UTI

What is a UTI?

A urinary tract infection (UTI) an infection that can happen in any part of your urinary system, like your kidneys, bladder, and urethra. These infections usually affect the bladder and the tube that carries pee out of your body (the urethra). It's

What are symptoms of a urinary tract infection?

Symptoms of urinary tact infection can include:

• Pain or burning while urinating
• Frequent urination
• Feeling like you can not completely empty your bladder or feeling the need to urinate despite having an empty bladder
• Bloody urine
• Pressure or cramping in the groin or lower abdomen

What to expect during a UTI appointment

A UTI visit can take place virtually or in-person with referral for testing if indicated. If you have symptoms of a UTI, your visit will likely include:

• Review of your medical history and any medications that you take with special attention to current symptoms and urinary history.
• If you are suspected to have a urinary tract infection (UTI), your healthcare provider may ask for a urine sample to confirm the diagnosis. In such cases, a urinalysis test is conducted to screen for different parts of urine and detect potential infections. The test checks for germs that cause bladder infections. Sometimes, your healthcare provider may start you on antibiotics right away without waiting for the test results if they suspect that you have a UTI.

Potential treatment plans

Treatment for UTI requires an antibiotic. If you are diagnosed, your provider will write you a prescription.

How to prevent a UTI in the future

Even thought UTIs are fairly common, they are also easy to prevent with proper hygiene and personal care:

• Urinate after sexual activity: During intercourse, bacteria and other germs can find its way into your urethra (where you pee from), which can cause UTI's. Urinating after sex forces that unwanted bacteria to be flushed out of your urinary tract.
• Stay well hydrated: Drinking a lot of water helps hydrate bladder tissue, which keeps it healthy. Staying hydrated also dilutes your urine and lowers the concentration of bacteria in the bladder. In some cases, women have been able to cure themselves of a UTI just by drinking water.
• Take showers instead of baths: Bacteria thrive in warm environments, like hot tubs and baths. Taking showers instead will slow any bacteria from rapidly growing in your urethra.
• Do not use douches, sprays, or powders in the genital area: Your vagina is already self-cleaning and does not need help from a douche or any additional "vaginal cleaning" products. These products can also wash out the good bacteria that keeps your vagina health and your pH balanced, which could allow for harmful bacteria to take over.
• Wipe front to back after using the bathroom: This helps avoid any bacteria from your rectum to contaminate your urethra, which can lead to infection.
• Consume D Mannose: This is a sugar compound naturally occurring in cranberries that will help coat the bladder making it difficult for bacteria to adhere to it. This is helpful to prevent UTIs when going through a period of frequent bladder infections. For preventing frequent UTIs, we recommend 2g once daily.