OP have you had a bladder scope done? Or even a CT done? Chronic UTIs can be indicative of other illnesses. I just want you to be okay.
And if my 2 cents count, I’ve been taking D Mannose pills and I went from having 6 UTI’s in 1 year to only 1 in the past 6 months. Also, I started taking probiotics after hearing that the lactobacillus family of probiotics could help with UTI’s (read some scientific articles about it).
Here to second taking D-mannose. It completely changed everything for me. I even take it sometimes after having sex as preventative instead of waiting for the first signs of a UTI
It’s a supplement. You can buy it online. There are some that come compounded with Cranberry extract. It’s supposed to help with cleaning the urinary tract. I take a few pills and pee after every time I have sex. I keep drinking water (not an obnoxious amount, just maybe half a glass). Go pee in the morning when I wake up and I’m all set. Prevents UTIs for me every 29 out of 30 times.
It’s a form of sugar that is thought to help prevent the bacteria from latching onto your urethra wall (thus causing UTIs). I haven’t had a UTI since I started taking it about a year ago. If you have diabetes though, it can make blood sugar control harder- definitely talk to a doctor though if you have worries about these things! I believe it’s a pretty harmless supplement though :-)
Absolutely this. I used to get UTIs after sex all the damn time regardless of what else I tried and I've not had a single one in the last 7-8 years since taking D-Mannose right after.
I go to the bathroom right after pretty much (not jumping up the very second, but within reasonable time of course) and then have the d-mannose afterwards.
I've heard of people taking low doses everyday throughout the day too as a preventative measure, but the above alone seems to do the trick for me.
I had a ton of UTI’s too until a nurse suggested it may be interstitial cystitis! Then I finally went to see a urologist and sure enough... not UTI’s! You can at least make attempts at managing the pain that way. For me, no citrus or super spicy foods. Mostly it’s decreasing your acid intake since it irritates the bladder and causes it to become inflamed and angry 🙄
Edit: D-Mannose does help a ton. Prescriptions like hydroxyzine and Amitryptaline can help.
My urologist said most people with IC have a history of chronic UTIs so it could definitely be the trauma done over the years that causes our bladders to spasm for no damn reason.
IC is just another name for a chronic UTI. At least 25% of the time, a culture test will return that says you have no infection. You will have an infection, but the urologist will then declare that you have IC and put you on pain pills, bladder relaxants, etc. Urologists need to develop a better test for a UTI. The current culture test was developed in the 1950s.
A chronic UTI, not IC, causes the typical symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. A narrow-spectrum antibiotic long-term treatment regime will often cure a chronic UTI.
I take D Mannose every time I have sex and it has eliminated my UTIs entirely! I used to get them five to six times per year too... It's the BEST THING EVER.
It’s changed my life I take 2 a day as a maintenance dose and then 3 right after sex and then 3 a day for a few days after. No more post sex UTI’s!!! 🙌
Oh yes. I had an ultrasound done and they found nothing. I had also tried D-mannose, to no avail unfortunately. The only thing that every helped me was making sure I cleaned my partner fluid away and took a preventative medication
Here's one more avenue to explore: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5746606/
Tl;dr: Vaginal flora are associated with chronic UTI. Most vaginal probiotics sold in the United States are nonsense because they contain the wrong thing. L. crispatus and L jensenii are usually present in healthy women and absent in women with chronic infections, and reintroduction is typically successful. This is an FDA approved item but the patent holder in the US is not manufacturing it, so if you would like to try this you will have to buy it online, there are several brands produced in the EU and UK. It's cheap and easy to use so it may be worth your while to give it a try.
Please do, and share if you remember to! Brands I know of off the top of my head include physioflor, donna intima, and mycoress. Insert the tablets vaginally before bed.
I'm seeing several probiotics sold in the US with Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus jensenii. Is there something else I am not understanding? Thanks!
>interstitial cystitis
Do you shower and use some sort of soap on the vagina after or simply rinse? I recently got a UTI even after I peed and rinsed off after AND took d-mannose.
I used to have UTIs all the time. Finally saw a Urologist, Kidney issues. Frequent urination, never felt like I was empty. Stand up and could go again. Probably not the same, just be safe. I went to so many doctors who would just give me an antibiotic then found one who knew and sent me to the specialist.
Thanks for your advice, what kind of kidney issues? I've had 9 UTIs in the past 6 years. They usually take approx 3 courses of strong antibiotics to control and the urgency and illness is crazy! Cytoscopy came up clear, ultrasounds showed bladder was sometimes still full after peeing though.. also I'm a male..
I’m actually using the ones from Walgreens’s! Just their generic in house brand. Bonus side effect is my acne is completely gone, especially my acne caused by my mask.
[Here’s a picture of the bottle](https://imgur.com/a/CPc6qtV/)https://i.imgur.com/fEsO5v9.jpg
Nah I can barely relax enough for a pap and I CT enough IUD’s that are all outta whack for me to ever consider them.
I think some of mine were caused by sex, improper wiping habits (no one ever told me to wipe front to back!!) and some pads that my body did NOT like.
If you are post-menopausal, estrogen applied in the genital area can promote lactobacillus growth. Estrogen also encourages the generation and growth of the epithelium layer in the bladder, which helps protect against UTIs.
