Bacterial Vaginosis Is Common And It Is Not Your Fault

It is an imbalance in the bacteria that already live in the vagina, where the mix shifts and the usual balance is lost. The common signs are a change in discharge and a change in smell, often more noticeable after sex or around your period. Plenty of things can tip that balance, including sex with a new partner, your period, and anything used to wash inside. It is not caused by being unclean, and it happens to people who are meticulous about washing as readily as it happens to anyone else.

No. It is not classed as a sexually transmitted infection, and you can have it without ever having had sex. Sex can be one of the things that upsets the balance, which is why it is often noticed after a new partner or a change in circumstances, but that is not the same as catching something from someone. Your doctor can still check whether anything else should be ruled out at the same time, because more than one thing can be going on at once.

Not with certainty, and any service that says otherwise is overselling. Bacterial vaginosis, thrush and trichomoniasis produce symptoms that overlap heavily. Sometimes the picture you describe is clear enough for a doctor to treat, and sometimes the honest answer is that a swab is what settles it. In that case you will be told exactly which test you need, rather than being handed a prescription that might be aimed at the wrong thing.

No, and this is the part worth reading twice. Washing inside, douching, and scented washes or wipes all strip out the bacteria that keep the balance, so they tend to make this more likely to happen and more likely to return. The vagina looks after its own balance. Plain water on the outside is enough, and if you have been scrubbing for weeks because you assumed the problem was cleanliness, that assumption is the thing to drop rather than a habit to intensify.

Usually not. A male partner is not normally treated for bacterial vaginosis. It is worth telling your doctor if your partner is a woman, because they may want to look at it differently. Your doctor will tell you plainly whether anyone else needs to do anything.

Almost certainly not. Recurrence is common with bacterial vaginosis, and it is a feature of how the balance works rather than evidence of a personal failing or a hygiene problem. What it does deserve is a plan rather than the same prescription over and over. In the consultation your doctor will go through your own pattern, when episodes tend to arrive, what has been tried, and what is worth changing, and they will tell you if a swab is needed to confirm what is actually happening before anything else is decided.

You can speak to a doctor, and you should say you are pregnant in the pre-assessment so the consultation starts from there. This matters more in pregnancy and it needs proper attention rather than a guess, so the doctor may well tell you that it belongs with the team looking after your pregnancy, or that you need to be seen in person. Carisma Medical does not replace maternity care, and on this condition in pregnancy we would rather send you to the right place than treat you at a distance.

If the doctor prescribes, your private digital prescription is emailed to you as soon as the doctor issues it, usually straight after the call. It also sits in your patient portal. Collect at any pharmacy in Malta or Gozo. You pay the pharmacy directly, at its own price. We never sell or ship medicine. You choose which pharmacy, including one nowhere near where you live or work.

Nothing is sent to your GP, your insurer or anyone else unless you ask us to send it. Your consultation is a private medical record held by Carisma Medical inside the EU. If you would like a summary sent to your own doctor, we will do that, and only then. There is no reception, no counter and nobody in a waiting room.

It is €59 for one 20-minute consultation, paid when you book, and the online pre-assessment before it is free. One consultation at a time. Book again when you need to, with no plan running quietly in the background. The doctor gives you their time and their answer either way, so if the outcome is that you need a swab or an in-person appointment first, that is the answer you have paid for and you leave with a specific next step. If the doctor prescribes, the medicine is a separate purchase. Collect at any pharmacy in Malta or Gozo. You pay the pharmacy directly, at its own price. We never sell or ship medicine. Do not use this service if you have a fever, pain low in your abdomen or pelvis, or bleeding that is not your period, because that needs to be seen in person today. Carisma Medical is not for emergencies. If you are unwell now, call 112. We look after patients in Malta and Gozo, and we cannot treat anyone under 18.