Just thought I'd add my two cents. I had never had a yeast infection til 2 years ago. I am 21. And I didn't know what it was and tried all kinds of creams and didn't go to the doctor til 2 months later, because I was so embarassed and thought time would heal it. Anyway, I have had about 2 more since then that required medication. The last one was recently that I am still getting over. I have come to the conclusion that it is my bc though because it all started when I switched to seasonale. So in March when this one started I just quit takin it. Then I got some over the counter cream, thinking it would work. It didn't. I tried all sorts of stuff, until finally about 3 weeks ago I went back to the doc. My infections aren't like the typical I guess you could say. It usually affected the vulva and not the vagina (the inside) and I would get these itchy, itchy bumps. So diflucan would help, but not really enough to get those suckers to so this one stuff that works for me called nystatin but it has to be the one with the steriod too. I don't know why, the plain nystatin just don't work. But now 3 weeks later the bumps are finally disappearing greatly. Thank god. Not only that but the burning is finally gone. I swear it was so bad I stayed home for a week in boxers trying not to move. I feel like a brand new person now. Nothin makes you apprecite everyday life like a yeast infection. Anyways some things I have learned through my countless hours of research and the doc is don't use soap period down there. I know it sounds kinda gross and really for the first few weeks I did it which was recently. I still felt gross, especially since I still had the infection. But I really think it helps. I am a hypocondriact though. So I stick with things that I think work and I think my confidence in them helps with recovery. And you really are clean down there with just taking your fingures opening your folds (sorry don't know technical term) and and just kinda rinsing it off. Don't use towels down there either. It causes irratation and is drying. About the boyfreind thing I know how hard that is, because I wouldn't have sex with my boyfriend until the stuff was gone and he just had to know why, now who knows better than to ask. lol. But he was really understanding, I felt so disgusting and he was just like "it doesn't make you disgusting, it's normal, and it's a medical condition, it's not something you can control, you are not disgusting." Ultimatly it has made our relationship more open. Like you I can't even ask or tell my girlfriends about it because it is embarrasing, but I can talk to him. I really try not to as much anymore since he knows what goes on and it really is gross at least to me. I know if it was him I wouldn't want to hear all about it. Anywho, sorry so long, hopefully something helped you or someone at least.
