*This post has been sponsored by MONISTAT®. As always, all opinions and thoughts presented are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Coming Up Roses!

Alright, chicas. It’s time for some TMI.

You know TMI, right? Too much information. And we’re about to get all TMI on a topic I never in a million years (or at least the two years of having this pink space) thought I’d talk about on le internet. Vaginas.

Specifically, yeast infections.

Now before you go all “Oh my gosh Erica, you’re seriously writing about yeast infections right now?!?!?“, the answer is yes, I’m seriously writing about yeast infections right now. No, I wasn’t struck on the head nor was I driven by money, nor did I run out of things to share or lose my mind. In all honesty, when MONISTAT® approached me to collaborate, I was thinking “Heck no heck no heck no run far and fast, never will you talk about down undah on dah blog.”

But then I got to thinking.

Coming Up Roses is meant to be this hub of inspiration and funny and pretty things, but at its core, I really hope that it helps you. I always hope that with every post, you leave this space (after having clicked around, read a few posts, and clicked a few affiliate links for a grand total of $0.05) feeling like it was a benefit to you and an uplift to your day.

Here’s the thing about yeast infections.

3 out of 4 women experience at least one in their lifetime. And from MONISTAT®’s research of 1,000 women aged 16-25, over half of these chicas have no clue what to do about them if/when they come along.

Let me tell you something – I’m in that 75% who has been graced with one before, and it sucks. It sucks so much, and I can’t even share with you the analogy that I told my momma that had us both in stitches, because future employers might pop by this space from time to time. All I can say is it involved fireants.

Besides the slue of women who don’t know what to do about YI’s when they come along, 60% of women who can name or know at least one symptom don’t know the actual causes of why the heck it happened in the first place. And these facts need changing, so that’s why Coming Up Roses is coming to your rescue. After personally dealing with them before and having friends and family who have also dealt with them, I can speak for everyone in saying that yeast infections suck, and having no clue what to do or why it’s happening all. just. sucks.

So I want to help decrease the sheer unpleasantness and hopefully shed some light on the matter, so that approximately 75% of you blossoming people who will likely get one at some point or another will at least be able to not full-out panic while furiously scrolling WebMD. Instead, you can just focus on furiously instructing your significant other, mom or best friend to drive faster towards the drug store to go pick up MONISTAT®. HA.

Now.

This infographic should clear a few things up:

OK, did you know all of that? So before you go freaking out and trying to put yogurt where it seriously doesn’t belong, breathe a sigh of relief and know that a.) you’re not alone, b.) you can hop over to the closest drugstore and get relief fast, and c.) even if you’re never had a yeast infection before, it’s probably going to happen to you, but you’re not alone so it’s OK and you can still be prepared.

Yeast infections manifest themselves in the form of itch. Lots of itch, where you’ll likely feel like there are literally fireants where there should not be fireants if ya catch mah drift. So if you’re menstruating (or even ovulating!), getting over being sick, switching medications, going in hot tubs or taking long baths…you’ve been warned.

If you want to test your own know-how and figure out whether or not you’re really prepped on YI’s, head to ItsTimeforTMI.com and take the TMI quiz, gets tips from a leading OB-GYN, and get a free sample of the Chafing Relief Powder Gel®* from MONISTAT®Complete Care™ (*while supplies last). And a fun sidenote, I just read the other day that this Chafing gel is supposedly a *perfect* lookalike to the Smashbox Pore Perfecting foundation Primer. So if you made it this far into a blog post on vaginas, that is your prize. (;

MONISTAT® is the #1 doctor-recommended over-the-counter, antifungal yeast infection treatment that relieves symptoms and cures the infection. The brand offers a portfolio of cure products, including 1-, 3- and 7-Day treatments, which are available in three forms – ovule, cream and suppository – and are designed to help women confidently address their vaginal health needs on their terms. Regardless of the dose (1-,3-, or 7-day treatments), it will take up to seven days to fully cure the infection. The brand also offers the MONISTAT® Complete Care™ line, which includes an Instant Itch Relief Cream, Vaginal Health Test, Stay Fresh Feminine Freshness Gel, and Chafing Relief Powder Gel®. I’m a fan of the 7-day treatments myself, just because ain’t nobody got time to be wasting on these little devils and it’s best to be 100% sure you stop it in its tracks.

Now I’m not quite sure we want to swap yeast infection stories as our little conversation starter here, so instead, can we share…