I have seen only one case of thrush in a non-nursing woman in over 20 yrs.
This was a mildly retarded woman who was pregnant as the result of sexual
abuse.  Her family brought her to see me in her 7th month of pregnancy.  The
woman had dimpled nipples and due to her retardation, her personal hygiene
was sometimes compromised.  She had never been taught to retract the folded
over skin of the dimples to wash out the secretions that collected in the
"wells" of the dimples.  They were full of white, yeasty smelling material.
Once they were rinsed off and a bit of anti-fungal cream was applied, they
stopped hurting.

Fungal spores can be washed off intact skin, and if the person showered or
bathed on a regular basis, I would not suspect thrush on the nipple tissue
of a non-nursing woman.  I would suspect first hormonal changes creating
tenderness, thermally induced vasospasm of the extremities (ie Reynauds)
overly aggressive love-play, dermatitis (sometimes from detergents or even
from the bra.)  I once saw a non-nursing woman who had terrible dermatitis
that was induced from wearing a lacy bra.  She sweated a lot, and the lace
on the bra rubbed her raw.  Sometimes moms are using creams or bath salts or
other things that also can irritate the nipples.
Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
LactNews Press
www.lactnews.com

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