1. Understand the Causes
A variety of causes can trigger the onset of a male yeast infection, but they primarily develop when mold is able to get a foothold inside your body and grow. This can happen in a variety of ways. If you get a bacterial infection and you're put on antibiotics, you should remember that the drugs kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria, including bacteria that stop mold from growing. Males can also contract yeast infections by having sexual intercourse with someone who already has one, but even something as innocuous as overindulging in beer, wheat, corn, bread, peanuts or barley can cause problems.
2. Learn to Recognize the Signs and Symptoms
You'll likely suffer from digestive difficulties and an upset stomach as your primary symptoms, but the complications of a male yeast infection include a wide variety of other signs you should know about. For example, jock itch often results from a sexually contracted yeast infection. You might also get bad breath, pass gas with greater frequency, experience diarrhea, develop skin itches, contract athlete's foot and feel fatigued or sluggish.
3. Perform a Simple Home Test to Confirm an Infection
Your doctor has foolproof ways of determining whether you have a male yeast infection, but there is also a home test you should know about which can unofficially confirm your condition. Keep a glass of water near you as you sleep, then eject two loads of saliva into it when you first wake up in the morning and have an empty stomach. If you don't have a yeast infection, your saliva will just dissipate into the water and become invisible in about 15 minutes. If you do have a male yeast infection, your saliva will sink and turn stringy. However, you should bear in mind that this test is not foolproof or definitive and should not be used as a substitute for tests performed by a medical professional.
4. Learn to Treat a Yeast Infection
You should get to a doctor as soon as possible if you think you might have a yeast infection, since they can be very difficult to treat once they've set in. Normally, you'll be prescribed an antifungal drug which can be taken topically or internally. However, you should understand that there are high recurrence rates, and that these infections can become chronic or systemic. Your doctor may direct you to change your diet as a natural way of reducing the amount of yeast that's able to grow in your body. There are also enzyme supplements you can take to attack the yeast infestation, which your doctor may direct you to use if you're diagnosed with a chronic case.
