UTI
Post by on Thursday, December 16, 2021
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are most often caused by bacteria (red are common, especially in women. More than half of women will have at least one UTI at some point in life. UTIs are serious and often painful.
Women get UTIs up to 30 times more often than men do. Women get UTIs more often because a woman's urethra (the tube from the bladder to where the urine comes out of the body) is shorter than a man's.
This makes it easier for bacteria to get into the bladder. A woman's urethral opening is also closer to both the vagina and the anus, the main source of germs such as (E. coli) that cause UTIs.
Women are a greater risk of UTI if they are sexually more active, use diaphragm for birth control, during pregnancy, during menopause, diabetes, kidney stones and if they have or had a recent catherization done.
Symptoms include:
Pain or burning when urinating.
An urge to urinate often.
Pressure in your lower abdomen.
Urine that smells bad or looks milky or cloudy
Feeling tired, shaky, confused, or weak.
And sometimes fever.
Most commonly UTI is diagnosed by a simple Urine examination and treated there after by antibiotics or treating the underlying cause.
Preventive strategies for UTI include :-
Urinate when you need to.
Don't go without urinating for longer than three or four hours. The longer urine stays in the bladder, the more time bacteria have to grow.
Always wipe from front to back.
Try to drink six to eight glasses of fluid per day.
Avoid tight-fitting pants, which trap moisture, and change out of wet bathing suits and workout clothes quickly.
Take showers, or limit baths to 30 minutes or less.
