What Symptoms Have Been Attributed with Recurrent Yeast Infections?

The following are a number of real-life symptom scenarios:

Told on multiple occasions that it was yeast by looking at slides but cultures were all reported as being negative. Seen by several doctors and given multiple courses of fluconazole, boric acid vaginal suppositories and treated with gentian violet all without sustained relief.

Thick white discharge has persisted for months causing itching, slight odor, and burning on urination. The diagnosis was yeast but did not respond to multiple treatments including topical antifungals, oral fluconazole (Diflucan®), or gentian violet.

Itching and burning for several years with yellowish discharge. Sometimes told by a physician that it’s a yeast infection, sometimes told it’s a bacterial infection.

Chronic vaginal infection with itching, burning, irritation, and tingly sensation. One doctor thought it was yeast and so did a second doctor but both vaginal cultures came back negative. No response to Diflucan® or boric acid suppositories.

Without weekly use of an antifungal, vaginal itching, burning and soreness invariable becomes a problem. Off treatment the vaginal culture always grows out Candida Galbrata.

What Causes Recurrent Yeast Infections?

The vagina has a normal micro-flora ecosystem consisting of 30+ co-existing strains of bacteria at any one time. Normally, the “good” bacteria known as lactobacilli predominate and are numerous enough to coat the entire vaginal mucosal surfaces forming a protective barrier. Lactobacilli make certain chemicals that provide additional defense against other organisms. These include lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other peroxidases which suppress the other “bad” bacteria normally present in the vagina to keep them at low concentration levels where they rarely cause harm. Problems arise when the lactobacilli do not thrive and a shift in bacteria milieu occurs where the “bad” bacteria dominate causing one of several “Altered Vaginal Micro-Flora Patterns.” Symptoms can arise from one of two pathways or a combination of the two: First, the resulting secretions bathe the vaginal walls all the way down to and including the tissues surrounding the vaginal opening causing variable symptoms of discharge, odor, irritation, itching, burning, and urinary urgency/frequency depending on the innate sensitivity of the vaginal and external genital tissues. Second, the altered micro-flora pattern can act like a culture media which enables yeast to grow in the vagina. The most common vaginal yeast is Candida Albicans but women who have true recurrent yeast often have one of the non-albicans strains which tend to be more resistant to treatment such as C. Galbrata, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, C. Krusei and C. pseudotropicalis, and others. Eradication of these strains includes restoring the vaginal mucosa to its usual state of good health so the conditions are not conducive to yeast growth. Treatment with only antifungals in this setting will result in a transient response then relapse.  This is why you may be among many women who have visited their physicians multiple times only to be told over and over that you have a yeast infection on one occasion and then a bacterial infection on another occasion.  Sound familiar?  In actuality, you may never have had either! It could be that you just have an altered vaginal micro-flora pattern. Often there is no documentation of the diagnosis. The healthcare provider may have just told you that it’s recurrent yeast; well knowing they weren’t sure about the cause of your problem. Many women are treated for yeast despite negative vaginal yeast cultures. By the time most women with these symptoms find a vaginal expert, they have a bag full of failed medications; none of which have resulted in a sustained response. While a very small percentage of women with these symptoms do have true recurrent yeast, the vast majority do not. AND if you actually do have recurrent yeast, there is an underlying condition in the vagina increasing the propensity for the recurrence which needs to be corrected! 

In any event, you are probably wondering how your vagina got out of kilter in the first place. There is a number of what FGI refers to as “vaginal insults” that can affect the health of the vagina mucosa. The full list of vaginal insults will be provided to you embedded in your personalized treatment protocol. If the vaginal insult was transient and the correct diagnosis truly was yeast, then a standard course of antifungal therapy should have solved the problem. However, if the vaginal insult that affects the vaginal nutrients is sustained, then the treatment needs to encompass that portion of vaginal health. At FowlerGynInternational, the approach is to fix the underlying vaginal problem as well to restore the normal flora to the vagina rather than providing a band aide for the symptoms. If you are ready for expert help, click Potential Client-Sign Me Up.

Why Haven’t My Doctors Been Able to Fix Me?

The majority of healthcare providers are unaware of how to analyze for the vaginal constituents that are indicative of excellent vaginal health. The reason being, very few gynecologists specialize in the treatment of vaginal disorders. Plus preforming a quantitative wet prep analysis requires extra time, training, an advance set of skills and expensive phase-contrast microscopic equipment. The current standard of care utilized by practitioners still relies on antiquated vaginal “wet prep” method that has not changes in nearly a century and the characteristics that constitute altered vaginal micro-flora patterns go unrecognized.

