You may be tempted to order one of the many types of vaginal microbiome test kits available on the internet to determine if you have vaginal dysbiosis. These tests range between $60-200.00. While they sound impressive because they use next-gen sequencing and/or metaqgenomic sequencing.  they are stuck on making one of 4 types of vaginitis; bacterial vaginosis (BV), trichomonas, yeast or atropic vaginitis. Not one of these has been the underlying etiology of chronic vaginal disorders diagnosed and treated by FGI. Many of the tests also look for the STD’s chlamydia and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Neither of these is an underlying etiology of the chronic vaginal conditions  either. What women need for the chronic vaginal symptoms addressed by FGI is a Vaginal Fluid Analysis (VFA ) test.

The VFA test was developed and published by Dr. Fowler while he practiced gynecology at Mayo Clinic. (In 2011, at the ISSVD World Congress XXI in Paris France, Dr. Fowler presented “Quantification of Normal Vaginal Constituents by New Wet Prep Technique,” subsequently published in: J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2012 Oct;16(4):437-41. The VFA test is  preformed exclusively at the CLIA certified Fowler Gyn International Laboratories (FGIL). It’s located at FGI headquarters and results are available in 7 minutes. This means you get your results and protocol at your appointment. FGI has the only laboratory in the country that I know of dedicated to the evaluation for the vaginal constituents. It’s a one of a kind.

It gives the relative quantitative measurement of constituents in the vagina that reflect vaginal health. These include the maturation index of squamous cells, the relative concentration of squamous cells and the pattern of bacteria on the cells; the presence, concentration and type of wbc’s; the relative concentration and quality of lactobacilli; the relative concentration of non-lactobacilli, anaerobic and aerobic bacteria; and the presence and relative concentration of blastospores and/or pheudohyphae yeast elements.

Thousands of women have been treated with success at Fowler Gyn International (FGI) with this breakthrough approach. It has been over a century that some of these conditions had no known etiology let alone any consistent successful treatment.  Now you can get your life back.

Feeling like you are getting no where for the treatment of vulvodynia? Consider the five years of frustration by the patient below. Can you relate?

Five years ago, I was first diagnosed with BV. Little did I know that it would be a long, painful, and extremely frustrating journey that disrupted my physical and sexual well being. I was diagnosed with BV again and again. My gynecologist did little to help me. She prescribed the same antibiotics for me for years every time I came in. The ongoing infection never seemed to go away. The only other treatment tried by my gynecologist was some sort of dye, which she tried once with no luck. She never suggested anything new or other options, even though over the years and frequent visits she came to know me very well. It almost seemed to not phase her, as if it were normal for this woman in her 20s. My sex life and my relationship was stressed, because of this ongoing problem. I felt guilt for not being able to do things with my body that I wanted to and should be able to at my age. My relationship suffered. I feared having sex, because I feared being in pain and having to tell my partner to stop. What should be something for a couple to enjoy together became something that I feared and put off, or even suffered through the pain. Even at work I would be in pain walking around sometimes to the point of tears. Well, I lost my insurance coverage for a while and went to Planned Parenthood to get my medications. It got to the point that I went through 12-14 rounds of antibiotics... I had had enough. There had to be someone out there who knew more then what other doctors I had seen knew. I started looking up specialists in women's vaginal health online. I then found Dr. Fowler's website and watched his video. Finally, maybe someone who could help me. NOW I'm like a billion time better!!! I'm very pleased. The pain with intercourse has resolved so it is so nice to have a regular sex life again. D. Phoenix, AZ

This would seem like an unusual situation but at Fowler Gyn International in Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Fowler has seen hundreds of women who have seen one provider who offers the same treatment over and over or multiple providers who have offered the same treatments. Why? Because very few gynecologists have little if any training in the mamagement of vulvovaginal conditions. Their knowledge is rudimentary. Despite this, the insurance companies continue to pay them for each visit, so the financial reward remains despite their lack of expertice. At Fowler Gyn International (FGI), they have developed effective treatment protocols for pain with intercourse which is the result of years of clinical observation and research by the founder, board certified gynecologist, Dr. R. Stuart Fowler. Contact them at http://www.fowlergyninternational.com/contact-us to learn more.