Yes, both usually assess well remotely — and the first useful thing is separating them, because they are treated quite differently and are constantly confused.
- Thrush — thick white discharge, intense itching, soreness. No smell. Treated with an antifungal
- Bacterial vaginosis — thin grey or watery discharge with a distinctive fishy smell, often worse after sex. Usually little or no itch. Treated with an antibiotic, not an antifungal
Buying thrush treatment repeatedly for what is actually BV is extremely common, and it is why symptoms keep returning.
What needs testing rather than treating:
- Any risk of a sexually transmitted infection — chlamydia and gonorrhoea can cause discharge, and need a test
- Bleeding between periods or after sex, or pelvic pain with fever
- Four or more episodes a year, which needs a plan and sometimes a glucose check
- Pregnancy, where treatment choices differ
NHS sexual health clinics are free, confidential, and do not need a GP referral — for anything with an STI risk that is the better route, and we will say so.