All about UTIs
How common are UTIs?
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections out there, second only to the common cold. In fact, this year alone, women will suffer from more than 16million UTIs. And unfortunately, studies have shown that if you suffer from even one UTI, you are more likely to get another.
Why do women get UTIs?
Women have a short urethra. The urethra is the pathway urine takes from the bladder to exit the body. So when bacteria gets into the urethra, it has only a short journey until it reaches the bladder. Once bacteria is in the bladder, it multiples, causing a UTI.
UTIs occur when this bacteria is spread. Sex is one potential cause for a UTI, but not the only cause. Other causes include dehydration, not fully emptying the bladder when urinating, or wiping with toilet paper from back to front. Even thong underwear has been shown to increase the risk of UTIs.
What does a UTI feel like?
Terrible! The classic symptoms are: pain, burning with urination, feeling like you have to urinate every 5 minutes, and cloudy urine.
What should I do if I feel like I’m getting a UTI?
Call your doctor and explain your symptoms to determine if you should be seen the same day. If your symptoms occur on the weekend, go to an urgent care center. In addition, drink lots and lots of fluid, including You-T.
What are the complications of a UTI?
Untreated UTIs lead the bacteria to spread from the bladder to the kidneys, causing kidney infections. Kidney infections are serious and require antibiotics, and oftentimes, hospitalization. In very rare circumstances, untreated UTIs can spread beyond the kidneys to the blood stream. This can be fatal (but is very rare).
It is critical to prevent UTIs by maintaining a healthy urinary tract.
How can I prevent UTIs?
In addition to drinking You-T, which is clinically proven to prevent UTIs, here are some simple ways to keep your urinary tract healthy:
- Urinate before and after sex
- Wear all cotton underwear
- Hydrate and lubricate
- Never ever have vaginal sex after having anal sex first
- Wipe front to back
- If possible, avoid diaphragms – Diaphragms push onto the urethra and prevent the bladder from emptying fully
- Urinate when possible, even if it’s a long car ride. The longer people hold their urine, the more bacteria have time to multiply in bladder
Does cranberry juice prevent UTIs?
- Yes. Cranberry juice (not diet cranberry juice) works for prevention because it contains the necessary level of proanthocyanadins (PACs) to prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder walls. But, unfortunately, cranberry juice is very high in sugar: you’d need to drink 140 calories worth of cranberry juice (that’s 30 grams of sugar!) everyday to get the necessary PACS for prevention. If you don’t want all that sugar, try You-T. It has all the PACs of cranberry juice and just 15 calories. It’s a great alternative to cranberry juice that works wonders for UTI prevention and relief.
