Bacterial vaginosis treatment online

Same-day consultations are available 365 days a year, with priority booking if you’re in a hurry. Once the doctor approves treatment, your eScript can be on your phone or at your chosen pharmacy within minutes.

The consultation is $29.99, including the doctor’s assessment and, where appropriate, a prescription sent as an eScript to your phone or pharmacy. The cost of the medication itself is subject to your chosen pharmacy’s pricing, or added at checkout if you choose delivery through a partner pharmacy. The doctor may advise a swab or in-person review if that’s what your symptoms need. No Medicare is needed for the appointment itself, but providing these details will enable eScripts and PBS prescriptions where required.

No. A video or phone consultation with a doctor is required before any treatment for bacterial vaginosis can be issued. Because BV symptoms can be similar to thrush, sexually transmitted infections and other conditions, the doctor needs to confirm your symptoms match the BV you were previously diagnosed with, rather than something that needs a different treatment. A questionnaire alone isn’t enough, and services that issue treatment without a real consultation don’t meet Australian standards.

Yes. Qoctor can provide assessment for suspected Bacterial Vaginosis online, if you have previously been diagnosed with BV and are having a recurrence of the same symptoms.

First, you’ll need to have a telehealth or phone consultation with one of our doctors. The doctor will ask some questions to establish the diagnosis and to ensure that:

• you are otherwise well
• there are no symptoms of more serious pelvic infection
• there are no contraindications to treatment

Following your appointment, if a prescription is issued, it can be sent electronically to your pharmacy. Or you can request for a paper prescription or the medication itself to be posted to you.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) occurs when the balance of the bacteria normally present in the vagina (particularly lactobacilli) is disrupted. It affects around 1 in 10 women at some point in their lives. In BV, there is an overgrowth of other bacteria. It is not clear how women get Bacterial Vaginosis, but there are some factors that seem to contribute:

• It is more common in women who are sexually active.
• It sometimes develops after intercourse with a new partner.
• Women who have female sexual partners may be at higher risk of BV than women who have sex with male partners only.
• having unprotected penile-vaginal sex (i.e. without a condom)
• around 50% of women who get BV will get a recurrence within six to 12 months
• treating the male partner of a woman who has recurring BV seems to reduce the risk of recurrence. Read more here.
• vaginal douching (washing inside the vagina with water, soap, “feminine wash”, etc.)
• having an intrauterine device (IUD), particularly a copper IUD

A normal, healthy vagina is home to a variety of different bacteria. However, in Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) the balance is disturbed, and an overgrowth of some of these bacteria occurs. It’s not entirely clear why this happens. The most common symptom is a change in vaginal discharge, which may become white-grey in colour and may have a fishy smell. However, many women with BV do not have any symptoms at all (up to half of cases).

Bacterial Vaginosis has traditionally not been viewed as a sexually transmitted infection- although it is known to generally only occur once sexual activity commences, and using condoms does seem to make it less likely to develop. Recent research shows that partner treatment may actually reduce recurrence and improve cure rates.

In women of reproductive age, BV is the most common cause of vaginal discharge.

Women are more likely to get BV if they:

• are sexually active
• have recently changed sexual partner
• have a history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• are smokers
• have a copper coil for contraception
• use bubble bath

Women are less likely to get BV if:

• they use the combined oral contraceptive pill
• they have a partner who has had a circumcision
• their partner uses a condom

BV is usually diagnosed on the basis of symptoms, and can be confirmed by taking a vaginal swab, which can be performed by a doctor or nurse, or can be self-collected. You may also need a referral to get tested for STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea. If you are pregnant, and suspect you may have BV, it’s important to get tested and treated, as it can increase the risk of pregnancy-related complications.

There are also recent recommendations to consider partner treatment in recurring cases.- your partner will need to book a GP consultation to discuss this.

In most women, BV causes no harm whatsoever, though the discharge may be unpleasant. However, if you have untreated BV during pregnancy, there is a slightly higher risk of premature labour, miscarriage, preterm birth and having a baby with a low birthweight. If you are pregnant and suspect you may have BV, you should see your GP or midwife. BV can also cause complications if you have had recent gynaecological surgery- the chance of developing an infection of the uterus is higher.

There is also some evidence that women with untreated BV may be at an increased risk of getting other STIs and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).

For women in whom BV has been diagnosed, antibiotics will usually quickly get rid of the symptoms. Treatment for bacterial vaginosis can involve oral antibiotics or topical treatment (an antibiotic vaginal cream). However, in milder cases, there is a good chance that BV will gradually clear by itself, so treatment is not always required. 

If BV is picked up on a vaginal swab but a woman has no symptoms, there’s generally no need for treatment at all- it is acceptable to observe, and to treat if symptoms develop. However, exceptions to this include pregnancy, or recent gynaecological surgery- in these cases it’s usually recommended to have treatment, as there may be a higher risk of complications such as pelvic infection if left untreated. 

If you wish to speak to a doctor about treatment of BV, you can get started HERE

Telehealth assessment/treatment for BV may be suitable if you have been diagnosed with it before (via a swab), and the same symptoms have come back. If the symptoms are not the same, or you have other unexpected symptoms such as pain, fever or irregular vaginal bleeding, you should see a doctor in person for assessment.

Further testing is not generally needed if your BV symptoms get better. However, if the course of antibiotic treatment does not work, retesting is advisable, in case something else is causing the symptoms or the BV has not responded to treatment. Follow up testing may be recommended in pregnant women who have had BV, to ensure it has fully cleared with treatment. This is because BV in pregnancy can increase the risk of premature birth and low birthweight.

If you’ve had BV diagnosed and successfully treated in the past, but the same symptoms return after a period of time, another course of antibiotics may be considered. Qoctor can provide online assessment in this scenario.

However, if your symptoms did not fully respond to treatment in the first place, if the symptoms are not the same as before OR they come back pretty much immediately after treatment, you should see a doctor in person as you may need some tests make sure there’s nothing else going on.

Any symptoms that do not get better, or are different to previous symptoms, should always be discussed with a doctor.

Although BV is not an STI, if you have a female partner, she should consider being tested if she also has symptoms. However, a male partner does not need to be tested.