant women turn to oral anti-fungal drugs such as fluconazole, even though this drug has been linked to a higher risk of certain fetal malformations.
Now, a new Canadian study brings up yet another argument for pregnant women to stay away from using an oral anti-fungal treatment regime.
In an analysis of nearly 30,000 pregnancies in Quebec that ended in miscarriage, researchers concluded that any use of oral fluconazole during pregnancy raised the risk of miscarriage and the higher the dose, the greater that risk.
Bottom line here is pretty straight-forward: Any pregnant woman should inform herself thoroughly about the risks and benefits of any medical intervention she is thinking of using, even over-the-counter drugs.