Alongside raising a debate around Kylie Jenner and delivering an absolute banger of a track, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s music video for WAP has brought up important conversations on the topic of vaginas, and for that we are thankful.
But amid people proudly declaring they have a WAP, some have raised concerns that having a ‘wet’ vagina could be a sign of bacterial vaginosis.
Podcaster Ben Shapiro, who’s been pretty vocal in his views on the WAP video, tweeted that his ‘real concern’ is that women ‘who apparently require a “bucket and a mop”‘ could have bacterial vaginosis, a yeast infection, or trichomoniasis.
To soothe your concerns, we’re here to explain the difference between having a WAP and showing signs of a vaginal infection, specifically bacterial vaginosis, as it’s the most common vaginal condition in women aged 15 to 44 and one in every three women will suffer from it at some point in their lives – so we really do need to know about this common infection.
What is bacterial vaginosis?
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal infection caused by a change in the balance of bacteria in your vagina.
When the vagina is in good health, it’s got a delicate balance of ‘good’ bacteria that keeps ‘bad’ bacteria in check. When that balance gets messed with, bacterial vaginosis can occur.
What causes bacterial vaginosis?
It’s not actually known what the exact cause of BV is, but there are known contributing factors that can raise its likelihood.
These include using perfumed products around the vagina, douching, changing sexual partners, being sexually active (although you can get BV without having sex), and having an IUD.
What are the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis?
The most common and easy-to-spot sign that you may have bacterial vaginosis is a change in vaginal discharge.
When you have bacterial vaginosis, discharge might be white and milky or grey, it may have a foamy or watery texture, and often has a strong fishy smell, especially after sex.
Other symptoms include itching around the outside of the vagina, vaginal irritation, and burning when peeing.
That being said, the NHS reports that 50% of people with bacterial vaginosis have no symptoms at all.
How is bacterial vaginosis diagnosed and treated?
If you think you may have bacterial vaginosis, go to your GP or a sexual health clinic, where they’ll be able to test for the infection with a cotton swab.
If you do have it, BV will likely be treated with antibiotic tablets, gels, or creams.
If your sexual partner also has a vagina, they’ll need to be treated too, but if your partner has a penis, they’re fine to go without treatment. You’ll likely be advised to stop having sex during treatment, though.
Can you get bacterial vaginosis from sex?
Bacterial vaginosis is not a sexually transmitted infection (STI), but research has shown that you’re more likely to develop BV if you’re sexually active or have recently changed partners.
That being said, you can get bacterial vaginosis without having sex.
What’s the difference between bacterial vaginosis and thrush?
Bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections are easily confused – according to a YouGov survey, 26% of women don’t know what BV is, and a further 26% misidentified the symptoms of BV as thrush.
Because both conditions affect vaginal discharge and have similar symptoms, it can be tricky to tell the difference between thrush and BV.
Bacterial vaginosis tends to make discharge white or grey with a fishy smell, while yeast infections tend to affect the discharge’s texture, making it lumpy like cottage cheese.
The only way to know the difference for certain is to get tested by a doctor or nurse.
Does bacterial vagina cause a ‘wet’ vagina?
Short answer, no.
Your vagina’s wetness during sex is natural lubrication that occurs due to arousal. This is a different thing to discharge, which is what bacterial vaginosis affects.
BV doesn’t necessarily make you produce more discharge, instead affecting how discharge looks and smells, and it definitely doesn’t make you wetter during sex.
If you always have a wet vagina or what seems like a lot of discharge, you should be all good on the infection front – it’s a sudden change that you need to look out for.
But do get regular sexual health checkups regardless, as many infections can appear without any obvious symptoms.
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