AV Clear directly kills harmful bacteria. After the AV-related bacteria, like Enterococcus, E. coli, or Staphylococcus, are kicked out, their vacated parking spaces will be open. Other bacteria may come in to take these parking spaces in a first-come, first-served manner.
If beneficial Lactobacillus bacteria take these vacated spaces, you recover from AV. But if BV-related bacteria come, you may develop BV. If AV-related bacteria return to reoccupy these places, your AV recurs.
After your AV is cleared with AV Clear, within 24-48 hours (1-2 days), you can start to apply a NeuEve product for health maintenance. You can choose the appropriate product based on your age:
- BV Clear (age < 40),
- NeuEve Gold (40-50),
- Silver (50-55)
- Silk (55-70)
- Velvet (>70)
These products can help create an environment favorable for the good Lactobacillus bacteria to grow. The good bacteria will grow and take over the vacated spaces left by the AV-related bacteria.
For maintenance to stop AV from coming back, you can use 1 BV Clear or Gold suppository per week, 1 Silver every 5 days, or 1 Silk or Velvet twice a week, skipping the menstrual period week. One pack is good for a 1-month supply.
This article was written for BV, but it is the same idea for AV.
How to stop BV from coming back?
The benefits of BV Clear are that it will help you clear any residual BV-related bacteria and maintain a low vaginal pH that promotes Lactobacillus to grow back.
The benefits of NeuEve Gold, Silver, or Silk for peri- and postmenopausal women are twofold:
- Deliver nutrients to help reverse vaginal atrophy and dryness. A healthy, moist vagina without atrophy is like a filled pond with a high level of water. Only fish (anaerobic bacteria) can grow in it. Land animals like rabbits (aerobic bacteria) cannot grow due to the lack of oxygen. If you have vaginal atrophy and dryness, your "pond" is dry. There are no fish, only land animals (aerobic bacteria). If this is the case, using NeuEve Gold may help you change it back to normal. A dry pond allows aerobic bacteria to grow. By changing the environment to a water-filled pond, you will get fish. Land animals will not come. Otherwise, if you do not change the environment, aerobic bacteria can easily grow back.
- Change the micro-environment to promote growth of Lactobacillus. NeuEve Gold, Silver, or Silk also delivers nutrients to help friendly Lactobacillus bacteria to come back and retake the parking space. Once the parking spaces are taken by good bacteria, bad bacteria cannot colonize the vagina because they cannot find a parking space. This phenomenon is called "space exclusion" in ecology.
- If you have a good amount of protective Lactobacillus bacteria (like over 70%), you may not need to take probiotic supplements. Otherwise, taking probiotic supplements may help you speed up recovery. This article explains.
Repeated infection of the same bad bacteria suggests a possible reservoir.
The most likely reservoir for bad bacteria re-infecting the vagina is the gut. Common microorganisms from the gut include E. coli, Enterococcus, group B strep, and the yeast Candida. Eating probiotic foods like yogurt with active culture, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc., and probiotic pills (like Fem Dophilus) may help reduce bad bacteria in the gut.
Another possible reservoir is the bladder. Common bladder bacteria include E. coli, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, and Ureaplasma. Taking these supplements may help you reduce the bacterial count in the bladder.
The third possible reservoir is the skin. Common bacteria from the skin include Staphylococcus. Taking showers frequently and using a good soap helps reduce the bacterial load on the skin.
The fourth possible reservoir is the intimate partner. This article explains.
To stop AV from coming back, you can also change your lifestyle to avoid re-infection caused by fecal contamination:
- Change synthetic fiber underwear to 100% cotton and change it at least once a day.
- Wipe from front to back, not from back to front, to reduce the risk of fecal contamination.
- Wash the butt at least once a day with mild soap.
To improve your chance of establishing good Lactobacillus bacteria, you may take probiotics as detailed in this article: To clear AV, when should I take probiotics to be most beneficial?