Vaginal infections are normal occurrences for everyone that has a vagina. However, they are not talked about enough because of the shame surrounding most women issues. In this article, eight Nigerian women talk about having vaginal infections.
Chichi, 23
I keep a clean toilet and I avoid general toilets so it was odd when I noticed my vagina was itching. It felt good to scratch it so I did and when I did, the itching reduced. One day, after a night of itching, I woke up to see that the skin there had peeled. It was painful so I told my friends about it. They told me I probably have an infection. They gave me the drugs they use but I also went to see a pharmacist, who gave me something else that cleared the infection and stopped the itching.
Bisola, 19
I didn鈥檛 know I had an infection because I didn鈥檛 experience any symptoms until one of the guys I was having sex with told me. He said since I was not having any symptoms, I didn鈥檛 need to worry. I had had sex with a different person and that person complained about having a sharp pain while urinating. That was when I took it seriously. By this time, I had already given it three guys. I went to the pharmacy and got treated for it.
Jumoke, 25
One day when I was in SS3, my lower abdomen started hurting. I thought it was so I went home. My dad took me to the hospital and the doctors ran some tests. When the results came out, the doctor said it was . My dad started shouting at me and accusing me of sleeping around. He called me a prostitute. I was just 14 鈥 I had not even had my first kiss. The doctor had to explain that it was from an untreated . He gave me drugs and that ended.
When I was 19, I had another infection. I had started having sex and I noticed some discharge. I told my friends about it and they suggested drugs I could take. I eventually took a test and found out it was candidiasis. I couldn鈥檛 my parents this time so I kept it to myself.
Tare, 20
I had an infection when I was in 100 level. My vagina was itchy, red and leaking foul-smelling discharge. It was also painful when I urinate. I googled these symptoms and I saw that I had a yeast infection. I also googled again how to treat it. The internet said I shouldn’t scratch when it itches, use warm water to wash up and use anti-bacteria medication. I ended up using a cream and it went within a week.
Zainab, 24
I was doing my diploma and I went to see my boyfriend. We had sex while I was with him. Eventually, I returned home. My parents noticed that I was always weak so before I returned to school, they took me to the hospital to run tests. They didn鈥檛 say anything until the day I was going back to school. My mum brought out the test results. She asked if I was sexually active and before I could answer, she said my test results showed that I had a sexually transmitted infection. I couldn’t say anything to her.
The ride to school that day was incredibly long. My dad called me a loose girl and that he鈥檚 ashamed that his first child won鈥檛 be getting married a virgin. My mum was sad because my dad kept saying, 鈥淪ee your daughter.鈥 He said stuff about how she didn鈥檛 do her part as a mother. He said a lot of degrading stuff to me on that ride. When I got to school, he took me to the school hospital. There, he told the nurses that I slept around and got an infection. Every day when I went there for treatment, I was reminded of the mental trauma I faced. It was a tough experience.
Tosin, 19
This year, I’ve had three yeast infections. They kept reoccurring until I realized the cause was the lube I was using. Funny enough I found out on a TikTok video. The person said that the glycerine in lubes could cause yeast infections. I checked mine and saw that it was the major ingredient. I haven鈥檛 gotten an infection since I stopped using that lube.
Winnie, 20
I have had vaginal infections three times. The first time I had one I was in secondary school. My vagina was itching but there was no discharge. When I got home, I used some creams for it and it got better. The second time I had a urinary tract infection. That one was terrible. Urinating was painful and I peed blood. Sometimes I won鈥檛 be able to walk because of the abdominal pains that came with the infection. I took some drugs for it and felt better eventually.
The most recent one was a sexually transmitted infection. It also caused painful urination, abdominal pains and itching. It was really uncomfortable especially when I was in public. Itching it hurt and it took a long time to go away after treatment. I always tell ladies to be careful with the toilets they use and the people they have sex with. Infections are a very unpleasant experience.
Gina, 21
In 2019, I had a yeast infection. My discharge was like cottage cheese and my vaginal itched like crazy. I was scared so I told my friend. She said it was an infection and it was normal. I went to see a pharmacist and I was prescribed drugs that cured the infection. Since then I have had vaginal infections a number of times and I can say we don鈥檛 talk about it enough.
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