Urinary Tract Infections: What Every Woman Should Know

Tracee Cornforth

The urinary tract system is the body’s filtering system for removal of liquid waste and consists of the kidneys, bladder, ureters, and urethra.

A urinary tract infection or UTI is a bacterial infection that occurs when bacteria invade the urinary tract system; the bacteria then multiply throughout the urinary track system. While the majority of urinary tract infections or UTIs are not serious, they often cause severe symptoms such as pain and/or burning upon urination.

Women are particularly susceptible to urinary tract infections or UTI. This is because women have a shorter urinary tract than men. The good news: Infections are easily treated with antibiotics. However, some women seem prone to recurrent UTIs than others and for them it can be a frustrating battle.

What Causes Urinary Tract Infections?

The most common cause of UTIs are bacteria from the bowel that live on the skin near the rectum or in the vagina, which can spread and enter the urinary tract through the urethra. Once these bacteria enter the urethra, they travel upward, causing infection in the bladder and sometimes other parts of the urinary tract.

Sexual intercourse is a common cause of urinary tract infections because the female anatomy can make women more prone to urinary tract infections.

During sexual activity, bacteria in the vaginal area are sometimes massaged into the urethra.

Another cause of bladder infections or UTI is waiting too long to urinate. The bladder is a muscle that stretches to hold urine and contracts when the urine is released. Waiting too long past the time you first feel the need to urinate can cause the bladder to stretch beyond its capacity. Over time, this can weaken the bladder muscle. When the bladder is weakened, it may not empty completely and some urine is left in the bladder. This may increase the risk of urinary tract infections or bladder infections.

Other factors that also may increase a woman’s risk of developing UTI include pregnancy, having urinary tract infections as a child, menopause, or diabetes.

What Are the Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections?

Symptoms of UTI or bladder infection are not easy to miss and include a strong urge to urinate that cannot be delayed, which is followed by a sharp pain or burning sensation in the urethra when the urine is released. Most often very little urine is released and the urine that is released may be tinged with blood. The urge to urinate recurs quickly and soreness may occur in the lower abdomen, back, or sides.

This cycle may repeat itself frequently during the day or night–most people urinate about six times a day, when the need to urinate occurs more often a bladder infection should be suspected.

When bacteria enter the ureters and spread to the kidneys, symptoms such as back pain, chills, fever, nausea, and vomiting may occur, as well as the previous symptoms of lower urinary tract infection.

Proper diagnosis is vital since these symptoms also can be caused by other problems such as vaginal infections or vulva.

Only your doctor can make the distinction and make a correct diagnosis, see make an appointment when you spot the symptoms above.

Meanwhile, here are ways to minimize your risk:

1. Water helps flush your urinary tract, so make sure you drink plenty of plain water daily.
2. Don’t hold it when you need to urinate! Women are often guilty of trying to finish a task before they go to the bathroom. Holding it when you need to go can help any bacteria that may be present develop into a full-fledged urinary tract infection.
3. You’ve probably heard that you should wipe from front to back after a bowl movement. This is especially important to help prevent bacteria from the anus from entering the vagina or urethra.
4. Taking showers instead of baths helps prevent bacteria from entering the urethra and causing a UTI.
5. Always wash your genital area both before and after sexual intercourse to help prevent transferring bacteria to the urethra or vaginal area, which can create a breeding ground for a UTI.
6. Feminine hygiene sprays and douches, particularly scented douches, can irritate the urethra and possibly lead to a UTI. Avoiding these products will help prevent not only urinary tract infections, but also other infections and irritations that these products may cause.
7. Drinking cranberry juice is a fairly well-known and natural way to both help prevent urinary tract infections, as well as help speed the recovery process when a UTI develops. Just drinking two 4-ounce glasses of cranberry juice daily is often enough to both prevent a UTI and speed recovery when an infection does develop.
8. Another nutritional route that may help prevent UTI is regularly taking vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C increases the acidity level of urine, which in turn helps decrease the number of harmful bacteria that may be present in your urinary tract system.
9. Always wear panties with a cotton crotch. Cotton fabric lets moisture escape while other fabrics can trap moisture, creating a potential breeding ground for bacteria.
10. If you are one of a large number of women who suffers from frequent, recurrent urinary tract infections, a change in your position during sexual intercourse may help reduce the number of UTIs that you experience. Changing sexual positions may reduce friction on your urethra and reduce your risk of recurrent UTI. Women who suffer from extremely frequent urinary tract infections may be prescribed an antibiotic to take immediately after sex to help prevent the likelihood of urinary tract infection occurrence.

Source: womenshealth