Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)

Thrush gets all the attention, but bacterial vaginosis is also very common among women of reproductive age, affecting approximately 12% of Australian women¹.

If you are a woman and are between 15 and 44 years of age, you are in the group most at risk of bacterial vaginosis (or BV for short). It is the most common cause of vaginal infections, but fortunately it's also simply treated.

BV is caused by a change in the pH balance in your vagina. When this happens, natural good bacteria (lactobacilli) in your vagina can be replaced by overgrowing”harmful” bacteria, leading to bacterial vaginosis.

1. Bradshaw CS, Walker J, Fairley CK, Chen MY, Tabrizi SN, et al. (2013) Prevalent and Incident Bacterial Vaginosis Are Associated with Sexual and Contraceptive Behaviours in Young Australian Women.

Bacterial Vaginosis symptoms

Fishy or unpleasant odor
Watery discharge
Greyish white discharge
Worsening of the above symptoms after sex or during your period

Everyone is different, so you might have BV and not suffer from any symptoms at all. You should also remember that BV is not a sexually transmitted infection and it should not cause you any soreness or irritation.

If you think you may have BV, we recommend consulting your GP.

Understanding BV

Many women are not aware that most vaginal infections are caused by bacteria rather than yeast, like in the case of thrush.

Not sure if you have BV or Thrush?

It's easy to mistake BV for thrush, but these are two different infections and they should be treated differently. You can use Canesten Vaginal pH Self Test to help diagnose your symptoms. It's a simple at home test measuring the pH level of your vagina with over 90% accuracy¹. Combining the results of the test and your symptoms, you can determine whether you have BV or thrush and then you can start the right treatment. If the test shows it's BV, we recommend consulting your GP.

1. Nyirjesy, Paul, et al. "The performance of an innovative self-sampling test for vaginitis-Selfcare Journal". SelfCare 2017;8(3):1-11. Study funded by Common Sense, Caesarea, Israel.

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Facts about BV

Frequently Asked Questions:

I’ve never heard of bacterial vaginosis (BV) before. What is it?

BV is actually one of the most common vaginal infections in women of reproductive age, and in most cases there is no need to worry. It’s generally caused by an imbalance in the pH of your vagina.

Click here to find out more about BV.

What are the symptoms of BV?

Symptoms vary from woman to woman, but some common symptoms to look out for include a fishy or unpleasant odour and watery, greyish-white discharge.

Click here to learn about other symptoms of BV.

I’ve noticed a really bad smell ‘down there’ and washing hasn’t gotten rid of it – help!

A fishy odour is a common symptom of BV but unfortunately washing can actually contribute to the smell rather than getting rid of it. This is because excessive washing with regular soaps or shower gels and vaginal douching can change the pH balance of your vagina, leading to a BV infection and the odour.

Thrush or bacterial vaginosis (BV)?

It’s easy to mistake BV for thrush because awareness of BV is very is low, but in fact the symptoms and causes are different. Thrush is a yeast infection, whereas BV is a bacterial infection. We’ll help you to reliably diagnose yourself with our easy-to-use Canesten Vaginal pH Self Test.

Is BV a sexually transmitted infection?

No. It is important to remember that BV is not a sexually transmitted infection and any male sexual partners would not need treatment.

I think I might have BV. What do I do?

If you think you might have BV, we recommend that you consult with your GP for treatment advice.

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Canestet Self-Test for Vaginal Infections

Help diagnose yourself at home

Canesten Vaginal pH Self Test helps you diagnose common vaginal infections from home. It's easy to use and clinically proven to deliver results in seconds, with over 90% accuracy¹.