Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are one of the most common infections in the U.S.
An estimated 40 to 60 percent of women experience at least one in their lifetimes — and many women experience them multiple times.
“I probably see patients with UTIs daily,” says Allison Ferdon, a family nurse practitioner at Tidelands Health Pediatrics and Adult Medicine.
The condition may be common, but it’s certainly not fun. You may feel the urge to pee frequently but only produce a little bit of urine. And sometimes, it may hurt or burn when you pee. Occasionally, UTIs can cause fevers, lower back pain and lower abdominal pain.
UTIs occur when bacteria — usually E. Coli, which lives in the lower intestine — gets into the urethra. Treatment typically requires a doctor’s visit and a prescription for antibiotics.
Certain factors can make you more prone to getting a UTI — like being female, sexually active, using a catheter or having diabetes.
For some people, it can be hard to get rid of an UTI. If you have more than two in six months or more than three in a year, that’s called a recurrent or chronic UTI. The symptoms are the same but may require a different approach to treatment.
There are some factors that put you more at risk for a recurrence:
- Menopause: A thin and dry vaginal lining, which can occur during menopause or as a side effect of some cancer treatments, can put you more at risk for a bacterial infection.
- Lifestyle habits: Bacteria can get into your urinary system if you don’t pee after sexual activity or if you wipe from back to front.
- Urinary retention: If you don’t get all of the urine out of your bladder when you pee, it can lead to an infection. This can be a symptom of aging and diseases such as diabetes, vaginal prolapse, stroke or neurologic disorders.
If your UTIs are related to menopause, your doctor may prescribe a vaginal estrogen cream to help reduce frequency. Other options include an oral antibiotic taken after sexual activity, if that’s the cause. Or there are some low-dose antibiotics that can be prescribed.
The easiest way to treat a UTI is to avoid getting one altogether. Make sure you’re practicing these prevention methods daily:
- Wipe front to back
- Pee after sexual intercourse
- Wear cotton underwear
- Avoid spermicide and diaphragms in favor of alternative birth control options
- Drink plenty of water
Frequent antibiotic use can lead to resistance, which is why prevention is so important, Ferdon says.
“It’s easy to take antibiotics, but we wouldn’t want them to stop working when you really need it,” she says.