Around 138 million women are affected by a distressing but treatable fungal infection world-wide, according to a research review by University of Manchester scientists.

And the incidence of recurrent thrush, warns lead researcher Dr. Riina Rautemaa-Richardson, is set to rise to an estimated 158 million people by 2030.

The team from The University of Manchester—one of the leading centers in the world for fungal infection research—are publishing their findings in The Lancet Infectious Diseases today

Vulvovaginal candidiasis infection—caused by the overgrowth of the fungus Candida—causes itching, irritation, discharge, soreness, and damage to the skin. For many women it is a taboo subject.

Previous research has shown that 75% of women develop thrush at least once in their lifetime and over 6% of women suffer from recurrent episodes.

Also, from studies reviewed by the research team, thrush is a risk associated with menopausal women aged 55 and over, and women taking hormone replacement therapy and antibiotics.

Chinese, Indian, and American women are the world’s most numerous sufferers of thrush at 29.1 million, 23.6 million, and 9 million respectively, they find.

Ghana, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen are the countries where the condition is the least prevalent from the data they harvested.

And a significant 1.2 million women in the UK suffer from the condition.

Dr. Rautemaa-Richardson said: “Recurrent vulvovaginal thrush is common, debilitating, and complex.”

“Myths, unnecessary worry, and stigma are associated with it as medical professionals struggle to understand it.”

“Though thrush is treatable, it often recurs and there are often additional causes for the symptoms, which all need to be addressed. Antifungal treatment is often only part of the solution.”

“Thrush is often thought of as an embarrassing problem women should accept, rather than a medical problem which needs to be dealt with.”

“But for millions of women, it can have a massive impact on quality of life.”

She added: “For many, thrush is treatable, and patients are able to regain their quality of life. But much work needs to be done to educate both health-care professionals and patients about the best way to do that.”

“We hope this research will give more women the confidence to talk more openly about a problem that is distressing and painful.”