Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
WHAT are RECURRENT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS (UTIs)?
Recurrent UTIs: What You Need to Know
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) or bladder infections are a common health issue, affecting millions of people each year. While most UTIs can be treated with antibiotics, some people experience recurrent UTIs, which are two or more infections in a six-month period or three or more infections in a year. Recurrent UTIs can be frustrating and painful, but with the right treatment and care, they can be managed effectively.
WHAT are RECURRENT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS (UTIs)?
Recurrent UTIs are bladder infections that occur 3 or more times per year. Typical symptoms of UTIs include pain or burning with urination (dysuria), frequent urination or urge to urinate, bloody urine (hematuria), and in some cases fever. A UTI is best diagnosed by a urine culture. A urine culture typically takes a couple of days for a final result. A urine culture is considered positive if an offending organism grows.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES or RISK FACTORS?
Women tend to get more UTIs than men partly because women have shorter urethras (the tube that empties urine out of the bladder, where you pee out of) – so bacteria can more easily reach the bladder than in men.
Common risk factors in women include:
- 1. Sexual intercourse
- 2. Menopause – the decline of estrogen in the vagina produces an environment that is favorable to growth of harmful bacteria. Vaginal estrogen is a woman’s natural defense against bladder infections.
- 3. Douching- can disrupt the concentration of GOOD bacteria that help block the growth of harmful bacteria.
- 4. Spermicidal use – can kill off GOOD bacteria
- 5. Not drinking enough fluid
Less common risk factors in both women and men:
- 1. Stones- stones in the urinary tract may harbor bacteria
- 2. Incomplete emptying of the bladder- if too much urine is left over in the bladder after urination, it can lead to increased bacterial growth
- 3. Catheterization of the bladder- using a catheter or tube to empty the bladder of urine increases the risk of bacteria getting into the bladder
- 4. Neurologic conditions that affect the bladder can increase the risk of bladder infections.
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Dr. Milhouse is the self-proclaimed UTI queen and has helped countless women control their UTIs. She stresses the importance of conservative antibiotic usage.