Vaginal Microbiome Test

This panel assesses key markers of vaginal health, including vaginal pH, bacterial vaginosis, and aerobic vaginitis, to identify imbalances that may be causing symptoms. By analysing both protective and disruptive microorganisms, it provides a clear picture of inflammation, microbiome disruption, and infection risk. This helps guide targeted treatment to restore comfort and optimal vaginal balance.

Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas, Mycoplasma genitalium, herpes, syphilis and two less common infections are all screened here by PCR. Most cause no symptoms, so testing is the only way to know - and when symptoms do show up, they look much the same as bacterial vaginosis or thrush.

These are the organisms that take over when lactobacilli decline - the shift that produces bacterial vaginosis and its characteristic thin discharge and odour. Each is counted rather than simply detected, because most of them live in small numbers in healthy women; it’s the quantity that distinguishes normal from overgrown.

Aerobic vaginitis is a different pattern to BV, driven by gut and skin organisms establishing themselves in the vagina rather than by anaerobes. It tends to cause inflammation, irritation and yellowish discharge, and it’s often missed because it’s treated as thrush or BV. Counts matter here too - several of these are present at low levels without causing anything.

Organisms that are not normal vaginal residents and are more likely to be significant when found. They’re an uncommon cause of symptoms compared with BV or thrush, but worth identifying when discharge, irritation or recurrent infection hasn’t responded to the usual treatment.

Bacteria without a cell wall, which is why they don’t respond to common antibiotics like penicillins. Several are frequently carried without symptoms - Ureaplasma parvum in particular is often simple colonisation - so these results are reported with quantities and read alongside your symptoms.

Fungal pathogens can cause infections in the vagina when the immune system is weakened or the vaginal microbiome is disrupted. Examples of fungal pathogens that can cause vaginal infections include Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. These fungi normally live harmlessly in the vagina, but when there is an overgrowth, it can lead to symptoms such as itching, burning, and a thick, white discharge.

Beneficial bacteria play an important role in maintaining vaginal health. Lactobacillus species, in particular, are the most commonly found beneficial bacteria in the vaginal microbiota. These bacteria produce lactic acid, which helps to maintain an acidic pH in the vagina, preventing overgrowth of harmful bacteria and maintaining a healthy bacterial balance.