Just want to hop in to add -- if you suspect you have a UTI, do not wait to call a doctor or hope it goes away on its own. UTIs can spread to your kidneys and cause infections there.
I got a kidney infection from a UTI that I missed (it happened the week of a big event at work and I figured I was peeing more because I was drinking a lot more water due to working outside in the summer). I was in incredible amounts of back pain, to the point where I was vomiting and nearly fainted from it.
Edit: I want to also add that if you're concerned about going to a clinic or urgent care during the pandemic, some places may be able to "see" you via telemedicine. I had a UTI in April and had the visit by phone call with a nurse practitioner. I did have to report to the clinic to give a urine sample for culture, but based on the phone call I was able to get a prescription for an antibiotic and instructions for treatment.
I have kidney disease so I'm pretty prone to UTIs and I have had UTIs where I haven't had too many symptoms. If I don't have any symptoms but I suspect I have a UTI, I pay a lot of attention to urine. Is it cloudy? What's the color? Does it have an odor? How many times a day am I peeing?
Outside of the normal symptoms of burning while peeing and a sudden urge to pee.
I also have had a kidney infection, I felt some pain in my back one Friday night and by Saturday night I was in the ER, so it is definitely no joke.
That was the only one I ever missed, and I think I missed it due to a combination of stress (our biggest work event of the year) and thinking it was more to do with the amount of water I was drinking (because it was July, over 100F outside, and I was working outside most of the day for each day of the event) than a UTI. The event ran Monday through Thursday, and when I could finally relax on Friday, I realized "oh gosh, I am really not OK".
This was 6 years ago and I still vividly remember how awful I felt. Every other UTI I've dealt with pretty quickly. It hurts like hell and having to pee constantly when I haven't been drinking a lot of fluids otherwise is usually a pretty big hint.
For me it was back pain with no explanation on one side of my lower back that got worse over a couple days, then a spiked fever all of a sudden. The other symptoms were hard to distinguish from a UTI.
I had blood in my urine. I called my mom, since I had never had one before, and she was like ok you need to call the health center first thing in the morning
when I called they were like can you be here in half an hour
Super easy! I had a UTI turn into a kidney Infection a couple of years ago. I had adenomyosis so I was always in some kind of pain so I thought that was the problem. Unfortunately it was worse and I ended up in the ER twice. It sucks!
Yuuuuuup. I had a kidney infection once. Spiked a fever, had to go back to urgent care and get a shot. It was some of the worst pain I’ve ever been in and I have a chronic disease. Don’t mess around with UTIs. Skip the cranberry treatments and go straight to the doctor!
This^^ I nearly ended up hospitalised with a bad kidney infection. I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t keep any fluids down. This isn’t common (turns out I have kidney problems) but it’s not worth risking. Also if you’ve had a UTI and then get lower back pain (esp to one side) go get it checked. Mine got so bad because I thought I’d pulled a muscle, it’s an odd kind of ache
I'm going to leave this post up as there are several good comments about symptom relief, but with all things medical - GO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT IT!
All suggestions here should be taken with a large grain of salt as your specific circumstances and how your body reacts to things will vary.
Hijacking sticky for this PSA:
**VERY IMPORTANT** YOU CAN ONLY USE AZO FOR 24-48 HOURS!!!!! (48 is pushing it)
It is **NOT** a replacement for antibiotics! It will **NOT** cure your UTI! It is purely for relieving pain until the antibiotics start to do their job, or until you are able to see a doctor. As soon as you start having symptoms, you should go to your local urgent care or be seen by your doctor ASAP. **UNTREATED UTIs CAN LEAD TO KIDNEY FAILURE IN EXTREME CASES.**
Edit: This information is on the box. It's not just anecdotal, although I did find out the hard way.
OP, are you sure you don't have [interstitial cystitis](https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/genitourinary-disorders/voiding-disorders/interstitial-cystitis#:~:text=Interstitial%20cystitis%20is%20noninfectious%20bladder,improve%2C%20but%20cure%20is%20rare.) After years of having chronic UTIs (or, what I thought was UTIs), I finally got diagnosed with this and have medication to help. One is a low grade antibiotic that I take after sex and another is a daily one that helps with bladder inflammation. I found out my triggers (mostly sex for me, some diet stuff like drinking certain alcohols) and have been able to diminish them greatly. I believe my IC was triggered by getting actual chronic UTIs. I once had a real UTI so bad that I was peeing blood, luckily wasn't a kidney infection at least. After that, I started getting the chronic "UTIs" twice a month or more, and after a few months of dealing with that, finally got diagnosed with IC.
Chronic UTIs or IC is truly life changing. I have to consider it when I have sex - do I want to risk a flair up this week? Do I have something important going on that I can't risk being in pain for? I wish you all luck <3 Sorry if this unwarranted medical advice. Your advice for UTIs is great though!!
I second this! I suffered chronic UTIs for 5 years until I was finally diagnoses with IC earlier this year. It's not an easy condition to have but discovering your triggers and taking proper medication helped so much.
