As discussed in the introduction, despite its prevalence many women are unaware of BV and often self-diagnose it as thrush and subsequently purchase the wrong treatment. It is important that you understand the differences so that you can educate customers to ensure they are recognising and managing their symptoms correctly.

Distinguishing between the conditions by symptoms alone can be difficult; therefore the most accurate way of doing this is by testing the pH level in the vagina. This test has traditionally been done by a GP but now there is also a test that can be purchased OTC in pharmacy which allows women to accurately diagnose their condition.