While metagenomics is the most comprehensive way of testing the vaginal microbiome, PCR is what is often used at the doctor’s office today. It’s a form of testing designed to look for a very specific genetic primer.

Because of this, PCR is great at confirming the presence of very specific microbes (like STIs) and has a super fast turnaround because it’s only looking for a limited number of primers (instead sequencing all bacteria and fungi present, like metagenomics.) It also provides information on microbial load, which can help inform if anything in your microbiome is present in higher or lower amounts than is normal. Microbial load can especially help illuminate conditions like cytolytic vaginosis (CV), bacterial vaginosis (BV), and yeast infections.