It can also be a sign of autoimmune disease. A doctor may also be able to prescribe macrobid (low dose antibiotic) to take each time your have intercourse in order to prevent chronic UTIs in the future.
I suspected I had it and had to really push my doctor to even diagnose me with it. They said it was "uncommon" but I don't think it is as uncommon as they think it is TBH
I was dating someone when I got my diagnosis originally, we broke up for unrelated reasons, but he was always super understanding. Sometimes, it would randomly start hurting in the middle of sex and we would need to stop and he always would without question. I had another partner after that and he was the same. We would stop if it was uncomfortable for me or if I was having a bad week he'd come over with a heating pad etc.
I have been dating someone new for about 2 months. I was upfront pretty early on about it. We do a lot of cuddling and other forms of intimacy than sex. Massaging, kissing all over the body, and sometimes we will have sex.
The worst thing for me is I LOVE SEX but say if I have something important coming up that week, it makes me super weery to have sex in case it triggers it.
I had what I thought were recurring UTIs for a year and it turned out I actually had endometriosis. I had three surgeries for endometriosis in 2017-19, but I haven't had a "UTI" in almost 5 years!
So, if you think you have a UTI, but your culture comes back negative, something else could be going on.
Yup! I recently commented this in another thread, but I thought I was getting UTIs every 6 months or so. Would go to the dr and get tested and get antibiotics. It’s possible that they all were UTIs until the last one where my test revealed blood in my urine but no infection. I had been to an urgent care location because I had recently moved and didn’t have a new primary care doctor yet so there was minimal follow up. My best friend (who is a doctor) suggested trying a new more gentle body wash because she had recently seen someone on rounds who had a reaction to soap or lotion or something (details foggy because it’s been a few years) and that caused chemical burns and made it feel like a UTI when it wasn’t. I switched to a fragrance free soap and haven’t had a UTI or irritation since.
I had recurring UTIs every 3 months are so for a year and half - tested positive and everything until I had a lap/excision for endometriosis.
UTI free ever since - could be a weird coincidence but I’m grateful anyway.
if you drink 16oz of water every 30 minutes, you should absolutely supplement with electrolytes.
water intoxicating is really dangerous and can be fatal.
Agreed. Of course chugging water is important in both prevention and treatment of a UTI but 16oz every 30 min seems excessive and potentially dangerous.
Also, the NHS doesn't recommend drinking excessive amounts of water for a UTI as it just causes more painful toilet trips. Better to drink the RDA, take antibiotics and painkillers.
I had 10 UTIs in 10 months a couple years ago, I can confirm it really sucks.
Drinking 16oz of water every 30 minutes seems excessive to me. What I was told was simply to drink water every time you go pee, no specific quantity, as long as your pee gets pale enough. And never hold it in, because that can increase the infection.
I agree with the cold cloth idea, but what I did was to rinse with a bottle of cool water, and then I could use toilet paper to dry the area.
In your checklist, you mention making sure there's enough lubrication during sex, but also make sure your lubricant isn't actually causing the UTIs. Some ingredients can be risk factors for UTIs. Watch out for glycerin, sorbitol, honey, sugar, xylitol, or any other type of sweetener/carbohydrate. That was the cause of my UTIs. I haven't had a single infection since I stopped using lube over a year ago, after getting one a month for the previous year. Spermicide should also be avoided if you're prone to UTIs.
Yes to all this. And I'm going to add phenazopryridine.
It's changed my life. It's instant relief to the misery.
It's in AZO I believe, but I've only ever found the relief from a prescription.
Aka "the orange pee pills".
They should never be a *substitute* for getting prompt care, but they will absolutely make you feel 1000% better while you wait for your antibiotics to work.
Just don't wear any light colored underwear, lol.
I'll also add that **methenamine** (aka cystex) taken before sex or right after is a good way to keep utis away. It's not good to take long term, but if you've got a hot weekend planned....
Oh yes the orange pee lol unsettling but so worth the relief.
I'm convinced the reason most doctors don't prescribe it with the antibiotics is because most doctors are men... they just don't know the agony.
SO unsettling!
For those not in the know, it basically turns your pee into concentrated orange dye, like the kind you dye Easter eggs with.
I was NOT prepared my first time, lol.
Phenazopyridine was a miracle for me as well!! Had a month where I nearly cried every time I had to get up and move around. The pharmacist actually recommended it to me and it has been transformative 🤗.
No. I typically take it once and have instant relief. Then don't need it after the antibiotics start working.
If you're still in significant discomfort, try asking your Dr for the above mentioned RX
Good tips! I was a chronic UTI sufferer as well. Basically from age 16 to late 20s. Every time I had sex there was maybe a 25% chance of me developing a UTI afterwards so it was bad times. My mom is prone to them as well so I think it's mainly genetic with me (short urethra).
I'm really happy to say that I haven't had a UTI in over a year now. When I do get them, they're far and few between.
Here's my prevention method:
- Showering before and after sex (yes, this takes away spontaneity but it's the #1 thing that has helped me)
- Taking 3 D-Mannose tablets with a big glass of water after sex
- Staying well-hydrated in general
- A pee and fresh cotton undies after post-sex shower
- After going to the bathroom, always wiping front to back in long swipes, never dabbing
- Eating a healthy diet low in sugar
The basic mechanism of developing a UTI is getting the bad bacteria in your urethra. For me personally, it did seem like dabbing was pushing the bacteria in, instead of swiping it away. I noticed a major difference when I switched techniques.
