We all know that a urinary tract infection or UTI is caused when a bacteria enters the urinary tract. Once the infection is caused, you will feel burning pain every time you urinate or you may also feel the urge to pee all the time. Other signs and symptoms include dizziness, vomiting, pain in the lower back and nausea. There are also some risk factors to a UTI including obesity, diabetes and post-menopausal phase. This infection is mostly caused by bacteria already in the bladder, so the focus should be on getting them out of the system and alleviate the risks of UTI.
Prevention steps for a UTI in women are easy and include –
Drink more liquids
Drinking more fluids and liquids will help move the bacteria through the urinary tract and out of the system. You may use the toilet quite often but this inconvenience is worth taking when looking at the rewards on offer. More liquids will also dilute the urine therefore not allowing bacteria to reside there.
Urinate after sex
It’s possible for bacteria to move from vagina into the urethra when you have sex. Doctors thus rightly advise urinating after sex to flush out any bacteria reaching to the bladder post sexual act. The best way to counter the risk of bacteria is by peeing before and after the act.
Urinate often and don’t hold on
Many women are in the habit of holding back even when there is an urge to urinate. Doing this can increase the risk of UTI as the fluid stored in bladder gives bacteria a right milieu to grow. If you are at risk of this infection, you should then use the toilet after at least every 2-3 hours for sure.
Start wiping from front to back
Stop wiping back to front after a bowel movement as this may increase the risk of a UTI. Rather, start doing it from front to back to not let bacteria reach to the vagina and urethra. Be clear that vagina and rectum are two places from where infection-causing bacteria often find a way into the urethra.
Stop douching
The practice of douching may increase the risk of UTI so the earlier you stopped it the better. Even if it’s helpful in flushing out vaginal bacteria, it comes with the risk of urinary tract infection in the way by washing out helpful bacteria along. Douching may let more bad bacteria to grow apart from killing the ones that may have neutralized the impacts of UTI-causing ones.
Take shower not bath
Those prone to UTIs should prefer taking shower over baths to minimize the risks. Using a bathtub is particularly harmful as it may collect the body bacteria and bring them closer to the vagina. Such issues are not caused by shower so you should start taking them more often.
Care with self-catheterization
Women should take a lot of care with self-catheterization and if possible should ask a nurse to accompany them. And always buy a quality Foley catheter and add value to catheterization.
