Sequencing depth at research level, roughly 2,500 times the 10,000 reads of a typical 16S test.
Vaginal microbiome
test at home:
Lactobacillus analysis
with DNA shotgun
sequencing
With Microbiome 360° Vaginal Analysis, our complete microbiome vaginal analysis for home collection, we read the DNA of your entire vaginal community instead of a single marker gene. Bacteria and fungi are identified down to species level, so Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus iners are told apart rather than counted together.
In vaginal microbiome analysis we are among the leading laboratories in Europe: lactobacilli at species level rather than as one genus, with yeasts read from the same run. Very few providers currently offer that resolution.
Made in Germany
Free delivery within Germany
Result in 4 to 6 weeks
GDPR compliant and pseudonymised
Complete vaginal analysis
Microbiome 360° Vaginal
€329,00incl. VAT · In stock, ships immediately
- Community State Type and Vaginal Protection Index
- Species level Lactobacillus profile and functional potentials
- BV, yeast, aerobic and urogenital colonization patterns
- Lifelong access to your digital DNA databank
Sequencing and analysis in Germany
The difference
What the vaginal testing market offers, and where we differ
Almost every vaginal test sold in Europe is a PCR panel or a 16S sequencing test, priced roughly between 99 and 245 euro. A PCR panel returns a yes or no on a fixed list of organisms somebody chose in advance. A 16S test reads one marker gene and usually stops at genus level, so it can tell you that Lactobacillus is present but not which species. No provider in the German market currently reads the vaginal community by shotgun metagenomics, and almost none explains Community State Types at all.
Species levelLactobacillus resolved one by one
L. crispatus and L. iners differ in lactic acid isomers, ecological stability and protective function. A genus level result merges them into a single number and loses the distinction that matters most.
Bacteria and fungiOne swab, one run
Yeasts are detected in the same sequencing run rather than through a separate assay, so a Candida finding sits in the same report and the same ecological context as everything else.
Gene basedFunction, not only presence
Sialidase genes and D lactate pathways are read from the DNA itself, alongside the organisms that carry them. A panel that only counts organisms cannot report this at all.
For lifeYour raw data stays yours
FASTQ files and raw abundances remain downloadable, and your stored sample can be re-analysed as the science advances, without sending a new swab.
Sequencing depth per sample
Microbiome 360° Vaginal Analysis25 MillionPaired end reads per sample. Shotgun metagenomics reads the DNA of every organism in the sample, not one gene.
roughly 2500 times more than:Typical 16S test10,000Reads per sample, limited to a single marker gene, usually resolving only to genus level.
What is compared here is sequencing depth per sample, meaning the number of reads evaluated: around 25 million paired end reads in our shotgun metagenomics against the order of magnitude usual for 16S amplicon methods, roughly 10,000 reads per sample. The comparison refers to the analytical method and not to individual providers. More sequencing depth means more DNA read, not automatically a medical advantage.
The ecology
In the vagina, more diversity is not better
The vaginal microbiome is one of the least diverse and most tightly organised microbial communities in the body. In most people a small number of protective Lactobacillus species dominate, acidify the environment and hold their ground. That is the opposite of the gut, where high diversity is usually the favourable signal.
So the question is not how many organisms are present. It is which organism holds the largest share, how strongly it dominates, and what that community is genetically equipped to do. That is why we report richness, evenness and dominance together rather than a single diversity number.
When protective dominance shifts, the whole ecology shifts with it. Reading composition properly, at species level, is what makes that shift visible.
Community state types, illustrated
The method
Why we sequence everything instead of looking for a list
Most vaginal tests on the market use PCR or 16S rRNA sequencing. Both answer narrower questions than they appear to.
| PCR panel | 16S sequencing | Shotgun metagenomics (Bactera) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it reads | A fixed list of organisms | One marker gene | ✓All DNA in the sample |
| Resolution | Only the targets chosen | Usually genus level | ✓Species level |
| Lactobacillus species | Selected targets | Often merged | ✓Reported separately |
| Fungi in the same run | Separate assay | No | ✓Yes |
| Functional genes | No | No | ✓Sialidase, D lactate and more |
| Your raw data | Not applicable | Limited | ✓FASTQ and abundances, for life |
Sample journey, swab to sequencer
What that difference buys you
Species level resolution matters because these organisms are not interchangeable. L. crispatus, L. iners, L. jensenii, L. gasseri, L. paragasseri and L. mulieris differ in lactic acid isomers, ecological stability and protective function. A test that stops at genus level cannot make that distinction, and the distinction is most of the story.
Reading all the DNA also means we can report gene based potentials, such as sialidase genes linked to mucin breakdown, or the pathways associated with D lactate production, alongside the organisms that carry them.
