Usually, gynecologists treat a yeast infection with one of three medications, for three days to a week: miconazole (Monistat), clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin) or nystatin (Mycostatin or Nilstat). In about three-quarters of cases, the medication takes care ofthe problem. But for millions of women, nothing seems to work, and recurrent yeast infections become a recurrent nightmare. To find any real, permanent relief, they may have to alter their lifestyle significantly.

Is it possible fOr a yeast infection to be passed back and forth, from partner to partner, in a sort of infernal sexual Ping-Pong? Well, studies have shown that sex partners usually harbor the very same strain of yeast organism, which strongly suggests the answer is yes. It is also known that men can harbor candida on the skin of their genitals, underneath the foreskin or in the prostate, where it infects the semen, Dr.says. Sometimes an infected man will develop a rash on the skin of his genitals, or (if his prostate is infected) he'll feel a bit of pain in the urethra during ejaculation. Usually, though, yeast-infected men are completely without symptoms. (No, life is not fair.)

On the other hand, women can develop yeast infections without any sexual contact at all. (One popular theory: Candida is also present in the intestine, which serves as a "reservoir" of organisms that repeatedly reinfect the vagina.)

Doctors who cultured the semen of sex partners of women with recurrent yeast infections found most of the men were carriers (probably because of a prostate infection). When both partners were treated for two weeks with 200 milligrams a day ofthe antifungal drug ketoconazole, 31 of33 women were cured and remained infection-free for a year. Some doctors suggest that women plagued by recurrent infections have their partners get their semen cultured for yeast and use an antifungal cream (such as Mycostatin) on their genitals.