You could give it a quick rinse with isopropyl alcohol or something like that before reinserting it. You could even get some of the IPA wipes that you find in first aid kits (like these, and also used to prep injection sites) to use while you're out and about.

Also, as far as I know soy yogurt can be used in place of dairy yogurt, if you ever want to try using yogurt as a YI treatment. That is assuming that soy yogurt is vegan, of course -- I think it is, but I don't know for sure. :)

Thanks, thats a good idea for when I'm on the go! Just wondering, would this possibly set me up for an allergic reaction? The reason I got such a bad infection last time was because of different factors like not drying my cup off before re-inserting, and using the wrong soap (especially the last one).

And you are right, soy yogurt is vegan :) I just wasn't sure if it would work the same as regular yogurt.

Do you use soap to clean your cup? If so, stop. Or use a more mild soap.

I won't be using soap anymore after this last infection. It basically resulted from a major soap allergy. SO painful! I'm just going to stick to hot water and boiling after each cycle. Do you think the alcohol wipes as stated above would be irritating?

I eat soy yogurt, which also has active cultures. there are also probiotic supplements which are not yogurt based at all.

like this stuff: http://vibranthealth.us/
or this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombucha

basically, something with probiotics to helps keep your body balanced out.

I eat soy yogurt, I just didn't know whether or not it would work the same as regular yogurt!

Thanks for the help :)

you could use straight acidophilus in cellulose capsules, i bet you could pick them up at the closest supplement/health food store. Just read the labels and make sure they're vegan and not gelatin.

I usually take them orally AND insert them vaginally.

... and recently i've been reading a lot about Apple Cider Vinegar and apparently you can treat yeast infections with it, google that and ALSO...

a clove of garlic inserted into the vagina is supposed to work, too.

Do you insert them vaginally throughout your cycle? or what?

I always go with the peeled clove of garlic myself. Usually the last 2 nights of my cycle are so light that I don't need to wear the cup while sleeping. If I'm feeling the YI coming on, I pop in a clove of garlic and I feel fine by morning. Some people get a sting from the garlic if they nick the clove while peeling it but I haven't had any problems there myself, and I am not remotely careful about nicks.

This may seem silly, but does eating garlic help at all? Not that I'm opposed to using it for prevention, but I usually eat a good 1 to 2 cloves of garlic in my food everyday just because I love it so much!

I second the soy yogurt with live bacteria cultures. I've also read good things about garlic, although I haven't tried it myself.

Boric acid works well for me. I've found vegetarian gel capsules at natural food stores, and then get boric acid powder from a pharmacy. When I was having a lot of YI problems, my doctor suggested putting one BA filled capsule in my vagina for the first 5 days of my period, and I find that works pretty well at warding off yeast.

Interesting! Thanks for the tip

Soy yogurt can be used instead of dairy yogurt, btw! I'm vegan, too.

I've never had a yeast infection caused by my cup, and I don't let it dry out or anything. Did your cup actually cause your yeast infection?

I'm pretty sure what caused the infection was a major soap allergy.

It COULD have also been caused by the fact that I wasn't too good about drying it off either, but most likely the first. I won't be using soap anymore though, just hot water and boiling after each cycle.

You can douche with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, apparently. I haven't tried it, though.

I've also heard that eating the yogurt is actually more effective at treating yeast infections than sticking it up your vag. For what it's worth.

Make sure you boil your cup before every use. Drink lots of cranberry juice, and eat yogurt with acidophilus (sp?) [plain yogurt]. Don't wash the cup with soap, just rinse it with warm water and air dry it. Also, don't wash your vagina with soap--I know if I do I'm guaranteed to get a yeast infection. HTH

Would investing in a spare cup be fesable? Then, you would always know that you had one *clean* cup. You could remove, dump, and insert the serilized cup each time.

I actually just ordered a ladycup (the diva was a horrible fit for me) so I guess I could always have the diva as a backup in case of emergencies

One other thing you may want to try is Grapefruit Seed Extract, sold as GSE. This is one potent antiviral/antibacterial agent made from grapefruit seeds and is sold in most health food stores. You can soak your cup in it and/or swab it with a solution of it each time you rinse your cup. When my son was born, I had a raging case of thrush for months and this is the only thing that cleared it up for both of us. You can dilute it in water and take internally and dilute in water to soak your cup. It's completely safe, though it does taste bitter. I really do swear by this stuff!