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Bacterial Vaginosis Test

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What is a bacterial vaginosis (BV) test?

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection of the vagina. A healthy vagina contains a balance of both “good” (healthy) and “bad” (unhealthy) bacteria. Normally, the good type of bacteria keeps the bad type under control. A BV infection happens when the normal balance is upset and bad bacteria outgrows good bacteria.

Most BV infections are mild and sometimes go away on their own. Some women get BV and recover without even knowing they were infected. But BV infections can be more serious and may not clear up without treatment. Untreated BV may increase your risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, or HIV.

If you are pregnant and have a BV infection, it can increase your risk of having a premature (early) delivery or having a baby with a lower than normal birth weight (less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces at birth). Low birth weight can cause serious health problems in a baby, including infections, breathing difficulties, and troubles with feeding and gaining weight.

A BV test can help you get diagnosed and treated so you can avoid these serious health problems.

Other names: vaginal pH test, KOH test, wet mount test

What is it used for?

This test is used to diagnose BV infections.

Why do I need a BV test?

You may need testing if you have symptoms of BV. These include:

  • A grey or white vaginal discharge
  • A strong, fish-like odour, which may be worse after sex
  • Pain and/or itching in the vagina
  • Burning sensation when urinating

What happens during a BV test?

A BV test is done in a similar way as a pelvic exam or Pap smear. During the test,

  • You will take off your clothes below your waist. You will get a gown or sheet as a cover.
  • You will lie on your back on an exam table, with your feet in stirrups.
  • Your health care provider will insert a special tool called a speculum into your vagina. The speculum gently spreads apart the sides of your vagina.
  • Your provider will use a cotton swab or wooden stick to collect a sample of your vaginal discharge.
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The discharge will be looked at under a microscope to check for signs of infection.

Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?

You should not use tampons, douche, or have sex for at least 24 hours before your test.

Are there any risks to the test?

You may feel some mild discomfort when the speculum is put in your vagina.

What do the results mean?

If your results show you have a BV infection, your health care provider will probably prescribe antibiotic pills and/or antibiotic creams or gels that you can put directly into your vagina.

Sometimes a BV infection will come back after successful treatment. If this happens, your provider may prescribe different medicine or a different dose of the medicine you took before.

If you are diagnosed with BV and are pregnant, it’s important to treat the infection, because it can cause health problems for your unborn baby. Your health care provider will prescribe an antibiotic treatment that will be safe to take during pregnancy.

If your results show no BV bacteria, your health care provider may do more tests to find out the cause of your symptoms.

If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider.

Is there anything else I need to know about a BV test?

BV is not spread through female-to-male sexual contact. So if you are diagnosed with BV and have a male sexual partner, he will not need to be tested. But the infection can be spread between female sexual partners. If you have an infection and your partner is female, she should get a BV test.

Researchers aren’t sure what causes BV, but there are steps you can take that may lower your risk of infection. These include:

  • Don’t use douches
  • Limit your number of sex partners
  • Practice safe sex
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References

  1. ACOG: Women’s Healthcare Physicians [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; c2019. FAQ: Vaginitis; 2017 Sep [cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Vaginitis
  2. American Pregnancy Association [Internet]. Irving (TX): American Pregnancy Association; c2019. Bacterial Vaginosis During Pregnancy; [updated 2015 Aug; cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/bacterial-vaginosis-during-pregnancy
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Internet]. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Bacterial Vaginosis—CDC Fact Sheet; [cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/std/bv/stdfact-bacterial-vaginosis.htm
  4. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [Internet]. Philadelphia: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; c2019. Low Birth Weight; [cited 2019 Mar 26]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/low-birthweight
  5. Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2019. Vaginitis and Vaginosis; [updated 2018 Jul 23; cited 2019 Mar 24]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/conditions/vaginitis-and-vaginosis
  6. Mayo Clinic [Internet]. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c1998–2019. Bacterial Vaginosis: Diagnosis and Treatment; 2017 Jul 29 [cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 4 screens]. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bacterial-vaginosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352285
  7. Mayo Clinic [Internet]. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c1998–2019. Bacterial Vaginosis: Symptoms and Causes; 2017 Jul 29 [cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bacterial-vaginosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352279
  8. Mayo Clinic [Internet]. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c1998–2019. Pregnancy week by week; 2017 Oct 10 [cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 4 screens]. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-pregnancy/faq-20058542
  9. UF Health: University of Florida Health [Internet]. Gainesville (FL): University of Florida Health; c2019. Bacterial vaginosis aftercare: Description; [updated 2019 Mar 25; cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://ufhealth.org/bacterial-vaginosis-aftercare
  10. UW Health [Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; c2019. Health Information: Bacterial Vaginosis: Prevention; [updated 2017 Oct 6; cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 10 screens]. Available from: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/major/bacterial-infection/hw53097.html#hw53185
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  16. UW Health [Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; c2019. Health Information: Tests for Bacterial Vaginosis: How It Is Done; [updated 2017 Oct 6; cited 2019 Mar 25]; [about 5 screens]. Available from: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/medicaltest/tests-for-bacterial-vaginosis-bv/hw3367.html#hw3394
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