Fairhaven Health IsoFresh Vaginal pH Balance Gel for Women | Stop Feminine Odor | Yeast Balance with Naturally Derived Ingredients | Water Based | Made Without Parabens | 12 Applications

"Lifesaver" might sound melodramatic, but for decades, on and off, I have dealt with bacterial vaginosis, also known as BV. [I am going to rant about BV and all of the things I tried first. If you want to hear my humble words about this product, scroll down past the asterisks.] BV that doesn't resolve on its own means time off work to go to the doctor, and often more than one round of vaginal antibiotic cream or oral antibiotics. (Antibiotics can save your life, but you really don't want to take them unless you have to!) Did I also mention that while you are suffering from BV and waiting for said antibiotics to work that you aren't going to be able to have sex? One thing I should mention is that if you repeatedly have BV, your partner may want to be treated, too. Also men with more than one sex partner are more likely to infect others. Bonus: BV can make you more susceptible to (other) STIs! This issue has transcended relationships for me, and I can attest that it has been a continuing issue for me. You don't have to be sexually active in any way to have BV. My hormonal fluctuations alone seem to affect my vaginal pH, resulting in BV sometimes. I have also found that Planned Parenthood was more willing to treat BV than some doctors.Products that help your vaginal pH like to tout that they are for odor. Does anyone REALLY care about the odor? Yes, it can be bad, but I care much more about that horrible, uncomfortable itchiness. I especially care about the UTIs that can come from untreated BV. It is BV—and not a yeast infection—that causes that (sometimes fishy) bad odor and a bit of off-white discharge. (Yeast infections cause chunky white clumps, not unlike some aged dairy product.) Here's a fun fact: BV can make you more susceptible to having a UTI, or having repeated UTIs, because it encourages certain bacteria to grow. Google it! As if BV weren't bad enough on its own then you might have to contend with a UTI, or even a kidney infection. (Don't even get me started on a UTI that took two months and three rounds of antibiotics to treat...)For BV, I have tried it all. "Wiping front to back!" as helpful health care professionals always suggest. Bleaching my tub before a bath. Cotton undies. No undies that move, like a thong might. Changing clothes after a workout (if tempted to leave them on). I have tried yogurt, both eating it and desperately using it suppository-style. For awhile I drank kefir every day. I have tried boric acid suppositories (yes, the same stuff that cheap property managers use to kill roaches). I have tried probiotics especially formulated for my feminine flora, some much more expensive than others ($20-$50). (I did not ever try a douche because it's my understanding that douching can upset pH, too. No vaginal steaming, either.) I stopped using any sort of body wash or soap product near my thighs, crotch, and nether regions except for Vagisil pH wash (Target discontinued theirs, which I liked even better), Defense bar soap on the inside of my thighs, and for chub rub, I use Lady Anti-Monkey Butt powder (it works, and has no talc to lead to cervical cancer: always a plus!). I stopped using silicone-based or runner's/sports products for chafing on my thighs. I also take epsom salt baths, but I am not one for bath bombs. As far as lubes go, most seem to bother me, so I am still on the hunt for a water-based one (probably sans glycerin) that I feel safe using. I also avoid nonoxynol-9. Just having sex without lube (nothing crazy and right after we have both showered) can throw off my pH, resulting in BV.*****Aside from my careful use of appropriate products in and around my vag, this gel, *IsoFresh*, is what most reliably works to keep things in order. I have not had any doctor visits for BV as long as I use this when I start to feel "off." I tend to use it preemptively after sex. It's great to put some in when you get up to pee after sex (do it to prevent a UTI!). Before I found IsoFresh, I first used a certain name brand product that is somewhere around $4 per use and always wastes some left in the single-use applicator (you might be familiar with RepHresh?). IsoFresh is a better price, AND you can decide how much you want to use: it's a tube that comes with two applicators (wash the applicator after use).The white discharge you might see after using a vaginal pH gel is normal: it's the sloughing of dead cells and bacteria (don't worry: you're getting rid of the stuff that needs to go). I can't promise that this product will fix you, but it has sure helped me to manage BV. For me, IsoFresh has been a lifesaver.TL;DR. BV really sucks, and IsoFresh is a lifesaver when it comes to BV.

If I could give this more stars I would. As a recurrent BV sufferer, I feel your pain! We all know how detrimental to our self esteem this stubborn condition is. What I have come to accept (after multiple antibiotic treatments) is that until we have medication that actually breaks down the bacterial biofilm, it’s very difficult to eradicate recurrent BV. So I have switched my focus on suppression instead, by maintaining my vaginal pH in the acidic range. This gel is wonderful. I did not experience any discomfort/burning. There is no perfume or odor. The consistency is of a thicker gel and I didn’t experience leakage during the day like with others. And the amount to be used is half the amount of other brands, so this little tube lasts all month. Now having said all of this, let’s establish that this product is ideal for maintenance. I am not a physician and am solely sharing my personal experience and what worked for me: I started by making an appointment at my Gynecologist’s office and asked her to prescribe the current FDA recommended protocol for recurrent BV which is oral metronidazole followed by 4 months of metrogel vaginally. When I completed that, and having wiped out all my bacteria (good and bad) with the antibiotics, I purchased a bottle of Florafemme probiotic suppositories to re-establish my Lactobacillus in an effort to bring some balance to my natural flora and used the 6 pills (one per night). Upon completion of the Florafemme, I started with this gel and used it religiously, every 3 nights. But be warned you can throw your pH balance off the other direction and end up with Cytolytic Vaginosis (an overgrowth of Lactobacilli) which is irritating and needs treatment as well. I stoped using the Isofresh since I don’t need it anymore, but it did work! I have not had any funky odor since! I feel so much happier and confident. It was really stressing me out and making me feel insecure in my relationship with my boyfriend. Now I’m back to my normal more relaxed and fun self and our relationship is thriving. I am sharing all this with you because it really has made that much of an impact on my life. Hope this info helps!

The product works great, but if you order this product from The Pregnancy Store, beware that you will get inundated with embarrasing emails that state "How do you like your Vaginal Gel for Odor Control?" in the subject line, that will pop up while you are giving a presentation in front of work colleagues. At which point you can only stop your presentation and ask, "what do you think, team? Do I smell fishy? Is it working? What should I tell them?" And, of course, you don't smell fishy, because the product works great, no fishy smell, even when your coworkers get up real close to your coot-coot, so the only other thing you have to contend with is the rumor that you might be pregnant, since the email comes from The Pregnancy Store.