While it’s definitely possible to have a vaginal yeast infection without discharge, it’s not very common – at all. That said, no two people are alike and some women do have the other symptoms – like itching and burning – without any discharge at all.
The most common symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection include soreness in the vaginal area, itching (sometimes intense), and burning or pain when urinating. There is often also pain during intercourse. The majority of women also have a thin or thick discharge that is generally clumpy and white. This discharge generally doesn’t have an odor.
While it’s really not very common to have a vaginal infection of this nature without discharge, research done by the Central Utah Clinic has confirmed that it’s certainly possible.
That said, there are a other forms of vaginal inflammation that are not yeast related but that do share symptoms very similar to a yeast infection. For example, burning, pain, and discharge can also be attributed to bacterial vaginitis. Changes in estrogen levels before and during menopause may cause atrophic vaginitis, a condition common in aging women.
If this is your first yeast infection, or if this is your first yeast infection that is occurring without the tell-tale discharge, you should make an appointment with your doctor or naturopath. You’ll need to be examined and your doctor may need to do a swab test to confirm that you actually have a yeast infection and not some other type of infection or STD.
Assuming you have a yeast infection, even without discharge, and treating it accordingly, may lead you to waste both time and money. Your treatments will not only be ineffective, but may aggravate your symptoms – especially the itching and burning.
