An examination is important to determine what is causing a discharge from the vagina, because there are many possible disorders. Some (such as gonorrhea and chlamydia), originate in the cervix, and others (such as By yeast, and trichomoniasis), are vaginal disorders. Women may have BV along with other infections (such as chlamydia and trichomonas), and the only way to sort out the situation is through an examination. There are essentially four diagnostic clues for BV: (1) evidence of discharge during a pelvic examination, (2) a vaginal pH level that is abnormally high, (3) a fishy odor that can be detected on examination of the vaginal fluid, and (4) abnormal appearance of the cells that line the vaginal wall. Growing cultures for vaginal bacteria is not a helpful diagnostic procedure in this case, since the bacteria associated with BV are often found in cultures in women who do not have BV.
A health care provider who has experience in vaginal infections will have little difficulty diagnosing BV. Diagnosis usually doesn’t require any elaborate or expensive tests.
Furthermore, the health care provider can usually diagnose the infection during the office visit, so there will be no delay in starting treatment. An evaluation for STDs is often a good idea if BV is diagnosed, especially if the woman is sexually active with a new partner, because BV can sometimes be a marker for other infections, such as chlamydia.
If a health care provider doesn’t have access to a microscope to diagnose By he or she can use some of the newer tests that involve sending a vaginal specimen (taken with a swab) to the laboratory for testing. BV is diagnosed in these tests by looking for the most common bacteria that cause or for the changes in the vaginal fluid that BV causes.
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