Vaginal Wet Mount
What To Think About
- Some causes of vaginitis are not found by a vaginal wet mount, including Reference atrophic vaginitis Opens New Window and some STIs, such as Reference herpes simplex Opens New Window. Atrophic vaginitis can be found on a vaginal smear when dye is added to the vaginal discharge on the slide. The slide is looked at under a microscope for cell changes that show atrophic vaginitis.
- Sometimes a sample of the vaginal discharge is put in a special cup to see if bacteria, yeast, or trichomonads will grow. This is called a vaginal culture.
- The sex partners of women with trichomoniasis are generally treated for the infection so they do not reinfect their partners after treatment. Some doctors recommend treating the sex partners of women with bacterial vaginosis, but most do not. Partners of women who have vaginal yeast infections are not generally treated for yeast infections. For more information, see the topic Reference Tests for Bacterial Vaginosis.
- Infections such as Reference chlamydia Opens New Window, Reference genital warts Opens New Window, Reference syphilis Opens New Window, herpes simplex, and Reference gonorrhea Opens New Window can also affect the vagina. For more information, see the topics Reference Chlamydia Test, Reference Syphilis Tests, Reference Herpes Tests, Reference Gonorrhea Tests, and Reference Pap Test.
- A vaginal yeast infection can occur after a woman is treated with antibiotics or in a woman whose Reference diabetes Opens New Window is poorly controlled. Recurring yeast infections may be seen when a woman's Reference immune system Opens New Window is weakened. The immune system can be weakened by old age, infections such as Reference AIDS Opens New Window, or treatment for cancer.
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