Chronic UTIs
Chronic Urinary Tract Infections – How do I get rid of them!
What is a UTI?
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be a frustrating – and uncomfortable – reality for many young women. About 40-50% of women will experience one in their lifetime, making UTIs one of the most common infections in women.
Uncomplicated UTIs are caused by bacteria migrating up the urethra to the bladder. That being said, bacteria found in a urine sample isn’t enough to call it a UTI – we also have to have symptoms!
What are the symptoms of a UTI?
Typical symptoms include increased urinary frequency, urgency, discomfort where you imagine your bladder would be, and pain with urination. If you’ve ever had a UTI, you probably recognize those symptoms right away!
Many UTIs clear on their own with time, but sometimes the infection can spread through the urinary tract to the kidneys, causing more intense and serious symptoms.
How do I know if they are chronic?
We start to call it “recurrent” UTIs when you have had at least three episodes within the past year (or two within the past 6 months!). After an initial UTI, about 20-30% of women will have a second UTI within 6 months. This is actually really common – even in very healthy, young women.
why do we get them?
There are a number of known risk factors for getting a UTI. Probably the most common and most associated with recurrent UTIs is increased sexual activity.
Having sex increases your risk of developing a UTI within the next month by 9x. The use of spermicides increases that risk even further. Sex increases our exposure to bacteria in the area around the urethra.
Unfortunately, having already had a UTI also increases your risk for another one.
Constipation, not drinking enough water and stress (especially as it impacts your pelvic floor) may all be related as well.
We always ask you about (seemingly) unrelated parts of your health when we are thinking about how to help support and prevent UTIs in order for us to provide the best well rounded support.
What can we do?
There are some supplements we can implement to help prevent and treat UTIs but sometimes antibiotics are unavoidable – especially if the infection as spread towards the kidneys.
Some lifestyle tips we always recommend include drinking more water, going pee right after sex, and wiping front to back after going to the bathroom.
In an appointment with our Naturopathic Doctors, we often chat about gut health (there’s evidence that the health of our microbes in our gut can impact UTI recurrence), stress, other pelvic complaints, your routine and lifestyle. There’s a lot we can work on to prevent your symptoms!
Struggling with a current or chronic UTIs? Book with one of our naturopathic doctors for support with prevention, or with our Nurse Practitioner for support with an active UTI.