The first time I heard of a yeast infection was when I went to summer camp when I was twelve. A girl in my cabin admitted to getting a yeast infection from the camp pool, and I was immediately exposed to the stigma surrounding yeast infections. It wasn’t until my junior year in college when I experienced my first yeast infection... Did I say my first? Well, I mean my first five.
The best way I can describe my first yeast infection was the constant itch, burn, and discomfort that I experienced 24/7. It was the type of itch where you wanted to get a miniature round brush and go to town on your Queen V. I couldn’t find any sort of relief whatsoever! I tried creams, pills, suppositories, and eventually antibiotics. Sadly, with the medication, I had been put on for my hormonal acne, yeast infections basically became a part of my life. If I didn’t have a yeast infection, I was constantly thinking about how to prevent one.
I never really knew if other girls my age were experiencing the same things as I was, because no one liked to talk about their V’s, especially when it came to infections. When I discovered Queen V, I finally felt as if I wasn’t alone. I found a group of women who are not only comfortable talking about the importance of women’s health but are also doing things to better it.