Does Activia Help With a Yeast Infection?

Many women treat vaginal yeast infections with over-the-counter medications, while others prefer alternative remedies. One yeast infection remedy recommended by holistic medicine professionals is taking probiotics, or helpful bacteria. Activia is a brand of yogurt that contains probiotic bacterial cultures that may improve yeast infection symptoms. Before treating your yeast infection with Activia yogurt, talk to a doctor to make sure it is safe.

Yeast Infection Symptoms

Although yeast naturally live in your vagina, they can cause problems when they are in large numbers. A yeast infection occurs when your vaginal yeast populations suddenly rises. Common symptoms of a yeast infection include vaginal itching, a thick discharge that resembles cottage cheese, redness, swelling and a burning sensation during urination. Using alternative remedies may reduce your vaginal yeast population to normal levels, alleviating yeast infection symptoms.

Activia Features

Activia is a brand of yogurt manufactured by Dannon. Although Dannon markets Activia as a natural way to improve digestive regularity, it may have other health benefits. Activia yogurt contains a probiotic bacterial strain called Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010, also known by its trademarked name Bifidobacterium regularis. Bifidobacterium cultures survive your stomach acid and pass through your digestive system to colonize the intestines.

Activia Use

Some people use Activia yogurt as an alternative medicine treatment for vaginal yeast infections. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, some research supports the use of probiotic yogurt to treat yeast infections, while other research finds that yogurt is not an effective remedy 4. Taking 10 billion colony-forming units of bifidobacterium per day is considered an appropriate dose for yeast infection treatment. The Activia website states that about 3 1/2 oz. of Activia yogurt contains 1 billion live, active bacteria. To get enough bifidobacterium through yogurt alone, you would need to eat over 30 oz. of Activia per day 3.

Considerations

Eating Activia yogurt to populate your intestines with probiotics is not harmful, but it may not treat a yeast infection as well as conventional remedies. Some evidence suggests that other probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus or Lactobacillus GG, may be better remedies than bifidobacterium 5. Discuss your yeast infection symptoms with a doctor to determine whether Activia yogurt is an appropriate treatment for you.