Testing vaginal pH is a quantitative test that measures how acidic the vaginal secretions of a woman are. This test is done in order to help a women check and evaluate if the vaginal symptoms such as itching, burning, unpleasant odor, or the unusual discharge are more likely to cause infection and if it needs further medical treatment.
Why Test for Vaginal pH?
If you’re a woman and you are experiencing any abnormal vaginal symptoms such as the ones earlier mentioned, be sure to check and test your vaginal pH. This will help you decide if you need any medical treatment. But you must also be warned that testing for vaginal pH will not help you in diagnosing infections like:
* HIV
* Chlamydia
* Herpes
* Gonorrhea
* Syphilis
* Group B streptococcus
Testing your vaginal pH will help you rule out any possible vaginal infections before you decide to go under medication and treatment. This will also help you in evaluating the diagnosis of the doctor.
The Accuracy of Testing Vaginal pH
Testing for vaginal pH will show you a good agreement with the doctor’s diagnosis. But you must know that if there are changes in the vaginal pH this will not mean that you also have infection. The pH changes do not differentiate on type of infection from the other, and it is the doctor that gives diagnosis. Women are often guilty of making their own diagnosis and charging themselves with illnesses. It is a must to first contact your doctor if there really is an infection. Testing the vaginal pH only detects abnormalities, it does not detect the actual infection.
Interpreting the Vaginal pH Test
When your vaginal pH test becomes positive, this is not an indication of infection. The acidity might occur for other reasons and you need to see a doctor for further testing. The same goes for having negative results. It doesn’t necessarily mean that negative results don’t imply an infection. If you have no symptoms, the negative test could indicate some other possibilities like yeast infection. Again, you need professional help in detecting if you have an infection.
Vaginal pH test kits and how to use them
Vaginal pH kits available in the market are used and performed similarly to tests that are done to you by doctors in the clinic. But the doctors can provide you with a more complete and thorough assessment of your vaginal status by taking a look into your history, physical exams, and other laboratory tests.
The home vaginal pH kits include a pH test paper and a color chart that helps in determining vaginal pH results. In performing the test, you must hold the pH paper against the wall of the vagina for a few seconds and compare the color of the results to the color in the pH paper. There are colors that match exactly the ones on the chart, and you should choose the color that closely resembles your result.