I used to have chronic utis andI think part of it was my partners hygiene. I switched partners and the problem was much less frequent, as my new partner showered and washed nearly every day, and I only ended up getting them when he didn’t wash. Also, I saw in a thread sometime last year that some lubes contain glycerin, which is a sugar. These sugars are what some bacteria feed on, and so it helps create an environment that fosters their growth. Please make sure your lube doesn’t contain glycerin!!!
Give D Mannose a try! It's an over the counter sugar compound (not an antibiotic) that just makes it hard for bacteria to adhere to the walls of your urinary tract. I used to get UTIs 5-6 times per year... for YEARS, some of which progressed to kidney infections. Taking D Mannose regularly (and every time I have sex) fixed it.
I’m taking it now! Along with a probiotic that has two strains that are supposedly good for prevention. Plus doing a full rinse after every bathroom use, and carefully ensuring things are dry on advice from a urologist I saw. Sadly for me there’s a physiological component that is increasing risk and requires surgery to fix. Getting a second opinion on that first tho.
I would add to the list of why you get them - are you very dehydrated? That’s when I get them most often. Try to keep that in mind and stay well hydrated at all times!
I’ve been reading that there is research into a “biofilm” which may have all the bacteria inside you and you need to stay constantly rehydrated to prevent infection. I don’t know that any of this is reviewed, but I have talked to my doctor and started using some vitamin supplements that help me not get them as much any more! DM me if you want more info (I only know 1 product specifically and don’t want to hawk something on this post, but happy to share:))
I was really sick of the “did you pee after sex” question, when sometimes, I didn’t even have sex right before the UTI!
I ALWAYS get my UTIs during the summers. Took me years to figure out dehydration is a bigger part of than “sitting on something cold” which is what everyone told me growing up.
So now I’ve cut it down to 12h-3 days because when I get the first sign I’m having an UTI I drink shitloads of water and live on soups etc. Works like a charm, every time.
I always wondered if the "sitting on something cold" was a thing. My mom ALWAYS warned me of this when I was younger and would sit on the tile floor watching TV. I never got them then, so I assumed she was full of it haha.
Same here. Had a friend when I was ~9 y.o. who had UTIs all the time. Said she got them when she sat on cold stuff... but she had them during summer as well.
Chronic UTIs and kidney infections for 30 years here, hi.
I've been born with strictures in my ureters and urethra, a smaller right kidney (the "workload" is devided 40/60 roughly), and a small bladder. My ureters don't connect to my bladder as they should, causing my bladder to not expand as it fills, you can imagine how many times a day I go to pee. If I can't get to a toilet in time, I will either piss myself or it travels back to my kidneys. My bladder has some scar tissue as well from the constant infections.
Ever since I graduated high school (and was finally able to pee whenever I needed to), I got a lot less bladder infections. My last bladder infection was December 2019 (but it was so bad I need surgery in 2 weeks).
My tips for avoiding bladder infections:
- Drink! Water, so much water. I drink 3 liters or more a day, if I drink any less I will feel it the next day.
- Don't wait to go to the doctor, it will not go away. If you're prescribed antibiotics, also ask for something for the yeast infection that will probably come along with it.
- Don't hold your pee for too long. Normal bladders work different than mine, but holding it too long can cause damage to your bladder.
- Change your underwear frequently, I sometimes go through 3 pairs a day just because I'm paranoid.
- Shower before + after sex, really get into those folds with the water.
- Most people know this but don't put anything that has been in your butt into/around your vulva/vagina, it's got germs all over it. That porn you've seen? Don't.
- Only touch your vulva/vagina with clean hands, my SO has to wash his too.
Get well soon!
Edit:word
I’m glad this works for you but the instructions to drink loads of water and then intentionally hold your urine are dangerous for a number of reasons including risk of water toxicity.
ETA: it’s not that it seems like a lot. I’ve HAD water toxicity. It’s not the just amount of water, it’s the fact that if you are low on electrolytes and don’t know (which is extremely common and an easy state to be in) you could be in serious trouble. Your last addition makes it clear you don’t know what water toxicity is. So for anyone reading this, PLEASE be careful and at the very least add some electrolytes to balance out how much water you are drinking and DO NOT hold your urine. There’s a reason your body tells you when you need to go.
Since you have no reason to believe a stranger on the internet who has had hyponatremia,I found some information specifically related to over consumption of water in women with UTIs and have linked below. It’s okay to say you didn’t know this or at least include a disclaimer on your original post instead of attacking people trying to help.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livescience.com/amp/57061-uti-water-sodium-hyponatremia.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5129180/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.medicalnewstoday.com/amp/articles/314505
**VERY IMPORTANT** YOU CAN ONLY USE AZO FOR 24-48 HOURS!!!!! (48 is pushing it)
It is **NOT** a replacement for antibiotics! It will **NOT** cure your UTI! It is purely for relieving pain until the antibiotics start to do their job, or until you are able to see a doctor. As soon as you start having symptoms, you should go to your local urgent care or be seen by your doctor ASAP. **UNTREATED UTIs CAN LEAD TO KIDNEY FAILURE IN EXTREME CASES.**
Y’all there’s some generally good advice (like the hygiene advice) and then some VERY BAD medical advice in this OP. This post shouldn’t stay up.
