Confusion regarding vaginal swab results

Hi there, I am currently 23 weeks pregnant. I had some vaginal swabs taken due to a larger amount of vaginal discharge accompanied by some vaginal irritation . The swabs for chlamydia, gohnnorhea, trichomonas, and bacterial vaginosis, were all negative. However the swab labelled "Genital Culture" came back with a result of  "Genital Flora: Moderate Growth" I have not had a chance to see my Dr about the results yet, I just received them myself online. My question is what does this mean? is moderate growth considered an abnormal result and could that be what's causing my symptoms? If i had an overgrowth of bacteria in my vagina then why is my test for BV negative? And lastly I've read that abnormal vaginal flora can cause pre term delivery so is this test result a cause for worry? Thank You

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Genital Flora probably indicates NORMAL bacteria for the vagina and moderate growth is not abnormal. Your results are great with no abnormalities whatsoever.  There are normally bacteria in the vagina called lactobacillus among others which are healthy and keep things like yeast in check (prevent it from getting out of control and causing an infection).  I suspect that this is what your result shows, hence no need for worry.  Often increased discharge is noted during pregnancy due to the increased estrogen levels.  This is quite normal and again, nothing to worry about.  Be sure to follow up with your doctor about your results, but they seem good to me!
Dr B