What Is a Vaginal Wet Mount? A vaginal wet mount, also called a wet prep or vaginal smear, is a test done to find the cause of vaginitis, an inflammation of the vagina. Your doctor will usually order the test if you’re having symptoms like itching, a discharge, or pain. It’s not the same as a Pap test, which is a regularly scheduled exam that looks for cancerous or precancerous cells in the cervix. But you could have a vaginal wet mount and a Pap smear at the same appointment.

Vaginitis Causes There are different causes of vaginitis. Your doctor might do a wet mount to help confirm or rule out some different causes of the inflammation, including: Vulvitis. An inflammation of the vulva -- the folds of skin just outside the vagina. Bacterial vaginosis. This is the most common type of vaginitis. It happens when bacteria replace healthy vaginal cells. Yeast infection. An overgrowth of the fungus candida is the second most common type of vaginitis. Candida is normally found in small amounts in the vagina. Trichomonas vaginitis. Also known as “trich,” this infection is caused by a parasite and is spread through sexual contact. To find out if you have other sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, or herpes, you’ll need other types of tests.