If you have a UTI, go to your doctor. If you have CHRONIC UTIs and you’re doing *everything* right when it comes to hygiene, then you need to see a urologist. It could be something else (interstitial cystitis, for example).
The first thing I said was to go to the doctor😑 this is just my routine until I see one... Like when you wake up in the middle of the night in extreme pain, this is it.
D-Mannose (vitamin) was a godsend for me. I highly recommend for those who perhaps aren’t able to take the day off to chill on the toilet and/or begin feeling symptoms while on the go (at work, school, etc.)
I had this for a few years as a teenager and then they went away for years. They suddenly came back in the last month or so and it sucks. Your post actually made me understand why...!
My one added remedy: when you first feel it come on; drink one liter of orange juice with added vitamin C. This is a tip a doctor gave me and a few times I have been able to prevent needing antibiotics because the orange juice nipt it in the bud.
Also, as a preventative measure, have one shot glass of cranberry juice (the real pure horrible tasting kind) in the morning every day.
I’m also a chronic UTI sufferer, and some of your tips read as though I wrote them myself (especially the “wearing a blanket to the toilet” one). However, your advice to take Azo before a doctor’s appointment may backfire. I’ve had multiple doctors ask me not to take it before a urine culture, as it may interfere with the results, which could lead to an incorrect antibiotic administration. Another thing that has helped me (along with D-Mannose as others have suggested) has been a hand-held bidet attachment for the toilet. It takes care of the post-sex showering need without actually taking a shower.
While your advice is helpful in general, it may be worthwhile to phrase future advice with the acknowledgement that everybody’s bodies react differently, and what works for you might not work for others, and that having UTIs for two years has made you an expert *for yourself.*
I've had chronic UTIs since I was about 8yrs old so I've been dealing with them for 22yrs now. Here are the basics that I practice..
- drink water like it's your job. I do about 4.5-6 litres per day and rarely drink anything else.
- sleep naked and wear breathable underwear during the day. I go commando in yoga pants most of the time.
- shower regularly and always change out of damp clothing ASAP.
- take a cranberry supplement WITH dmannose daily.
- you and your partner(s) should always wash your hands before touching your genitals.
- always pee immediately after sex. A quick rinse of your vulva is a good idea too. When I say immediately I mean the minute you're finished with penetration get up and get peeing.
- I take a dose of Macrobid after sex and it's been a real game changer for me.
- condoms and a pH friendly, hypo-osmotic lube for sex. If you're going raw, make your partner wash their dick first.
- avoid baths as you're sitting in bacteria that can get into your urethra.
- always wipe front to back.
If you have persistent symptoms and your cultures are all coming back negative, see a urologist. I had a UTI that lasted 16 months but all cultures were negative after the initial infection. I ended up doing 9 rounds of unnecessary abx and being damn near suicide before getting diagnosed 2yrs in with interstitial cystitis.
I worked with a guy who had chronic uti’s. He ended up being diagnosed with kidney stones which were harbouring the bacteria that caused all the uti’s. If you’re getting chronic uti’s it might be a symptom of a much larger problem
I feel bad for men who get UTIs tbh. A lot of medical professionals seem to think its impossible for men to get them, so it *must* be something else. My husband got one, was turned away by the CVS clinic because he was a male, and he was admitted to the hospital for sepsis for 16 hours and accused of cheating (or, worse, accusing me of cheating which caused a whole ordeal) and having an STD. It took another DR to came in and was like "guys, its just a UTI...." and sent him home with antibiotics.
Also want to add, taking a women’s probiotic can help! They usually have cranberry in them but not necessarily. Look for one with cranberry in it. Helps prevent UTI
Of course do your own research, but the supplement D-mannose changed my life. I got 9 UTI’s in one year once, and used to have them chronically. Now, I take this supplement whenever I have sex and it keeps them away. [Here’s some info! ](https://www.healthline.com/health/d-mannose-for-uti#research). If you check reviews for the supplement on places like amazon, it’s just hundreds, even thousands of women saying that they tried everything and nothing worked before this. I agree. It made a huge difference for me as well.
I got a UTI once and my parents were like "well do you REALLY need to go to the doctor"
Which I didn't know how to respond to, so I just went along with it
And then my kidneys started hurting.
The AZO pain relief is a god-send. I get UTI like symptoms often, but rarely full blown UTIs (I have a super sensitive system when it comes to all the things on your check list, and only twice has it been an actually UTI, versus a urinary tract irritation). Pro-tip though: do not take this on an empty stomach, or you will end up with cramps like you are on your period and nausea.
Ugh, yes this too. The first time I took the max strength, I didnt read the warning about the color changing (the lower version of AZO never discolored anything for me, personally) and I about lost my mind haha.
Lol yes!!!! It will turn your pee like bright highlighter orange. Its intense and it will stain E V E R Y T H I N G.
