You can think about our test as a tool to help you answer the questions you have about what's up down there. So when you test is really based on what you want to learn!
The situations we ask that you not take the sample is:
When you are actively menstruating, as blood can change the pH of the vagina and impact results
If you've had sex in the last 24 hours
If you've used an oral antifungal in the last 24 hours
If you've used any vulvar topical creams or gels in the last 24 hours (e.g. HRT, steroid cream)
If you've used any suppositories, gels, etc. in the last 48 hours (including boric acid and topical antifungals)
If you've taken antibiotics within the last 7 days before taking your sample, as antibiotics can reduce all good and bad bacteria and make it difficult to get enough bacteria in your sample to accurately sequence
Other than that, it is up to you! Some users have written in saying they want to test when they have symptoms and when they don't have symptoms to see the key differences, others want to test a week after finishing antibiotics to see if the harmful microbes rebound, and others want to test after using certain probiotics to see if the protective bacteria is seeding.
Essentially, our test will be able to make recommendations based on what's going on at that point in time — but what point in time you choose will be based on what questions you have about your vaginal health. As you know, the vaginal microbiome changes with hormones, diet, lifestyle changes, etc. which is why we recommend testing over time vs. just once.