Do SGLT2 inhibitors cause yeast infections? Their labels say they increase the risk of genital yeast infections in both women and men. Most cases are mild and treatable. A much rarer serious infection is also in the labels. This guide explains both, and it does not tell you to stop any medicine.
Key takeaways
- The label for one dapagliflozin product says the medicine increases urinary glucose and increases the risk of genital yeast infections in female and male patients.
- In that label's trial pool, female genital yeast infections were reported in 1.5% on placebo and about 9% on dapagliflozin. Rates for other medicines in the class differ.
- A rare, life-threatening infection of the genital and perineal area has also been reported with this class. Pain, tenderness, redness, or swelling there with fever or feeling very unwell needs urgent care.
- Never stop, skip, or change a medicine on your own. Your prescriber and pharmacist can help you decide what to do about side effects.
The Short Answer
- Yes. Genital yeast infections are a labeled side effect of SGLT2 inhibitors.
- SGLT2 stands for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2. The generic names of these medicines end in "-gliflozin." The UK medicines regulator names dapagliflozin, canagliflozin, empagliflozin, and ertugliflozin. Ask your pharmacist if you are not sure whether you take one.
- The risk is higher for people who have had genital yeast infections before.
- Serious genital infections are rare. They are an emergency.
How Do These Medicines Lead to Yeast Infections?
The Xigduo XR label (dapagliflozin and metformin, revised August 2026) says the medicine increases urinary glucose excretion. In other words, it moves sugar from the blood into the urine. The label says this increases the risk of genitourinary infections, including urinary tract infections and genital yeast infections, in both male and female patients.
Yeast grows more easily where there is more sugar. NIDDK says that about blood sugar in general. The label states the link to urinary glucose. Your prescriber weighs this against the reasons you were prescribed the medicine.
The Xigduo XR label lists type 2 diabetes as a use, and for its dapagliflozin part also heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Your prescriber chose the medicine for your situation, which is one more reason not to stop it on your own.
What Do the Label Numbers Show?
Label numbers come from clinical trials. The label itself warns that rates from different drugs' trials cannot be compared directly. The figures below are from one dapagliflozin product's label. Other medicines in the class have their own labels.
| Group in the label's trial pool | Placebo | Dapagliflozin groups |
|---|---|---|
| Female genital yeast infections (8 trials with metformin) | 1.5% | 9.4% and 9.3% |
| Male genital yeast infections (8 trials with metformin) | 0% | 4.3% and 3.6% |
| Female genital yeast infections (12 trials of dapagliflozin alone) | 1.5% | 8.4% and 6.9% |
| Male genital yeast infections (12 trials of dapagliflozin alone) | 0.3% | 2.8% and 2.7% |
The label also reports:
- The most common infections were vulvovaginal yeast infections in females and balanitis in males. Balanitis is redness and irritation of the head of the penis.
- Infections were more frequent in females than in males.
- People with a history of genital yeast infections were more likely to have one during the trials. In the label's pool, 10.0% on placebo, 23.1% and 25.0% on the two dapagliflozin groups had one. Among people without that history, it was 0.8% on placebo, 5.9% and 5.0% on dapagliflozin.
- In one large trial, serious genital yeast infections were reported in fewer than 0.1% of people on dapagliflozin and fewer than 0.1% on placebo.
- In the same trial, 0.9% of people on dapagliflozin stopped the trial medicine because of a genital yeast infection, compared with fewer than 0.1% on placebo.
These are averages across large groups. They do not predict what will happen to you.
What Is the Rare Serious Infection?
Labels for this class also warn about necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum, also called Fournier's gangrene. The perineum is the area between the genitals and the anus.
What the sources say:
- The Xigduo XR label calls it a rare, life-threatening infection that needs urgent surgery. It says cases have needed hospital care and that serious outcomes have included multiple surgeries and death.
- The Segluromet label (ertugliflozin and metformin) says serious, life-threatening cases have occurred in both females and males.
- The UK regulator (MHRA) wrote in 2019 that the condition usually occurs almost exclusively in men, but about a third of the European cases it reviewed were in women. It said that diabetes itself is a risk factor, and that some reports were considered possibly related to the medicines.
- The MHRA counted 6 UK reports (4 men, 2 women) up to January 2019, against an estimated 548,565 patient-years of exposure.
- The US FDA issued a safety announcement on August 29, 2018 about rare cases of this infection with the class.
The Xigduo XR label tells clinicians to immediately evaluate anyone with pain or tenderness, redness, or swelling in the genital or perineal area, along with fever or feeling unwell. The MHRA tells clinicians to advise patients to seek urgent medical attention for these signs.
A clinician decides whether the medicine should be stopped. Do not stop it on your own. But do not wait for a routine visit if these signs appear.
Which Symptoms Are Which?
| Symptom | What it may mean | What the sources say to do |
|---|---|---|
| Itching, redness, or thick white discharge | A yeast infection | Contact your prescriber or pharmacist. See can diabetes cause yeast infections? |
| Red, itchy head of the penis | Balanitis | See a clinician. CDC says topical antifungal treatment can relieve symptoms |
| Burning when you pass urine, or frequent urination | May be a urinary tract infection or yeast | Contact your care team. Labels also list urinary tract infections |
| Pain, tenderness, redness, or swelling in the genital or perineal area with fever or feeling very unwell | A possible serious infection | Seek urgent medical care. Say that you take an SGLT2 inhibitor |
| Nausea, vomiting, belly pain, or unusual tiredness, especially while ill or eating much less | Possible ketoacidosis. See euglycemic DKA | Contact your care team the same day. Seek emergency care if you are very unwell |
What Can You Do?
