You wake in the morning and go to pee, and you feel that familiar twinge — that little bit of pain that signals that more pain is on the way thanks to a brewing urinary tract infection (UTI).
Women are no strangers to UTIs — the lifetime prevalence of UTIs in females lies somewhere between 50 and 60%. As if one go around isn’t enough, many women go on to deal with recurrent infections. In fact, at least one-quarter of women develop another UTI within 6 months, and this prevalence goes up with age.
Dr. Chetanna Okasi and the team at Women’s Wellness MD understand the impact that UTIs can have. As bladder problems go, UTIs can be highly disruptive and more than a little uncomfortable.
With that in mind, we dive into why women are more susceptible to UTIs, as well as recurrent UTIs, and what to do next.
There are a few reasons why women are more prone to UTIs, which are infections in the urethra and bladder (in more severe cases, the infection can move up to the kidneys), including:
A woman has a much shorter urethra than a man, which means that bacteria only have a short journey to the bladder.
As well, women’s urethral opening is very close to the anus, which allows for easier cross-contamination.
Women undergo hormone fluctuations throughout their lives, which can change the bacterial flora environment around the genitals. This change is especially true for postmenopausal women who experience significant changes in their vaginal health that can set the stage for UTIs.
Sexual intercourse can introduce new bacteria and then spread them more easily around your genitalia, which includes your urethral opening.
If you use spermicide, it can kill off good bacteria, allowing harmful bacteria to create an infection. As well, birth control methods like diaphragms can harbor harmful bacteria.
There are many reasons why so many women develop frequent UTIs, and we’ve already covered some of the drivers behind this, such as hormone changes and sexual activity.
When you combine these risk factors with certain behaviors, UTIs can become repetitive. So, we want to take this discussion in a more productive direction and review ways to prevent frequent UTIs, including:
If, despite your best efforts, you still become infected, we urge you to take quick action and come visit us. During this visit, we can quickly confirm the infection and start you on antibiotics, which should clear the UTI up quickly.
Bear in mind that early intervention is best because it can go a long way toward preventing complications and recurrent UTIs.
For expert diagnosis and care of your UTIs, you can contact us by calling our Columbia or Greenbelt, Maryland, office or using our online booking feature to schedule a visit today.
