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Yeast Infection on Glans... (self.mtf)
submitted 3 days ago by applebusch to c/mtf
NSFW 9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

So it seems I've stumbled upon one of the downsides of transitioning. I'd heard that HRT changes the environment around your junk and becomes basically like a cis woman's labia, but I hadn't really thought through the implications until recently. It seems I developed a yeast infection on the glans of my penis, and it's been just the worst. Initially I wasn't sure what it was (I got tested for STIs like the week before so I knew it wasn't that), it was just kind of redder than usual, but then it got worse and started to be really itchy. Well I itched it, big mistake by the way, which coupled with more sensitive skin meant I formed some friction injuries which I don't think helped much. Thankfully I have some experience with ringworm from a brief and ill-fated attempt at wrestling in the distant past, so I got right on it and started anti-fungal cream once I recognized the characteristic overwhelming itchiness and slow weeping of clear fluid of a fungal infection.

I did some researching and it turns out this is just a thing all women have to deal with at one time or another. I've been doing my best to keep it dry and applying the anti-fungal cream twice a day. Do y'all have any advice to reduce the chances of this happening again? I know regular cleaning, keeping the area dry, but I also found someone suggest maybe eating a lot of sugar can make it worse, which to be honest I've been doing lately... I'm also just generally curious about other people's experience.

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[-] squirrel 4 points 2 days ago

Yes, I had it too. I got it under control with an anti-fungal cream and gentle cleaning. It still took a while before it was entirely gone though, partially because I did not get the "gentle" part of the cleaning right at first.

[-] dandelion 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

definitely never had that happen, but I would also push back that all women experience infections on occasion (let alone that we can extrapolate this to pre-op trans women).

The mechanism for ~~UTIs~~ yeast infections in cis women is mostly through the vaginal canal and the microbiome getting disrupted and a fungus overwhelming the lactobacillus and getting established; this is absent / not relevant in the case of a scrotum, though obviously fungal infections of any skin is possible, and cis men do get fungal infections on the glans of their penis (this is called balanitis thrush).

Why women get yeast infections vary from woman to woman and a lot of it comes down to hygiene and practices, e.g. penetrative sex is much more likely to disrupt a vaginal microbiome than someone who is asexual or celibate.

Are you taping or tucking with materials that don't breathe well? I would make sure to wear cotton underwear (not polyester), or just not wear underwear a lot of the time.

It sounds like you already know to wash the area well when you shower (ideally once a day), and allow it to dry well.

You might visit a doctor and have them take a look. I had what I thought was a fungal infection on my hand and a doctor even looked at it and prescribed an anti-fungal cream, but when I followed up with a dermatologist who specializes, she confirmed it was never a fungal infection and I just had eczema. Doctors can be helpful when trying to figure out the causes, and recommend the best way to prevent future issues.

If you can't see a doctor and you are confident it's a fungal infection like thrush, I would personally probably buy an anti-fungal ointment over the counter and apply it to the skin (maybe after some research on the best ointment, drug, dose, etc. that is safe for genitals, since that is a sensitive area).

I would not say this is probably not a side effect of taking estrogen.

[-] doubtingtammy@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 days ago

UTI is different from a yeast infection

[-] dandelion 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

omg, you're totally right 😱 I misread OP's description as being burning around the opening of the urinary tract, and thought it was a UTI

upon re-reading it sounds more like she's describing a fungal infection on the skin of the glans ("thrush") ...

either way my general point still stands, generally a "yeast infection" for cis women indicates a yeast infection in their vaginal canal, not their clitoral glans (though it does look like a fungal infection on the outer labia is possible!)

Either way, if OP is right it's a fungal infection, it should be treatable through anti-fungal ointments (many are available over the counter if you can't afford to see a doctor), and the infection isn't caused by estrogen (cis men get these kinds of infections on their penises, too).

[-] applebusch 3 points 2 days ago

Yeah I think it is thrush. I've never had it before so was kind of surprised when it happened. I haven't really changed anything about my hygiene or clothing, and I read somewhere that estrogen makes the genital area more moist. I don't think getting thrush is a direct side effect of estrogen, more that the increased moisture makes it more likely. So combined with perhaps suboptimal hygiene practices or clothing which were fine before, the increased moisture pushes the environment over the edge to fungal infection territory.

[-] dandelion 2 points 2 days ago

oh interesting, I hadn't heard that estrogen increases moisture in the genital region (other than like the way vaginal dryness can occur without estrogen, like in trans men or menopausal women) - do you think it's like the way estrogen makes the skin softer, that has to do with skin moisture or something?

But yeah, that makes sense that moisture and the right kinds of clothes could create an environment where fungus could get into the skin 😱 luckily it's hopefully not too big of a deal to treat - I would be really interested to hear what ends up working, it's great you raised this and to have these kinds of experiences discussed - you never know who else might be going through the same thing and would benefit from what you're sharing here

I really hope it's easy to get taken care of and it's not too unpleasant, ugh

[-] oftheair 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

who is asexual

Asexuals can and do have sex. We just don't experience sexual attraction (at least not all the time depending where on the spectrum an ace person is), that's what it means.

Some asexuals don't have sex, but not all of us experience sex repulsion, or are okay with it for other reasons.

[-] doubtingtammy@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago

I know regular cleaning...

But also, you can't be too aggressive, or else you'll irritate it which can then contribute to the infection.

I did have problems around the 6 month mark. After a couple courses of clotrimazole, I think my microbiome adjusted and I learned to be gentler with the foreskin

[-] applebusch 2 points 2 days ago

Yeah I was a little aggressive with washing early in the infection. Wishing I had a foreskin to be gentle with though :'(

this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2026
33 points (100.0% liked)

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