Is a yeast infection contagious?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Usually no - a yeast infection is your own Candida overgrowing, not an STI, and you can get one without any sex at all. Antibiotics, pregnancy, and diabetes are the common triggers. The Office on Women's Health names one exception: it is possible to get one from a sexual partner, though routine cases do not require partner treatment. The bigger issue is the look-alike problem - yeast symptoms overlap with STIs, so first-time or treatment-resistant symptoms deserve a real diagnosis.
What to do
- Diagnose before treating the first time. Yeast symptoms mimic BV and STIs that need different medicine.
- Finish the full course. Stopping cream or pills early invites a fast recurrence.
- Review the triggers. Recent antibiotics, uncontrolled diabetes, and pregnancy all feed Candida.
- See a doctor for repeats. Four or more a year is recurrent yeast and gets a workup, not another tube.
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