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Vagina microbiome tests are highly sensitive DNA tests that can detect the composition of your vagina microbiome: the good bacteria, bad bacteria and fungi. 

 

They are not routinely used in gynaecology and are not classified as diagnostic tests however they can be very helpful to see what is going on. Note though, the vagina microbiome fluctuates a lot, so you could take three tests over three weeks and have three very different results. So they should be taken with a pinch of salt. Most vagina microbiome services offer a test and then a consultation with a vaginal health naturopath to help you work towards a more protective state.

 

Again, there are some flaws in this approach as across different populations, women will have different 'normal' vaginal microbiomes (Condori-Catachura 2025). For example, white women of Northern European descent often exhibit CST I (L. crispatus dominant) microbiomes, while Hispanic women are more frequently found in CST IV (non-Lactobacillus dominant) or CST III (L. iners dominant). The latter might then be diagnosed with our Western view of medicine as pathological even though for that population it is perfectly healthy. 

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Furthermore, the founders of these companies, whilst mostly women are not well versed in vulva pain syndromes. So you might have a healthy reading, pain in the vulva with suspicions pointing to cytolytic vaginosis, only because the vast majority of the population think, like a lot of Doctors, all pain is caused by microbes. When it isn't – the nerves and the body can go wrong. 

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It's in the author's opinion all women who hit 20 should get a healthy reading of their vagina microbiome to be a yardstick for comparison for in case they hit challenges down the road later in life. 

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Popular providers that ship to the UK include:

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Juno Bio

– Better user interface for reading results

– US-based, requires international shipping

– Results in around 3 weeks after returning

– £130 at time of writing + £10 shipping

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Screen Me

– More expensive than Juno Bio

– Worse user interface for reading results

– UK-based so more plugged into the British medical system
– £200 at time of writing

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Don't bother with DAYE, they don't provide enough intel on their tests. 

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