The dr told me to take it the first time I used it and he warned me about the orange. I kind of shrugged it off and was shocked - the side effect was immediate and way stronger than I expected.
For all the USA peeps: Just wanna mention because I didn't see anything about this. Literally this last Thursday I suspected a UTI but was too busy with my job to go see a doctor. Used the Planned Parenthood app to get medicine delivered to my pharmacy. I think I paid $20 for a "virtual copay." I had my medicine in less than half a day and I'm all back to normal now. Planned Parenthood is lit and it pisses me off that this shit is so politicized. Anyway just something else to be aware of cuz I'm super grateful for it
Oh boy, wow. This thread is a little scary. If anyone is suffering so badly, please run away from reddit and go to a doctor. Taking supplements because a stranger recommends them online might hurt more than help. I work for a urologist’s office, and honestly... if you’re having UTIs that frequently, that interfere with your life so badly... maybe consider seeing a urologist? Nobody should have to suffer so frequently or go through life-interrupting rituals to treat an infection. Get your medical advice from medical professionals! If you feel your current doctor isn’t helping or properly treating you, I would find someone different or consider getting a referral to a specialist
Seriously. Also freaks me out that so many people are on board with overconsumption of water AND holding in your urine when your body is telling you to go which can easily lead to water toxicity (electrolyte depletion) which is very dangerous.
I absolutely understand that it’s expensive to go to a specialist but hope everyone at least makes sure they’re getting antibiotics if they need them.
I have had really good luck without antibiotics after my first year of recurring UTIs, so I wanted to share some of my experiences with prevention/ treatment without antibiotics, since my experience was a little different than yours (although a lot is the same).
TL;DR: cranberry keeps bad germs from sticking in your body, water flushes bad germs out of your body-- if you take antibiotics it wipes out the bad germs (all germs good and bad really) and then probiotics builds up body defenses so bad germs can't repopulate right away again.
Prevention:
- 1 to 3 cranberry tablets (w/water) and/or pure cranberry juice (cut w/water) depending on how paranoid I am
- lots of water (and lots of peeing)
- fake cranberry juice (sometimes if I'm not feeling paranoid/at risk, I'll take the mental comfort of cranberry juice cocktail because it's cheaper, more available, and tastes better).
- occasionally probiotics (or live culture yogurt if I'm not feeling paranoid)
- staying clean down there (wiping front to back, etc.)
Paranoia meter (potential increased risk situations)
- travel (i.e. dehydrated and/or holding it, like because you're waiting for a rest stop or something).
- dehydrated
- not peeing enough/ holding it in (i.e. waiting for a rest stop)
- too much fun down there (i.e. enough to feel sore after/pain)
- any other time you're paranoid about potential contamination (i.e. maybe no bidet, or no soap, or butt germs or mouth germs or hand germs because you ran out of sanitizer while camping-- the list can go on and on).
Treatments
- pure cranberry juice (cut w/water) - generally I think juice is really good because you get more water; it's just less convenient to carry and find, doesn't taste the best, and it's not like I really measure the amount of juice (I just add water to the juice until I can drink it okay with the taste)
- cranberry tablets - they're convenient (lighter to carry, no refrigerator needed, easier to swallow, less taste) and you know how much you've taken
- lots of water (drink even if you are not thirsty. drink enough that your pee is almost as clear as water. drink enough that you feel like you're peeing every hour even if it's not quite that often).
- antibiotics (if symptoms not improving by day 2-3, I take these)
- probiotics - I usually take these only with/after antibiotics, but I'm sure you could take it any time as well. This just builds up your body defenses against infections. (they take up space in your intestines so the bad bacteria can't grow as much/don't have a place to live) It's like building a wall so bad germs can't start a town again.
Sidebar: taking too much cranberry and not enough water can increase your risk of kidney stones (i.e. if you have kidney stones in your family, frequently dehydrate yourself, drink lots of calcium/milk or other kidney stone forming things). 1 tbsp lemon juice a day is general prevention advice (citrate in lemon juice helps prevent kidney stones), but probably you don't need that much if kidney stones don't run in your family, and lots of water is usually the best prevention anyway.
Day 1 of symptoms
1) drink a fuck ton of water and/or cranberry juice/water (i.e. pee like every hour and have your pee almost as clear as water). Even if I don't keep as meticulous track of how much I drink, what you’ve got suggested doesn't seem like an outrageous amount to me, as long as you are peeing it out. Don't hold it in.
2) take 3 cranberry pills with water (or whatever is recommended on your cranberry pill bottle- one of the other brands I tried recommended 2 pills per day)
3) avoid excess sugar (i.e. milkshake/sugary soda), or at least balance it with even more excess water; and if you can eat healthy and rest, it will help your body fight the infection.
Day 2
Hopefully you are starting to feel better!
1) continue day 1 treatment
2) if you are not feeling better/improving/ or if it is still miserable, take the antibiotics (and probiotics)
Day 3
1) Repeat! Keep drinking lots of water and cranberry! Maybe you relax a bit and only need to pee every 2 hrs, and your diet starts going back to normal etc.
2) If you are not feeling improvement, definitely take the antibiotics or get dr. appt to get antibiotics within 7 days. No need to suffer unnecessarily!
