FGI uses 36+ different protocols for vulvodynia. Each person in started in the algorithm at a place determined by their personal hormone profile and results of their VFA testing. All medications have different response times to their intended condition. For instance, a bladder infection consistently responds in 3-5 days to an antibiotic. It might take 6 months to affect a cholesterol profile and and over 1 year to impact bone thinning or osteopenia. So how long dose it take to improve the health of the vaginal mucosal? Short answer, it’s 4 months. On average, most FGI clients are 50-60% better in 4 months then it takes another 4 month to reach 80-90% better, then by around 12 months most have recovered. But in medicine we are dealing with the tissues physiologic response to nutrients, hormones and medicines. The response is actually a bell shaped curve. Some slower some faster. About 10% fully respond in 4 months, and about 10-15% have little or no response by 4 month and can take upwards of of several years. Consider the following testimony. It took her 3 years to get near full resolution.
“I have seen Dr. Fowler for the past 3 years and he has seriously changed my life. I have had vulvodynia for five years since I was about age 15. I went to maybe 10-15 different doctors to try and figure out what was going on. None of them knew what it was and most of them just said to "drink more water". I would miss school and work because I was in so much pain. Some days, I wouldn't even be able to walk. But after I found Dr. Fowler, he knew exactly what was wrong and fixed me up. It is 3 years later and I am about 95% to 99% better. I do not have many flare ups anymore and I can live my life without worrying. I am so grateful for him and highly suggest you see him if you are having any vaginal problems.” M. Flagstaff, Az.
If you were a gynecologist reading this testimony, the first thing that comes to mind after reviewing the medical history of a patient that has already seen 10-15 doctors is “I don’t want to see that patient.” Even given the best of care from a knowledgable physician, the fact remains some vaginal mucosa is more refractory to treatment than others. It takes some persistence and patience especially for the 10-15% slow responders. The art of the FGI practice is understanding how to change the protocol based on the shifts that occur on the Vaginal Fluid Analysis testing; fortunately their is an objective measure to monitor the progress despite the clinical response.