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Causes & Risk Factors of Bladder Infections

Bladder infections are called cystitis, which means inflammation of the bladder. They are also called urinary tract infections (UTI). These infections are a common occurrence in women.

  1. Why Women?

    • Many believe that it's because women have a short urethra and it's close to the anus, which makes it easier for bacteria to find its way into the bladder.

    Causes

    • Many bladder infections are caused by the E. coli, a bacteria typically found in the gut.

    Contracting a Bladder Infection

    • Sexual intercourse (vaginal) makes it easy for bacteria to make its way from the urethra to the bladder. Holding urine too long increases risk of a bladder infection. This is because the stale urine has time to grow bacteria inside the bladder. Some bladder infections are even the result of sexually transmitted disease bacteria chlamydia and mycoplasma.

    Symptoms

    • Typical symptoms for a bladder infection include frequent urination, burning and/or pain when urinating (called dysuria), bladder spasms, constant need to urinate but not having much urine come out, cloudy urine, urine with an odor, blood in urine and even a fever.

    Treatment

    • Initial testing on a clean catch urine sample will be done to start antibiotic treatment. A urine culture may also be done to determine the specific bacteria involved. Proper antibiotic treatment can then be given for the specific bacteria found in the culture.

    Home Remedies

    • Drinking cranberry juice or taking cranberry pills helps ease pain by producing hippuric acid in your urine, which prevents bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder. There are over-the-counter products, containing phenazopyridine, that are aimed at relieving pain.

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