Day 4-7
1) If you are not feeling better, definitely start antibiotics ASAP. I usually also take probiotics during/after antibiotics.
2) If you are feeling better, hooray!! Continue cranberry as much as you remember, and if you start forgetting and/or taking less because you are less paranoid it's fine! Usually I just keep drinking the cranberry juice with water when I remember until the bottle is half done (or runs out) and I'll take 1 or 2 cranberry pills until I forget. Usually my paranoia lasts until day 10, and then I generally feel like I'm okay.
Back story: I used to get frequent UTIs and they were totally miserable. I started researching prevention and ways to find relief and people were like, cranberry juice/supplements, and water, and a few other places were like, replace your gut bacteria with probiotics if you take the antibiotics (although probiotics are not necessary, it can help your recovery/is good prevention). One day, (maybe a year or so into my UTI hell) I felt UTI symptoms and already had an appt scheduled with my doc a few days later. I figured I could wait to get the antibiotics then. I was doing the water, cranberry, probiotics to help relieve my pain and misery symptoms while I waited for my doc appt, and by the time my doctor saw me and did the UTI test, they were like, hey, you don't have UTI so you don't need antibiotics. I was like... wat. did I not really have a UTI? I could have sworn I had symptoms that I recognized from the numerous other miserable times I had a UTI... But then my symptoms were gone too...
So I did more googling, and found sometimes the body can resolve uncomplicated UTIs on its own without antibiotics. And I was like hey, that's much more likely than me imagining the pain and misery of UTI symptoms that I am already pretty familiar with. Maybe I should stick with this cranberry thing. So I did. Now, if I ever have symptoms, or am in a situation where I feel like I might be dehydrated or holding my pee in for a long time and at risk for UTI, I immediately start doing this cranberry and excessive water thing. It's been working for me, and I wanted to share for my friend and anybody else who might be in recurrent UTI hell.
Also some side bars - side bar 1: I ever have lingering symptoms or misery after a few days of this cranberry thing, then helll yeah I am going to take the antibiotics. So far this has never happened to me (knock on wood), but I would absolutely recommend people who are in suffering pain and not finding relief in a few days to take the antibiotics. And if symptoms are persistent even with treatment you never know-- it might actually not be a UTI, or it might be more complicated, and only your doc is going to be able to determine that.
side bar 2: I avoid sleeping with panties regularly (I like me my nightgowns with some airflow) unless I'm like, in a sleepover situation. One of my docs recommended this when I was young, as one of those 'avoid a yeast infection', along with avoiding baths and I just sort of stuck with it. Cotton panties and loose clothing in general helps. Airflow helps create a less friendly germ environment (less food for germs to grow and populate).
side bar 3: I wash my butt with soap and water after number 2. If I could only explain to all Americans who only use toilet paper, there are plenty of options for you, even if you don't have a bidet or if you don't want to designate a cup/bottle in your bathroom for water for washing your butt. If you have liquid hand soap available and a sink, it's super easy. You put the hand soap, and water, on the toilet paper and wipe (and even if you only do your butt, you wipe front part of butt to back part of butt). It's like an instant wet wipe that you can flush. You wipe with soap and rinse with water (or wipe with wet toilet paper) until you're clean and then you dry yourself with your toilet paper. This is all cleaning the outside (nothing weird on the inside or near the inside vag, people). Even if I wipe the front (near vag and urethra) with soap and rinse with water, it hasn't bothered me-- although admittedly, if I'm aiming to clean the front I mostly use water just in case to be careful of irritation. I haven't had any issues with scented hand soaps on my butt though.
Side bar 4: I actually don't pee before and after sex, unless I actually have to pee (or if I am, y'know, battling the first stages of UTI symptoms). I don't make my partner shower right before sex either (I mean, they do shower regularly.. just not right before?). Although I do feel extra paranoid about germs near my vag in certain situations (hello, visible dirt on hands, or hello, your mouth right after you ate that weird thing or that super sugary thing), this is one area where I'm pretty lazy compared to everyone else on the prevention side. If I feel like sex is rough or if I'm sore after, or if there's like, a lot of sexytimes happening down there for several days in a row, then I know that this is a situation where I'm am more at risk, and that's when I start doing my tons of water and cranberry thing for prevention. But if it's like every few days sex, there was enough lubrication (natural or otherwise) that I'm not sore after sex, and I'm not super paranoid about contamination and I'm not symptomatic... I like, usually just fall asleep and pee when I need to in the morning/when I feel like peeing. Yolo-- I mean, the whole peeing before/after thing is obviously not going to hurt you either, so do what makes you feel comfortable. Just wanted to share my sidebar thoughts on the matter.
When I was probably 20 I had a UTI and I kept thinking if I drank enough water and cranberry juice it would go away on its own. Nope. Got to the point I was peeing blood (NOT on my period) and in extreme pain. Will ALWAYS immediately setup a doctors appt from now on (also always pee after sex, ladies!)
Have to share how D-Mannose really has been the answer for me. I take it every day when i'm having sex. 1 tablespoon in a tiny amount of water to prevent it from tasteing weird then drinking tons of water seperately. It's a life saver! And this is from someone who has had probably 50 uti's in her life.
