Urinary Tract Infections: What You Should Know

By Alan Peterson, M.D.

What is a Urinary Tract Infection?

A lower urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bladder infection or cystitis caused by germs. If you have a UTI, it may hurt to go to the bathroom and you may have to go more than usual. Bladder infections are found most often in young women. Sex can make it easier for germs to get into the bladder. Also women have a shorter urethra (the tube that drains the bladder to the outside) than men, making it easier to get a bladder infection.

How do I know if I have a UTI?

Your doctor can tell if you have a UTI by examining your urine. You might need special tests to make sure. An overnight culture done at the doctor’s office can be helpful. Sometimes the culture needs to be sent to the hospital laboratory.

What do I do if I have a UTI?

Your doctor can give you medicine to make your infection go away. You should take the medicine until it is gone, even if you start to feel better before the medication is finished. You can also get medicines from the pharmacy to help with the pain such as pyridium. These, however, do not kill bacteria. Obviously, if you have a bacterial urinary tract infection, it is best to be treated with antibiotics by the physician.

How do I prevent another infection?

There is no way to make absolutely sure that you do not get another infection, but you should follow your doctor’s directions. Other things that might help:

• Wiping from front to back when you go to the bathroom. The reason for this is if you have some bacteria around the rectal area and you wipe forward, you can bring these bacteria closer to the urethra where they sometimes can get up into the bladder and cause an infection.
• Drinking a lot of water can help to flush out bacteria from the bladder.
• Going to the bathroom right after you have sex. This can help again to flush out any bacteria that might have been around the urethral area.
• Avoid scented soaps and feminine hygiene sprays, also avoid bubble baths. These can cause irritation in the urethral area which can help set up possible urinary tract infections.
• Avoid douching, tampons, or steroid creams in the urethral area unless they are prescribed by the physician. This item is important especially for those who develop recurrent chronic urinary tract infections.
• Wear cotton underwear. Other synthetic materials sometimes increase warmth to the area which can increase the multiplication of bacteria or be irritating.
• Avoid tight fitting, constricting clothing. Although tight fitting jeans, for example, might be the most recent fashion statement, in some women, this can increase the chances of urinary tract infections again because of the increased warmth and constriction.
• Although cranberry juice and other acid drinks that can help keep the urine acidic might be helpful, one has to drink a large amount of this to make a difference and probably the time between one goes to bed and gets up in the morning is too long of a time to go without cranberry juice and would not decrease the number of bacteria in the bladder (at least overnight). A glass a day of cranberry juice probably will not keep the doctor away!