Your analysis
Twelve analyses, in five layers
Each layer answers a different question. Measured composition, inferred functional potential, association based patterns and detection only screening are kept apart and labelled as such, so nothing reads as more than it is.
Layer 1
Community structure
Which pattern your community follows, and how strongly.
Community State Type
Classifies the bacterial community according to its dominant ecological pattern, including Lactobacillus dominated and diverse anaerobic community states.
Provides a recognisable framework. Does not diagnose bacterial vaginosis or determine whether symptoms are present.
Diversity and Dominance
Reports how many organisms are present, how evenly they are distributed, and which organism holds the largest share of the community.
Higher diversity is not automatically favourable here, because many stable communities are strongly dominated by one protective species.
Layer 2
Protective Lactobacillus ecology
The organisms that do the defending, named individually.
Lactobacillus Profile
Profiles key vaginal Lactobacillus species separately, including L. crispatus, L. iners, L. jensenii, L. gasseri, L. paragasseri and L. mulieris.
Species level interpretation matters because these organisms differ in lactic acid isomers, stability and protective function.
Vaginal Protection Index
A 0 to 100 composite describing how closely the community resembles the patterns most consistently associated with a stable, well defended vaginal environment.
Not a vaginal health score and not a disease risk probability.
Protective Lactobacillus Function
Summarises acidification capacity, community occupancy by protective Lactobacillus species, and displacement by disruption associated organisms.
Presents the same ecology from a functional angle. Does not measure tissue health.
Layer 3
Functional potential, gene based
What the community is equipped to do, read from its genes.
Lactic Acid and Acidification Potential
Estimates the community's genetic and taxonomic capacity to produce lactic acid and support an acidic environment.
Does not measure vaginal pH, lactic acid concentration, enzyme activity or gene expression.
D Lactic Acid Potential
Estimates how much of the community carries validated pathways associated with D lactate production, especially protective Lactobacillus species.
A gene based potential, not a direct measurement of D lactic acid.
Mucin and Sialidase Gene Potential
Screens for selected microbial sialidase genes associated with mucin glycan breakdown and reports the community's potential for this function.
Gene detection does not show whether an enzyme is expressed or active.
Layer 4
Health associated patterns
Published associations, described as patterns and never as probabilities.
BV Associated Microbial Pattern
Combines Lactobacillus abundance, disruption associated organisms, the protective to disruption ratio, diversity and selected BV associated taxa into one association based pattern.
Bacterial vaginosis requires clinical assessment using symptoms and validated methods. This result is not a diagnosis.
Yeasts
Reports selected Candida and other yeasts as detected or not detected, and distinguishes colonisation from symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis.
DNA detection alone does not establish thrush or indicate a need for treatment.
Aerobic and Opportunistic Organisms
Profiles oxygen tolerant organisms associated with aerobic vaginitis type ecology or opportunistic expansion.
Aerobic vaginitis is a clinical and microscopic diagnosis. Sequencing gives organism context, not a diagnosis.
Urogenital Colonization Profile
Reports organisms that commonly move between the bowel, vagina and urinary tract, including E. coli, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Proteus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Group B Streptococcus.
Vaginal detection is not a urine test and does not replace pregnancy specific GBS screening.
Inflammation Associated Organisms
Summarises the abundance of organisms repeatedly associated in studies with higher inflammatory signalling.
The narrow name is deliberate. The panel does not measure inflammation, cytokines or immune activity.
Layer 5
Organism profile, screening and your data
The full picture, plus everything you keep afterwards.
Evidence Selected Vaginal Microbial Profile
Abundance, reference position or detection status and a plain language interpretation for selected vaginal organisms, organised as protective, context dependent, disruption associated or detection only.
Common colonisers are not automatically labelled pathogenic.
Clinically Relevant Organism Screening
Screens for selected bacterial, parasitic, fungal and DNA viral organisms, including HPV and HSV where technically supported.
Incidental, low sensitivity detection. Not a sexual health or cervical cancer screen. Positive findings need validated confirmation.
Your DNA databank, for life
Download your complete list of identified species, bacteria, fungi and viruses, your sequencing data (FASTQ) and your raw abundance data. As we add new insights, your sample can be reanalysed without sending a new one.
Stored securely under GDPR. Never sold.
Inside your report
What you actually get to read
Every number arrives with the sentence that says what it does not mean. This is an illustrative example, not a real result.
Vaginal Protection Index
78of 100
050100
A composite of protective Lactobacillus species, disruption associated bacteria, community concentration and similarity to protective reference patterns. Not a health score and not a risk probability.
