Vaginal Microbiome Analysis

About the Vaginal Microbiome Analysis

The Vaginal Microbiome Analysis is an at-home vaginal swab that reads the microbial community living in your vagina. You collect the sample yourself in about 20 seconds, then mail the kit to a CLIA-certified lab. The report describes which microbes are present and in what proportion, as a wellness screen rather than a diagnosis.

The panel covers 41 microbes. Protective lactobacilli, disruption-associated anaerobes, yeasts, and other bacteria that can overgrow. It also screens STI-associated and viral markers, for wellness purposes only. Results arrive in approximately 3 to 4 weeks. The kit is available to members 18 and older.

What this panel measures

The panel reports the relative abundance of 41 named microbes from a single swab. Grouped, they answer a more useful question than any single organism can: what kind of community is this?

Lactobacillus dominance and your community state type

A vaginal community state type is shorthand for which bacteria dominate a sample. Reproductive-age vaginal communities cluster into five community groups. Four are led by a single Lactobacillus species: Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus iners, Lactobacillus gasseri, or Lactobacillus jensenii. The fifth carries a lower share of lactic acid bacteria and a higher share of strict anaerobes.

Those lactobacilli produce lactic acid, which has been associated with host defense through direct and indirect effects on pathogens. So a Lactobacillus-dominant, low-diversity community reads as the typical protective pattern. That is the opposite of how diversity reads in the gut.

Your report names which of these community types your sample matches. Your provider can read that alongside your symptoms and history.

Shotgun metagenomic sequencing vs. a standard swab test

This panel is sequenced by shotgun metagenomics. That reads the DNA present in the sample, rather than testing a short list of named organisms. In vaginal samples, that approach agrees with older sequencing on community type and also detects non-bacterial organisms such as yeast.

What this test does not replace

This is a screen you run at home alongside the care your provider gives, never instead of it.

• Clinical STI testing — The panel screens STI-associated and viral markers for wellness purposes only. A "doing great" or 0% result does not rule out an infection. STIs often cause no symptoms. Which tests you need is decided with a healthcare provider.
• A diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection — The panel reports which microbes are present and in what proportion. It does not diagnose a condition.
• A Pap test or a pelvic exam — Routine gynecologic screening continues with your provider on the schedule you already follow.
• Clinical evaluation of active or recurrent symptoms — Active symptoms, or infections that keep returning, belong with a primary care provider or OB-GYN.

Who benefits from testing

This panel suits a question about composition more than a symptom that needs care today.

• You want a baseline — A first read on which species dominate your own sample, before anything changes it.
• Symptoms keep returning — A broader view of the community can add context to the care your provider is already giving.
• You are curious which lactobacilli are yours — Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus iners communities look different on paper.
• You are trying to conceive — Testing is fine while trying, and a baseline is easier to read before pregnancy.
• You are breastfeeding — Lower estrogen in that window can shift the picture, which is context your report is read against.

What your results reveal

Results arrive as a Superpower Protocol Report in approximately 3 to 4 weeks. It describes the composition of your community rather than passing a verdict on it.

• A microbiome summary score from 0 to 100, with a percentile against your age group
• The community state type your sample matches
• Categorized findings — Needs support, needs improving, doing okay, or doing great
• Personalized recommendations across diet, supplements, hygiene, probiotics, and suppository support

Patterns here may indicate a shift in the community rather than a condition. They sit alongside your other results, including a gut microbiome analysis if you have run one. Questions about what a result means go to your provider or your Superpower care team.

Reference ranges vary by lab and individual. Your healthcare provider can interpret your specific results in context.

How to prepare

A few timing rules keep the sample representative, and the kit's short survey is required.

• Cycle timing — No specific cycle day is needed, but do not collect while you are actively bleeding. Wait until your period has fully stopped, ideally 2 to 4 days after bleeding ends.
• A 48-hour pause — Where possible, pause penetrative vaginal sex; lubricants and spermicides; washes, douches, and scented products; and vaginal probiotics, suppositories, boric acid, or vaginal estrogen.
• After antibiotics or antifungals — Wait 4 weeks after finishing any oral or vaginal antibiotic or antifungal course.
• The pre-collection survey is mandatory — Complete it via the QR code on your kit as you collect. It captures the cycle phase, medications, and life stage your results are read against.
• No gloves needed — The kit includes a lab-certified dry swab in a tight-sealing tube.

How it works

1. Order online — The kit ships to you, and the swab takes about 20 seconds to collect at home.
2. Mail it back — Seal the tube in the specimen bag, complete the QR-code survey, and drop the prepaid bubble mailer in your home USPS mailbox.
3. Read your report — The CLIA-certified lab sequences your sample, and your Superpower Protocol Report arrives in approximately 3 to 4 weeks.