Advanced Diagnostic Technology to Analyze Vaginal Fluids

In October of 2012, Dr. Fowler published a breakthrough in the understanding of the vaginal micro-flora analysis preformed under phase-contrast microscopy titled, “Quantification of normal vaginal constituents using a new wet prep technique.” He had been using this technique many years for women with vaginal symptoms but for the first time, the relative concentrations and constituents of what constitutes “normal” became known. This knowledge is essential because these patterns become the therapeutic goal of vaginal therapy. Prior to the release of this study, it was only inferred by clinical deduction as to what constituted healthy vaginal constituents.  Reference: R.S. Fowler. Quantification of normal vaginal constituents using a new wet prep technique.  J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2012 Oct; 16(4):437-441.

How can FGI Help You

It’s your turn to get advanced technology working for you. Dr. R. Stuart Fowler took early retirement from the Mayo Clinic, where he worked as a staff  gynecologist specializing in vaginal disorders and bio-identical hormones, to hosts this website and makes his knowledge & expertise of evaluating women with vaginal conditions for over 20 years available online…to you, right now!

Ask yourself,

How long have I had this problem?

How many doctors have I seen?

Do I want to go through another pelvic exam? 

How much would I like to be rid of this problem?

If your answers are too long, too many, I hate pelvic exams, and that would be great!... Register today and get on the path tomorrow that could very well resolve your problem! You must be 18 and not pregnant, a resident of the US (residents of Texas and Oklahoma are not eligible due to restrictive laws on how medicine is delivered). Take the initiative so that you might be the next success story. You may register today if the ribbon on the header is green or yellow! If red, return another day and check availability or put your name on the wait list under “Contact Us” click waitlist@askfgi.com.

Your Options for Services from FGI are as Follows:

1) Potential Client- Sign Me Up. FGI will review your vaginal symptoms and general medical history questionnaire information and clarify the details on the phone with you, recommend the VFA Test if indicated, and create an individualized treatment protocol tailored to your condition with prescription medications! You can register either for “Virtual Services” delivered to the privacy of your residence or schedule an In-Office visit at FGI headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.

AND/OR

2) FeminaRx Pure SkinCare Collection. Order the highly praised, time proven, combination of skin products ideal for women with sensitive external genitalia tissues. It took Dr. Fowler 25 years of clinical observations to discover! You don't even need be an FGI Client to purchase.  You may buy these products right now and switch from your current products which likely contain common chemical irritants contributing to your symptoms.  You may think you’re using hypoallergenic products right now, but wait until you feel the difference. This collection contains five hypocontactant products recommended by FGI for all women with sensitive external genitalia skin particularly for those women with vaginal discharge associated with irritation, sensitivity, itching, burning, dryness/ chafed sensation, or sensitivity after shaving genital hair and sensation of urinary urgency/frequency. The Collection contains about 4 month supply of product.

Expectations for Response

While FGI cannot guarantee full resolution or the degree of response to prescribed treatments which can vary from person to person, it takes 4 months before notable improvement may occur in the symptoms. If not, the vaginal rejuvenate therapy may need to be changed because the vaginal mucosa of every woman does not uniformly respond to the same type or dosage of therapy. A vaginal fluid analysis (VFA Test) at that time can best clarify how to proceed. Fortunately, most women do experience relief of symptoms with the first line of therapy individualized to their situation. Are you ready for expert help?

Need More Proof that FGI is Here for You?

If you’re still hesitant and need more proof of the expertise and competency of FGI so that you can place your trust in an online medical consulting practice, take your time and investigate more of the information on the home page. Click on “How It All Works”and the “Organization.”  Under the Organization you will find the “CV of Board Certified R. Stuart Fowler, M.D.” where you can read about Dr. Fowler’s training, credentials, and 25 years of affiliation with the Mayo Clinic, and “How Dr. Fowler Developed His Expertise” in vaginalhealthCare. Read “Testimonials” for inspiring success stories of women who have used Dr. Fowler’s treatment protocols. Or call FGI HEADQUARTERS at 480-420-4001 in Scottsdale, Arizona during business hours and talk to the staff. The experts in vaginalhealthCare at FGI treat women with vaginal conditions with confidence. It’s a sub-specialty practice and they know exactly what they are doing. Are you ready for expert help?