Women tend to get urinary tract infections (UTIs) more often than men. Why is this so and what can women do about it?
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection in any area of the urinary tract. The urinary tract comprises the kidneys, the bladder and the urethra. As blood flows through the kidneys, waste is removed and stored in the bladder as urine. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder and out of the body.
Symptoms of UTI
Possible signs of a UTI include the following:
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- A burning sensation or pain when urinating
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- The need to urinate more often than usual
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- Feeling the urge to urinate but not being able to
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- Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
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- Cloudy, dark, smelly or bloody urine
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- Pelvic pain.
Causes of UTI
Urinary tract infections occur when bacteria enter the urinary tract through the urethra and begin to grow in the bladder. Although the urinary system is designed to keep out these minuscule intruders, defences sometimes fail and the bacteria may multiply into a full-blown infection. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract, that is, the bladder and the urethra.
Risk factors for urinary tract infections include:
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- Being female
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- Being sexually active
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- Using certain types of birth control
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- Being past menopause
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- Having urinary tract abnormalities
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- Having blockages in the urinary tract
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- Having a suppressed immune system
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- Using a catheter to urinate.
Why do women suffer from UTI more often than men?
Women tend to get urinary tract infections more often than men because bacteria can reach the bladder more easily in women. The urethra (the opening to your urinary tract) is shorter in women than in men, and therefore bacteria have a shorter distance to travel.
After menopause, the decline in oestrogen levels causes changes in the urinary tract that make a woman more vulnerable to infection.
Treatment of UTI
If you are a healthy woman who is not pregnant, a short course of antibiotics usually takes care of urinary tract infection. If you are pregnant, your doctor will prescribe a medicine that is safe for you and the baby. Symptoms of the infection usually go away one to two days after starting the treatment.
Tips on preventing UTI
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- Drink plenty of water to flush out bacteria
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- Don’t hold your urine − urinate when you feel you need to
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- Wipe from front to back after bowel movements
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- Urinate after having sex to help wash away bacteria
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- If you get urinary tract infections often, you may want to avoid using a diaphragm as a birth control method. Ask your doctor about other birth control choices.
Sources
http://www.mayoclinic.org
(Revised by M van Deventer)