The short explanation
Bacterial vaginosis, BV, is a change in the balance of bacteria in the vagina. It is not classed as a classic sexually transmitted infection, but it is more common in sexually active women and can be shared between female partners through sex, including sharing sex toys and close genital contact. If you have symptoms, such as a thin grey or white discharge with a fishy smell, especially after sex, you should be checked and treated if needed. If you have no symptoms, routine treatment is not usually needed, but many doctors suggest checking. Avoiding sharing sex toys, or cleaning them well and using a new condom on them for each person, helps reduce spread.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- BV can come back after treatment. Avoiding douches and scented washes, and wearing cotton underwear, may help.
- It can be useful for both partners to be checked at the same time if BV keeps returning.
- You can see a gynaecologist confidentially; doctors care for women in same-sex relationships too.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This answer cannot tell whether you have BV. A doctor can examine you and test if needed.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Should I be checked for BV?
- Can BV pass between female partners?
- How can we prevent it coming back?
- Should we be tested for other STIs?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Book an appointment soon
- See a doctor within a few days if you have a fishy smell, unusual discharge or itching.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Book a routine appointment if BV keeps coming back for either of you.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Sexually transmitted infections MedlinePlus (NIH)
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) World Health Organization
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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