Health guides > Yeast Infection > Nipple Thrush

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Nipple Thrush: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

By Zina Semenovskaya, MD

Medically reviewed

February 10, 2022

Throughout the first few weeks of breastfeeding, your nipples may be sore or sensitive while adjusting to latching.

But if you’re still experiencing intense discomfort—or start to feel severe pain in your nipples—while breastfeeding after your baby is well-latched, these may be signs of a common breastfeeding complication known as nipple thrush.

Caused by an overgrowth of the Candida albicans fungus, nipple thrush is a yeast infection that grows and spreads in dark, warm, and moist environments.

While Candida is normally found on your skin and in your mouth, vagina, and gut, other bacteria in your body usually fights it off, preventing it from causing harm. However, under some conditions, the fungus can grow excessively, leading to infection.

In this article, I’ll review the causes and symptoms of nipple thrush. I’ll also explain how to treat the infection.

Nipple Thrush Causes

Nipple thrush can occur if you or your baby are taking antibiotics.

Antibiotics treat bacterial infections, but they can sometimes target “good” bacteria. These beneficial bacteria usually work to keep “bad” bacteria and fungi like Candida from overgrowing.

But when antibiotics reduce the number of “good” bacteria in your system, yeast can overgrow and cause infection. Recent vaginal yeast infection can also lead to nipple thrush.

Another cause of nipple thrush is cracked or damaged nipples—in these cases, it’s easier for Candida to enter the nipples and cause infection. Chronic illness, such as diabetes or HIV, may also be a risk factor for nipple thrush.

If your baby is diagnosed with oral thrush, that may be a sign of nipple thrush, as the infection can spread through skin-to-skin contact. If you and your baby have thrush, you should both be treated at the same time to help prevent passing the infection to one another.

Breastfeeding with thrush

If you have nipple thrush, you can continue breastfeeding while you’re being treated, though it may be painful if you are experiencing symptoms.

If you experience severe pain while breastfeeding, you can express milk instead by hand or by pump, as it is also safe to feed the baby your pumped milk when it’s fresh, refrigerated, or frozen.

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Symptoms

Nipple thrush can cause the following symptoms:

Intense nipple or breast pain that continues after your baby is well-latched
Continued nipple pain the first few weeks of breastfeeding
Cracked nipples
Intense nipple pain deep in your breast while nursing or pumping, or after
Itchy or burning nipples
Nipples that look pink, red, shiny, or flaky

Since thrush is easily spread, you should also check for these signs of thrush in your baby:

White spots or patches on tongue, gums, insides of cheeks, or roof of the mouth
White film on lips
Redness in mouth
Bleeding from wiping sores
Mood changes, including fussiness
Diaper rash
Not wanting to nurse due to soreness

Treatment & Management

Medication

Nipple thrush is commonly treated with topical antifungal cream.

Always consult your doctor about which over-the-counter treatment to use. To help alleviate pain and reduce swelling caused by nipple thrush, you can take oral pain medications such as Tylenol.

The following antifungals can be used to treat nipple thrush:

You can also treat nipple thrush with the following oral medications:

Oral fluconazole
Oral ketoconazole

At-home supplemental remedies

Nipple thrush needs to be treated with medication. In addition to medication, there are steps you can take at home involving hygiene and diet to help manage the infection:

Thoroughly clean items that come in contact with the infection: Using hot water and soap, regularly clean items that touch your nipples or baby’s mouth, such as pacifiers, toys, teethers, breast pumps, and sippy cups. You can boil certain items for 20 minutes to sterilize them. You should also wash clothing and bedding that you’re in contact with (separately from other laundry), and use bleach when possible. Regularly clean surfaces that the baby comes in contact with, like diaper changing stations.

Wash your hands: After you touch your breasts or care for your baby, wash your hands thoroughly. Everyone in your household who cares for the baby should also wash their hands.

Wash your breasts: Rinsing your nipples with vinegar and water solution after breast feeding may also help. La Leche League International recommends 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water or, instead of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water.

Keep your breasts dry: Since the fungal infection thrives in moist environments, keeping your breasts and nipples dry may help manage the infection. After rinsing your nipples, dry them with a clean towel or a hair dryer on a low setting.

Reduce intake of sugar and yeast: Since fungus thrives on sugar, it can make the infection worse. Along with sugar, you should also cut down on cheese, bread, alcohol, and other food and drinks that contain a high amount of yeast.

Increase intake of probiotics: Probiotics are “good” bacteria that can help fight off the overgrowth of yeast. To increase probiotic intake, you can eat certain yogurts or take probiotic supplements.

Concerned about nipple thrush? Chat with a doctor through K Health.

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When to See a Doctor

If you see any signs of nipple thrush or thrush in your baby, call your doctor and your baby’s doctor so you can both be diagnosed. That way, if needed, you can both be treated at the same time.

If symptoms continue after two to three weeks of treatment, contact your doctor.

How K Health Can Help

Did you know that you can get yeast infection treatment online through K Health?

We have clinicians available 24/7 to get you the care or medication that you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I have thrush on my nipples?

Signs of nipple thrush include intense nipple or breast pain that continues after your baby is well-latched, cracked nipples, and nipples that look pink, red, shiny, or flaky. Thrush is highly contagious. So if your baby has oral thrush—which typically causes thick white patches in their mouth, or a yeast diaper rash—you likely have nipple thrush.

How do you treat nipple thrush?

Nipple thrush is commonly treated with over-the-counter topical antifungal cream. Oral medication can also be used. Along with medication, there are steps you can take at home to help treat nipple thrush, including regularly washing your hands and any items that come in contact with you or your baby.

What causes nipple thrush?

Nipple thrush is caused by an overgrowth of the fungus Candida albicans. Recent intake of antibiotics, vaginal yeast infection, and damaged nipples can lead to this infection. If your baby has oral thrush, the infection can be passed to you, leading to nipple thrush.

Can thrush on nipples go away on its own?

Typically, nipple thrush does not go away on its own, and needs to be treated with antifungal medication. Always consult your doctor about what medication is right for you.

K Health articles are all written and reviewed by MDs, PhDs, NPs, or PharmDs and are for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute and should not be relied on for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.

K Health has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references.

Zina Semenovskaya, MD

Dr. Semenovskaya specializes in emergency medicine, and received her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College. She is currently the medical director at Remote Emergency Medicine Consulting, LLC and splits her time working clinically as an emergency medicine attending in California and Alaska. She is the first of our doctors to be fluent in Russian.

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