Diagnosis & Testing of Genital / Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

The symptoms of VVC are similar to those of many other genital infections, so it can be difficult to diagnose a yeast infection by physical examination only.  Usually the diagnosis is made by taking a sample of the vaginal secretions and looking at the sample under a microscope to see if an abnormal number of Candida organisms are present. A fungal culture may not always be useful because Candida species are normal inhabitants of the body.