There are three surefire signs of a yeast infection: appearance, odor and discomfort. If you have all three of these signs, then you probably have a yeast infection. If you need to confirm your suspicions that you may have a yeast infection, the best way is to have your doctor diagnose the problem or take one of the many over the counter tests which are available. Your physician will physically examine you and analyze your vaginal discharge. Over the counter tests instead work by testing your pH balance to determine whether you have a yeasty infection.

Before beginning a course of treatment with over the counter medications, it is wise to make sure that you really have a yeast infection; you can end up doing more harm than good if you try to treat a condition that you do not in fact have. While a yeast infection is certainly a troublesome problem to have, treating a yeast infection which you do not have can upset the natural pH balance of your vagina, causing a real infection!

The problem with the proliferation of over the counter yeast infection treatments is the number of women trying to treat themselves for infections they don't really have. A woman may have a symptom and assume that she has a yeast infection; then rush off to the drugstore for one of the over the counter remedies. However, there are many other infections which have symptoms similar to those of a yeast infection – bacterial vaginosis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.

The symptom which is noticed first in most women is the discomfort in the infected region; this usually presents as an itching or burning; this can be intense. Pain while urinating is also common due to inflammation in the vaginal region. In especially severe cases, the infected woman may even have trouble walking due to extreme irritation. In most women, sexual intercourse is also painful during an infection.

The appearance of the area is another good way to determine if you have a yeast infection. There is sometimes a vaginal discharge, resembling cottage cheese in consistency. Redness is also usually evident. Keep in mind that only about one fifth of women with yeast infections report a vaginal discharge; this discharge can also be thin in consistency and may vary in color anywhere between clear to yellowish.

Another good indicator of the presence of a yeast infection is odor. A yeast infection is often detectable by a distinct odor; this is a "yeasty" odor, resembling the smell of baking bread or the beer making process. Since yeast is used in both baking and brewing, this stands to reason. A yeast infection is just that – an infection caused by the organism Candida Albicans, a type of yeast.