Science / Medicine : Cooking Cotton Underwear?

Researchers at the University of Florida say women can ward off yeast infections by tossing their cotton underwear into the microwave oven and cooking it.

University of Florida department of obstetrics and gynecology Chairman Byron J. Masterson cautioned that the process only works on cotton panties and would likely make nylon briefs “go ka-boom.”

“We have good antibiotics to fight the infection; that’s no problem. The problem is that (women) keep getting the infections back.”

Masterson said microwaving will kill candida albicans, the bacteria responsible for yeast infections. The bacteria thrive in dark, moist places and are found in women’s vaginal secretions. Infections are aggravated by tight jeans, panty hose or leotards.

An estimated 20 million women in the United States suffer from the affliction annually.

The researchers said bacteria in slightly damp, freshly laundered underwear disappeared from cotton panties in about five minutes if the microwave setting was placed on high power. The findings have been published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine.