Do you suffer with UTIs?
What are UTIs?
UTI stands for urinary tract infection which is, as the name suggest, a bacterial infection involving any part of the urinary tract from the kidneys to the urethra.
It happens very frequently in women of any age, but especially during childhood, pregnancy or in the elderly. It is infrequent in men and in case they develop it, it's a sign of a more serious illness like prostate infection or urinary tract malformations, for this reason in this post I'm only going to talk about UTIs in females.
If the infection is limited to just the urinary bladder it is a benign illness that usually resolves spontaneusly but nonetheless it's a disease that impacts on the quality of life, especially given its tendency to be recurrent. And trust me, I know something about it... I have a history of recurrent UTIs that plagued me for years before I put in place some lifestyle modifications that helped me immensely.
The main symptoms are urgency, burning sensation while peeing, sensation of incoplete voiding of the bladder and pain/haevy feeling in the lower abdomen.
Why do I get UTIs?
Women are significantly more likely to experience UTIs than men due to the length of the urethra... ours is only 3 cm long while theirs is well, that depends 🤭 but usually longer than that. For this reason alone, bacteria have a easier time traveling up from the perineum (where fecal bacteria reside) up to the bladder.
Other factors that enhance the probability to suffer from a UTI are pregnancy, poor hygene, number and type of sexual intercourse, a new sexual partner, use of hormonal contraception.
Luckily, apart from the lenght of the female urethra, for all of the risk factors there is an equivalent number of actions to counteract them.
How do I prevent UTIs?
Cranberry
If you like to use a "natual approach" for your problems in life, you just must have heard of cranberry supplement / juice.
And let me tell you: it actually works.
If you want to know all about it, read my previous blog post here. But if you are in a hurry just know that it contains some chemicals (proanthocyanidins) that inhibit the capacity of bacteria (E. Coli) to adhere to the epithelium of the bladder and no adherence = no infection.
The only problem with cranberry is that nobody knows how much you should take! In fact, unlike for pharmeceutical drugs, where the dosages are carefully calculated, nobody took the time and money to establish the correct dose. From my previous research I have found that dosages starting from 250mL three times a day or 3 tablets a day (of about 100mg) should reduce the incidence of infection. Luckily cranberry is not toxic and has a dose dependent effect (the more proanthocyanidins the better) so if you don't see a positive effect you can try to increase the dosage.
I haven't seen any recommandation for the timing of administration but I figured that taking it before sleeping would be better because the chemicals in the cranberry juice have time to stay in the bladder for longer and therefore to work their magic.
Drinking (a lot)
This is very important.
You must drink, a lot.
At least 2 liters a day and more if you sweat. This will work wonders to prevent relapses. Drinking is also the pillar of treatment for uncomplicated UTI because the increased water intake flushed out the bacteria that colonized the bladder. The best way to eliminate the bacteria is to resist the urge to pee until the bladder is actually full and only then to go to the toilet.
Hygiene
I'm sure you clean yourself, but do you do it right? I have noticed that sometimes people use the wrong soap, which in turns disrupts the residing good flora and alters the pH. It is best you use only water or at most specific feminine products that clearly state on the box to maintain the normal pH.
Probiotics
Since the cystitis is mainly caused by fecal bacteria it makes sense that recurrent episodes are favoured by and imbalanced intestinal flora. For this reason it's pivotal to have good a diet rich in unprocessed foods, fruit, vegetables and legumes and it may also be helpful to take probiotics supplements. Another way of administration of probiotics is through vaginal ovules, which may have the advantage of having a more prompt effect.
Peeing (at the right time)
Have you ever heard of the term honeymoon cystitis? In the past, where almost everyone married as a virgin, many women experienced their first cystitis during the honeymoon because it' then that they became sexually active. It is not clear why a sexual intercourse favours the onset of a UTI but it thought to have to do to the repetitive motion of the urethra dutring the act, which facilitates the climb of the bacteria.
For this reason, you should always pee after an intercourse, as it flushes out the bacteria that may have started to climb up.
Find the right contraceptive option
Hormonal contraception (especially the pill and the vaginal ring) are responsible to recurrent UTIs in healthy women but many of them don't even realize it!
If you think it may be your case, you can explore other (non hormonal) contraceptives, in partnership with your OBGYN, to find the right one for you.
Conclusion
If you read till here, I know you are probably suffering with this condition and it is driving you crazy, so, I hope this article was helpful in your war against UTI.
In case you have any question, curiosity or I didn't make myself clear make sure to leave me a comment so that we can exchange ideas 😀