<![CDATA[Stress is human psychological response or reaction when confronted with things that are considered has exceeded the limit or difficult to deal with. Psychological stress affects the hypothalamus which further affects the production of Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (CRH). CRH will affect the pituitary that produces Adreno Corticotropin Hormone (ACTH). ACTH then affects the adrenal glands that produce glucocorticoid hormones. Through the Hipotalamus Pitiutari Adrenal axis (HPA axis), there will be an increase in endogenous glucocorticoids, namely cortisol and catecholamines. The combination of these two hormones during stress is immunosuppressive and increases susceptibility to the growth of Candida albicans colonies in the vagina. Objective: This study aims to determine whether there is a relationship between stress levels with the growth of Candida albicans colonies in vaginal secretions of housewives. Method: The type of research used is descriptive analytic using cross sectional design. The number of samples in this study were 30 housewives. Sampling was done by using consecutive sampling technique. Data analysis was done by using Chi-Square statistic test. Results: Obtained from 30 samples, 8 people (26.7%) were found in normal state, 5 people (16.7%) with mild stress, 15 people (50%) with moderate stress and 2 people (11. 5%) with severe stress. As for the number of colonies of Candida albicans in vaginal secretions obtained 7 people (23.3%) had a normal amount of Candida albicans colonies and 23 people (76.7%) had an increased number of Candida albicans colonies. Chi-Square statistical test results from this study shows the results of the p-value = 0.001 Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between stress level with the growth of Candida albicans colonies in vaginal secretions of housewives.]]>