Community State Type I
Lactobacillus crispatus dominated
Your community follows the pattern most consistently associated with a stable, acidified environment. A Community State Type is a framework for reading your report. It is not a diagnosis and it does not say whether symptoms are present.
Diversity: low · Evenness: low · Dominance: high. In the vagina that combination is usually the favourable one.
Lactobacillus profile, by species
Bar length equals the share of the community, on a 0 to 100 percent scale
L. crispatus
64.2%
L. iners
17.1%
L. jensenii
8.4%
L. gasseri
3.6%
L. paragasseri
1.8%
L. mulieris
0.9%
All other bacteria
4.0%
Protective speciesContext dependentLow abundance or other
BV associated patternProtective to disruption ratio high, BV associated taxa low.● Not indicated
YeastsCandida albicans detected at low abundance. Detection is not thrush.● Detected
Aerobic and opportunistic organismsOxygen tolerant organisms within the reference range.● Within reference
Urogenital colonizationE. coli present above the reference position. Not a urine test.● Worth discussing
Sialidase gene potentialGene based potential, low. Detection does not show enzyme activity.● Low
Functional potential panel
Evidence selected organism table
Every report closes with plain language explanations and supportive, non medical suggestions. Results are informational and do not replace a medical consultation. Please discuss your report with your doctor.
Open demo reportRead a complete report before you orderOur full demo report is open to everyone, no account and no purchase. Click through every section, see how each result is explained, how the reference comparisons are drawn and how the limits are stated. Then decide whether this is the depth you want.View the demo report →Opens my.bactera.de in a new tab
Report screens
Using the kit
Your vaginal analysis in four steps
1
Kit arriving
Your kit arrives
Everything you need in one box, including prepaid return postage. Register your kit online with the code inside.
2
Taking the swab
Take the swab
A self collected vaginal swab, following the illustrated instructions. It takes a few minutes and no appointment.
3
Return envelope
Post it back
DNA extraction and shotgun sequencing happen in our partner laboratory in Germany. We analyse the data in our own bioinformatic pipelines.
4
Report on screen
Read your report
Released in your Bactera account, with plain language explanations, your full organism list and your raw sequencing data.
Kit contents, flat lay
Before you sample
- Sample outside your period.
- Avoid vaginal medication, lubricants and intercourse for 24 hours beforehand.
- If you have finished antibiotics or antifungals, wait at least two weeks to see your community at rest.
- Do not shower or bathe immediately before sampling.
- Register your kit before you post it, so your sample can be matched to your account.
The kit includes a step by step illustrated guide. If anything is unclear, our team answers by email before you take the sample.
The test kit
Microbiome 360° Vaginal
Microbiome vaginal analysis at home, shotgun metagenomics
€329,00One time. Free shipping and prepaid return within Germany.
- Swab kit with illustrated instructions and prepaid return postage
- Community State Type and Vaginal Protection Index
- Species level Lactobacillus profile and functional potentials
- BV, yeast, aerobic and urogenital colonization patterns
- Clinically relevant organism screening, including selected DNA viruses
- Complete organism list, FASTQ files and raw abundance data
- Lifelong access to your digital DNA databank
Analysed in GermanyGDPR compliantData never soldSupport by email
Market position
Among the leading vaginal microbiome analyses in Europe
The European market for vaginal testing runs mostly on pH self tests, culture based methods and PCR panels for a handful of target organisms. We sequence all the DNA in the swab instead, the way international vaginal microbiome research works. What that means in practice is set out below in numbers rather than superlatives.
25 millionReads per swab
Species levelLactobacilli identified individually
Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus iners are told apart rather than counted together. In vaginal ecology that distinction is the whole point.
12Analyses across five layers
From Community State Type and diversity through yeast screening to the resistome. Very few providers cover that range in one report.
01
Lactobacilli at species level
A 16S test tells you Lactobacillus is present. The species differ substantially in stability and metabolism, and telling them apart is the core of a vaginal flora analysis.
02
Community State Type instead of yes or no
Rather than a list of individual target organisms, we place your community within a published ecological pattern and describe how stable it is.
03
Technologically in the leading group
Shotgun metagenomics at species level is the standard international microbiome research works to. In consumer facing analysis it remains one of very few methods in use worldwide.
04
Yeasts and resistome in the same run
Yeasts are not cultured separately but read from the same DNA, along with antimicrobial resistance genes. A pH test or a small PCR panel cannot do that.
05
Sequenced and analysed in Germany
DNA extraction and shotgun sequencing take place in our partner laboratory in Germany, the bioinformatics run in our own pipelines in Cologne. Your sample does not leave the country.
06
Your raw data stays yours
Full organism list, FASTQ files and raw abundances available to download at any time, plus free re-analysis. We do not sell you supplements afterwards.
