u/forgetmeknotts

This is gross and I’m really embarrassed but I need advice and motivation.

There is a room in my house that we go in very rarely (unfortunate because it’s actually my favorite room in the house, the library). A while ago I went in there for the first time in months, and see that there was crusty dried pet poop on the carpet 😭 I am 95% sure it’s cat poop, since the cat sometimes curls up on there and the dogs never go in there, but as it appeared to be a, ah, ahem, loose movement, it’s not 100% recognizable. It had definitely been there for a long time.

I’ve been ignoring it because I don’t know where to start since it’s old and dried, but my parents are coming to visit in a few weeks and I am trying to use that as motivation to actually deal with it.

But I still don’t know how to start.

Do I need to rehydrate it first? Try to chip away at it while it’s dry? I think once the bulk of the matter is gone I know what to do, I have a carpet cleaner (like a wet vacuum type of thing), but how do I get it to the point where I can use that tool?

Executive dysfunction and task paralysis are hitting hard 🤦🏻‍♀️ I already struggle with shame and overwhelm about cleaning and clutter in general, and this is just adding to that weight.

TLDR: in my early 40s, new to semen in my vagina, how do I prevent yeast infections?

Ok so some backstory, I’ve had very little sex in my life. Mostly ignored through my teens and 20s, and into a nearly-immediate dead bedroom in my 30s. I was very responsible so every (rare) time I had sex I made sure to use a condom, though until recently I hadn’t had sex since I was 30 (when I say dead bedroom, I mean DEAD). This has been really difficult for me as I’m a highly sexual person with a strong libido, so around the time I was coming up on 40 I started making some changes in my life.

Within the past year I have gotten a new partner, we are very long distance so have only been able to see each other in person on two trips so far.

As I had a hysterectomy at 39 (kept my ovaries) and we were both negative for any STDs/STIs, we decided we didn’t want to use condoms. I don’t mean to be graphic but creampies are a bit of a kink of mine and I was so excited to finally be able to have that kind of sex.

We met for the first time for 5 days last September, and two days after the last time we had sex on that trip, I came down with an external yeast infection, though at the time I wasn’t sure what it was because I was traveling for several more weeks, so it wasn’t until I got back home and went to the doctor. (I also got an STD panel done as well as a test for BV and those were negative). Fluconazole took care of it pretty easily.

A few weeks ago I visited him for 2 weeks, and about 10 days after I got back home, I got a RAGING yeast infection. I can’t say with certainty it’s because of him/sex, but what are the odds???

I’m so disappointed/frustrated because I’m finally getting to have the sex I’ve always wanted (even though not super often), and it seems like my vagina went too long without ever encountering semen that it just can’t handle it or something 😭

MY QUESTION: How do I prevent yeast infections from sex/semen without using condoms? Are there supplements that actually work for vaginal microbiome, or probiotic creams or something? So many things I see seem like they’re just trying to make money off insecurities and aren’t actually legit… Is there any post-sex hygiene I’m not aware of? I always peed after sex (as much as possible anyway, sometimes didn’t have much urine), but that’s just for UTIs.

I also know that perimenopause might be playing a role here, I actually just got a prescription for the estradiol patch and will be starting that soon.

Any help or suggestions are appreciated 💜