Gardnerella Vaginalis Test
What is Gardnerella Vaginalis?
Gardnerella Vaginalis is a bacterium, which is responsible for an infection called Bacterial Vaginosis. Bacterial Vaginosis causes women to have an altered PH balance in their vagina- one that it is more alkaline than usual.
What are the symptoms of Bacterial Vaginosis?
Bacterial Vaginosis normally causes a woman to have an unusual discharge from her vagina that is grey coloured and has a strong, fishy odour. The discharge may become more severe after a woman has sex or around the time of menstruation. Bacterial Vaginosis is not normally accompanied by any itching or vaginal soreness but this is not always the case.
Is Bacterial Vaginosis an STI?
Bacterial Vaginosis is not a sexually transmitted infection. It is, however, most common in women who are sexually active and in women who have started having sex at a young age. Incidences of Bacterial Vaginosis do tend to rise in direct relation to the number of sexual partners that a woman has had in her lifetime.
Bacterial Vaginosis is caused by a change in the balance of the PH in a woman's vagina but what actually causes this to happen in the first place is not fully understood.
Men may have Gardnerella in their urethra but this does not normally result in them having any symptoms and does not usually require treatment. This is not to say that men will always be asymptomatic. We do come across cases where men test negative for everything other than Gardnerella and exhibit symptoms.
Gardnerella Test
At Home Diagnostics we can send you a urine or vaginal swab test for Gardnerella. After you order online we will send you out a test kit by next day delivery or first class mail (depending on your preference). Return your sample to our lab where it will be analysed. Your results will be uploaded to a secure area of our website that only you can access. We use PCR (a very accurate form of testing) to determine the presence of Gardnerella.
Is Gardnerella easy to treat?
A course of antibiotics, usually Metronidazole, will clear up any Gardnerella infection.