This positioning refers to the analytical method used and to publicly available information from providers of consumer vaginal tests in Europe, as of 2026. Greater sequencing depth means more DNA analysed, not automatically a medical advantage.
Being clear
What this test is not
We would rather tell you the limits up front than have you read them in the small print. Microbiome 360° Vaginal Analysis is an informational analysis. It is not a diagnostic test.
Not a diagnosisIt does not diagnose bacterial vaginosis, thrush, aerobic vaginitis or a urinary tract infection.
Not an STI panelScreening is incidental and low sensitivity. It does not replace validated testing for sexually transmitted infections.
Not cervical screeningIt does not replace routine cervical screening, and it does not replace pregnancy specific Group B Streptococcus screening.
Detection is not diseaseA detected organism can be a normal coloniser. A negative result does not rule out an infection.
Potential is not measurementGene based panels describe capacity. They do not measure pH, enzyme activity or gene expression.
See a doctor for symptomsIf you have symptoms, or anything in your report concerns you, please speak with your doctor.
Experiences
What our customers say
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Questions
Frequently asked
How do I take the sample?
With the swab included in the kit, at home. The illustrated instructions take you through it step by step and the whole process takes a few minutes. No appointment and no clinic visit.
Is this a vaginal flora test or a vaginal microbiome test?
They mean the same thing. Vaginal flora analysis, vaginal flora test and vaginal microbiome test all describe examining the microorganisms in the vagina. What differs between providers is not the name but the method: a pH self test measures a single value, culture shows only what grows in the laboratory, a PCR panel checks a fixed list. We sequence all the DNA in the swab and identify the lactobacilli at species level.
Is Bactera among the best providers for vaginal microbiome analysis?
In vaginal microbiome analysis we count among the leading laboratories in Europe, and we tie that to checkable points rather than superlatives: shotgun metagenomics with around 25 million reads per swab, lactobacilli at species level rather than as one genus, Community State Type, yeasts and the resistome from the same run, and your raw data with free re-analysis. On our reading of the market, very few providers currently combine all of that. The individual points are listed under Market position.
When in my cycle should I test?
Outside your period. Avoid vaginal medication, lubricants and intercourse for 24 hours before sampling, and wait at least two weeks after finishing antibiotics or antifungals if you want to see your community at rest.
What is a Community State Type?
A way of describing which ecological pattern your community currently follows, for example dominated by one protective Lactobacillus species, or a more diverse anaerobic pattern. It is a framework for reading your report, not a diagnosis.
Why does the Lactobacillus species matter?
Because these organisms are not interchangeable. They differ in the lactic acid isomers they produce, in how stable their communities tend to be, and in protective function. A test that reports Lactobacillus as one number cannot show you that.
Does this test replace a visit to my doctor?
No. The report is for information and orientation. If you have symptoms, or if something in the report concerns you, please see your doctor. Your report is written so you can bring it with you.
How long do results take?
Your report is released in your Bactera account once sequencing and analysis are complete, and you are notified by email.
What happens to my data?
Your sample is analysed in Germany and your sequencing data is stored securely under GDPR. You can download your complete organism list, FASTQ files and raw abundance data at any time. Your data is never sold.
Can I test again later to see what changed?
Yes. Because your sequencing data is stored, later samples can be read against your own earlier result rather than only against a reference population. A single sample describes the present, not a trajectory.
Is the test suitable during pregnancy or menopause?
The interpretation is life stage aware, so results are read against the biology of your stage rather than one adult expectation. It remains an informational analysis, and pregnancy specific screening stays with your doctor.
Why is it more expensive than other vaginal tests?
Because it is a different method. PCR and 16S tests read a fixed list or a single gene. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing reads the whole community DNA, which is what makes species level resolution and gene based functional panels possible, and it gives you lifelong access to your own sequencing data.
Knowledge Hub
Continue reading
Visual
Foundations
The vaginal microbiome
What it is, which species matter and why dominance beats diversity.
Read →Visual
Testing
Testing at home
How an at home swab works, and what a laboratory can and cannot tell you from it.
Read →Visual
Method
Shotgun sequencing
How whole community DNA compares with 16S and PCR panels.
Read →Visual
Patterns
Bacterial vaginosis
What the research associates with BV, and why a pattern is not a diagnosis.
Read →Visual
Patterns
Recurrent infections
Why some communities keep returning to the same state.
Read →Visual
Life stage
Fertility and pregnancy
What is known, what is associated and what remains open.
Read →Visual
Life stage
Hormones and menopause
How oestrogen shapes the community, and what changes when it falls.
Read →Visual
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