Nothing here replaces advice from your prescriber or pharmacist.
- Tell your prescriber about past infections. The label says people with a history of genital yeast infections were more likely to have one.
- Know the signs. The labels list the early signs, and the urgent ones are in the table above.
- Call early. The label says to monitor for signs of genital infections and treat promptly if indicated. A short call to a prescriber or pharmacist is a reasonable first step for yeast symptoms.
- Get symptoms checked before self-treating. NIDDK says to talk with a health care professional first. CDC says anyone whose symptoms persist after an over-the-counter product should be evaluated and tested.
- Use general comfort habits. Womenshealth.gov and MedlinePlus suggest avoiding douches and scented products, wearing cotton underwear, and changing out of wet clothes. The label excerpts here do not say these habits prevent this side effect, so treat them as general comfort steps.
- Never stop the medicine on your own. Ask your prescriber what the options are if side effects bother you.
If you get sick, vomit, or cannot eat, ask your care team for written sick-day rules for your medicines. See what is euglycemic DKA? and can type 2 diabetics get DKA?.
When to Get Help
| What is happening | What to do |
|---|---|
| Pain, tenderness, redness, or swelling in the genital or perineal area with fever or feeling very unwell | Get urgent medical care. Do not wait for a routine appointment |
| Genital itching, redness, or discharge | Contact your prescriber or pharmacist |
| Yeast symptoms that do not clear after treatment, or that return | See a clinician for testing |
| Discharge with fever or pelvic or belly pain | Contact your provider right away (MedlinePlus) |
| You are unsure whether a symptom is serious | Call your care team or pharmacist |
Questions to Ask Your Care Team
- Is my medicine an SGLT2 inhibitor?
- Does my history of yeast infections change how this medicine fits me?
- What should I do if I notice itching or discharge?
- Which signs mean I should go to urgent care?
- Who should I call after hours?
- Should I have sick-day rules written down?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do SGLT2 inhibitors cause yeast infections?
Their labels say they increase the risk of genital yeast infections in both women and men. The label for one dapagliflozin product reports female infections in about 9% of people on the medicine against 1.5% on placebo, and male infections in about 4% against 0%. Other medicines in the class have their own labels.
Why do SGLT2 inhibitors cause yeast infections?
The label says the medicine increases urinary glucose excretion, which means more sugar passes into the urine. The label says this increases the risk of genital yeast infections. Yeast grows more easily where there is more sugar.
Should I stop my SGLT2 inhibitor if I get a yeast infection?
Do not stop it on your own. Contact your prescriber or pharmacist, who can check what the infection is and how to treat it. If you have pain, tenderness, redness, or swelling in the genital or perineal area with fever or feeling very unwell, get urgent medical care.
What is Fournier's gangrene and is it linked to SGLT2 inhibitors?
It is a rare, life-threatening infection of the tissue around the genitals and perineum. Labels for this class list it as a warning, and the MHRA and FDA issued notices in 2019 and 2018. Cases have been reported in both men and women. It is an emergency.
Can men get yeast infections from SGLT2 inhibitors?
Yes. The label reports male genital yeast infections, and says balanitis was the most common. CDC says topical antifungal treatment can relieve balanitis symptoms. A clinician should check, since other conditions can look similar.
Are yeast infections more likely if I have had them before?
Yes. The dapagliflozin label reports that people with a history of genital yeast infections were more likely to have one during the trials. Tell your prescriber about past infections so they can take this into account.
References
- XIGDUO XR (dapagliflozin and metformin hydrochloride extended-release) tablets. U.S. prescribing information. Revised August 2026. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed November 2026.
- SEGLUROMET (ertugliflozin and metformin hydrochloride) tablets. U.S. prescribing information. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed November 2026.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. "SGLT2 inhibitors: reports of Fournier's gangrene (necrotising fasciitis of the genitalia or perineum)." Drug Safety Update. February 18, 2019. Accessed November 2026.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "FDA warns about rare occurrences of a serious infection of the genital area with SGLT2 inhibitors for diabetes." Drug Safety Communication. August 29, 2018.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Vulvovaginal Candidiasis." Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021. Accessed November 2026.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. "Diabetes, Sexual, & Bladder Problems." National Institutes of Health. Accessed November 2026.
- Office on Women's Health. "Vaginal yeast infections." womenshealth.gov. Accessed November 2026.
- MedlinePlus. "Vaginal discharge." National Library of Medicine. Accessed November 2026.
- Choi CI. "Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors from Natural Products: Discovery of Next-Generation Antihyperglycemic Agents." Molecules. 2016;21(9):1136. Accessed November 2026.
Next Steps
Check the name of your medicine with your pharmacist, ask for written sick-day rules, and save your care team's after-hours number. If any urgent sign appears, get care first and call afterward.
For adults with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes who want optional lifestyle education alongside medical care, the Done With Diabetes™ program, a protocol for type 2 diabetes, organizes lifestyle education about food, movement, sleep, and stress. It does not diagnose or treat infections or diabetes, interpret symptoms or test results, change medicines, or replace your care team.