Yeast infection, BV or UTI? How to tell them apart and when to get care

Yeast infection:

• Itching, soreness or redness of the vulva (the skin outside the vagina)
• Thick, white discharge that can look like cottage cheese
• Pain during sex
• Burning when pee touches the sore skin

Bacterial vaginosis (BV):

• Thin white or gray discharge
• A strong fishy smell, most of all after sex
• Itching or burning in or around the vagina
• Burning when you pee

Many people with BV have no symptoms at all.

Bladder infection (UTI):

• Burning or pain when you pee
• Peeing often, or feeling a strong need to go
• Pressure low in your belly
• Blood in your pee

A UTI does not usually cause vaginal discharge or itching. If you have discharge or itching, a UTI is less likely.

These problems share some of the same signs, and none of the signs is a sure sign of one problem. Having had a yeast infection before does not make you better at telling if a new problem is yeast.

If you treat yourself with a store-bought yeast medicine and your symptoms do not go away, or they come back within 2 months, see a doctor to be checked and tested.

If you get 3 or more yeast infections in a year, a doctor may test a sample to confirm it and to see which type of yeast it is. You may need a longer treatment.

• Yeast infection: medicine that fights yeast, as a cream, an insert or a pill.
• BV: an antibiotic, as pills or a gel. Take all of it, even if you feel better.
• UTI: an antibiotic chosen by a doctor.

A male sex partner usually does not need treatment for BV or for a simple yeast infection. If you are pregnant, talk with a doctor before you use any treatment. BV during pregnancy can raise the chance of an early birth, so it needs care.

• Do not douche.
• Use a condom the right way every time you have sex.
• Limit your number of sex partners.

You cannot get BV from toilet seats, bedding or swimming pools.

• You have sores or blisters in the genital area
• You may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted infection (STI), or you have a new sex partner
• You are pregnant and have symptoms
• You bleed between periods or after sex
• This is the first time you have had these symptoms

Pain in your lower belly or pelvis, or a fever or chills, along with vaginal symptoms can be a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection that has spread higher. Get seen in person the same day. Treating PID early helps prevent problems like long-term pain and trouble getting pregnant.

Fever, back pain or throwing up with burning when you pee can mean a kidney infection. Get seen in person today.

If you are in Virginia or West Virginia, you can start a visit online at any time. You answer a few questions on your phone or computer. There is no video call. A board-certified physician reviews your answers. If medicine is right for you, the doctor can send a prescription to your pharmacy. If you need to be seen in person, the doctor will tell you.

Our yeast infection and BV visits are for adults 18 and older who have had the same problem found by a doctor or nurse before, and whose symptoms feel the same as last time. Neither visit is for anyone who is pregnant or might be pregnant. They are also not for a first-ever yeast infection or BV, pelvic or lower belly pain, a fever, chills or throwing up, sores, a possible STI, or a new sex partner in the last 60 days.

The yeast visit is also not for a discharge that smells bad, a lot of swelling of the vulva or trouble peeing, lumps, thick patches or changes in skin color on the vulva, symptoms that do not feel like your usual yeast infection, or anyone past menopause.

The BV visit is also not for pain during sex, a bad smell that keeps getting worse, symptoms that do not feel like your usual BV, bleeding between periods or after sex, or anyone with an IUD.

Our UTI visit is for women and girls 4 and older (with a parent or legal guardian for anyone under 18) with simple bladder symptoms. It is not for anyone who is pregnant or might be pregnant. It is also not the right fit if you have:

• Fever or chills, or back or side pain
• Nausea or throwing up
• Blood clots or a lot of blood in your pee, or you cannot pee
• Vaginal bleeding or pelvic pain
• Diabetes or a weak immune system
• Kidney stones, other kidney or urinary tract problems, or a recent catheter or urinary tract surgery
• Symptoms while you are taking, or just finished, a course of antibiotics, or symptoms that have lasted more than 7 days
• 3 or more UTIs in the past year
• Confusion, or you feel very sick or very tired

Visits start at $59. You see the price before you pay, and you do not need insurance.