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Recurrent Bladder Infections

Bladder infections, or urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be a serious medical problem, and they infect a large portion of the population. UTIs are common in women and can appear as a recurring problem. If you are a person who has recurring UTIs there are measures you can take to maintain your health.

  1. UTI Causes

    • The urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters (muscles that force urine out of the body), bladder and urethra (the exit of the urinary tract). Because urine is sterile, the urinary system is typically without bacteria or viruses. But bacteria, most commonly Escherichia coli (E. coli), can travel from the colon into the urinary tract and multiply, causing pain and infection.

    Risk Factors for UTI

    • Based on your genetics, you may be more prone to a UTI. Irregularities in your urinary tract may make it easier for bacteria to multiply and cling to the organs in the urinary system. Use of catheters may increase the likelihood of infection. Those with diabetes are also more prone to UTIs. Women have a higher likelihood of UTIs because their urinary tract is shorter and the bacteria have a shorter distance to travel to access the bladder and cause an infection. Also, women who use diaphragms are more likely to have UTIs because it is a foreign object that is not sterile and attracts bacteria.

    Symptoms

    • You may experience frequent urges to urinate and a painful, burning sensation during urination and within the bladder itself. You may feel tired and weak, and will feel an uncomfortable pressure above the pubic bone. The urine itself may be murky and cloudy, and may even have a reddish hue to it from blood. If the UTI is in the kidneys, you may experience pain in the lower sides of your back where the kidneys are located.

    Recurrent UTIs

    • Nearly 20 percent of women who have one UTI will have another. Thirty percent of these same women will have yet another. Eighty percent of the aforementioned group (those with two UTIs) will have additional UTIs. Typically, the recurring UTI will be of a different strain of bacteria from the preceding infection. The National Institutes of Health have found that those with recurring UTIs do not secrete certain types of blood group antigens that assist in preventing UTIs. This makes the cells in the urinary system more prone to bacterial infection.

    Dealing With Recurrent UTIs

    • If you have had three or more UTIs, you are likely to continue having UTIs. Your doctor may provide you with low dosages of an antibiotic called Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole or nitrofurantoin. Your doctor will have you take this for six months or longer, depending on the frequency of the UTIs. The doctor may also request that you take the antibiotic after sexual intercourse. You can lower your risk of additional UTIs by drinking plenty of water, not waiting to urinate when you feel the urge, wiping front to back after urination, eliminating baths and avoiding feminine hygiene sprays.

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