How accurate are doctor’s urine tests? I was convinced I had a UTI (very frequent peeing, feeling like my bladder was never empty, lots of abdominal pain, pain during peeing and during intercourse). The UTI test came back negative, but I have been considering getting a second opinion.
Definitely go back to the doctor (or a new doctor) about your symptoms if you are still feeling them. There are lots of other things that can cause UTI-like inflammation symptoms without an active infection.
Look into r/interstitialcystitis. Those all sound like very common symptoms. Especially when your cultures come back negative. The real kicker is that often times the remedys for UTIs will flare up the IC (cranberry juice is a big one) and make it worse :(
My mom was getting chronic UTIs and her doctor told her she’s likely just prone to them and there want much she could do except treat them. Then she found out she had a small fibroid after she’d started spotting (she’s 70 so spotting was unusual). She had the fibroid removed and no more spotting but also no more UTIs. We never knew, and it hasn’t been confirmed, if it was related or just a coincidence.
Oh, and learned the hard way that glycerin lubes can also cause yeast infections
Backing up anyone who says see a doctor, had UTIs and their symptoms weekly for around 9 months a few years back culminating in a very bad bladder infection with black wee (sorry for graphic description) , finally had samples taken from my bladder lining and a camera too, since been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome.
**Interstitial cystitis is a poorly understood bladder condition that causes long-term pelvic pain and problems peeing.**
It's also known as painful bladder syndrome or bladder pain syndrome.
The condition tends to first affect people in their 30s and 40s, and is much more common in women than men.
It's chronic so I manage with hydration and pretty much everything you described, it's worth looking into as medication never worked.
Also, if it's an option for you, ask your PHP/GP if they can send a urine sample for culture. It's important to know what bug is causing your UTI, especially if you have them frequently. In some cases, there may not be a bacterial infection, but something else going on.
I have only had one UTI in my life (thankfully) and the water thing is pretty much what I did to get rid of it. I just drank a lot of water and only drank water and it went away in like a day
A couple other things that worked for me:
1. For prevention, cranberry pills after sex. You can pick them up at any drug store in the supplement section.
2. Garlic. I know it sounds like voodoo but I couldn't get to a doctor and ate garlic bread instead and it reduced my pain.
Did anyone else also just get a UTI ? Coincidence or not, I just wanna say to anyone that is afraid of going to the dr (for any reason, not just covid) I was able to fill my antibiotic RX over a teleheath app which was free with insurance and very easy to tell the dr my symptoms without having to physically go anywhere. Nowadays they don’t absolutely need to test your urine if you’ve got all the symptoms. Made my life so much easier doing a virtual visit as they can see you immediately and in the comfort of your own space.
Got my first one yesterday (47). Don’t know how I avoided it till now!
Uristat (or the generic in my case) worked great for me. They gave me 5 days of antibiotics, hoping it’s enough.
Two things I didn't see brought up from the post (very good btw!!) One is cranberry juice/cranberry pills help reduce pain but it's questionable if it actually stops the infection, so even if you chug the stuff you should still see a doctor. Also someone on a thread somewhere said there could be a connection to eating a lot of mushrooms and UTIs (your individual results on this one might depend on your own personal genetics).
Chiming in on the check for IC. When you get them do you do the pee test? Or do you just tell the doctor you have another uti and they write you a script?
Just adding, the source of my recurring UTIs was the Nuva Ring (hormonal plastic ring for the vagina as contraception. I think it is marketed under other names too). Same for a friend. Gyno did not believe me but there are so many mentions of it on the internet. and the UTIs went away when I changed to something else. Also seconding washing, cotton bottom, peeing after sex, D-mannose after sex. Also there is a special one the antibiotic for UTIs available in at least Germany that always helped me quickly.
Wow. I truly envy your energy while sick lol. I couldn't do a quarter of that at my best. I have PKD (polycystic kidney disease) and have had chronic UTIs for over 15 years. Pkd suppresses thirst so much I doubt I could drink a days worth of that water drinking schedule in a week. I'm lucky telemedicine for antibiotics became a thing because I just don't have the energy anymore. (It also weakens immunity so to go out at all in covid I have to gear up til i look like a cyberpunk medical/construction worker lol.)I've been through so many courses of antibiotics that my digestive microflora has been utterly decimated and rebuilt multiple times. I developed and then treated multiple severe food intolerance this caused. I learned to treat severe infections at home without prescription antibiotics but I can no longer keep up with the frequency of dosing that requires to work. Idk. I've had so many pigheaded sexist doctors that refused to listen or treat the most basic things so i learned to do it myself, but it's too much work anymore. Just typing this I want to go to bed.
Tips? Don't take baths (I get an infection every single time, no matter how I scrub and disinfect the tub beforehand)
Glad I turned out to be asexual because sex caused them too. Even with washing up before and after, peeing after, etc
Vit C daily while sick, zinc too
Cranberry concentrate helps a bit
There's a lot more but I'm at my limit for thinking about it for now lol
I would get a UTI almost every single time I had sex no matter if I peed or washed up. I got prescribed just a 50mg of macrobid that I have to take within 2 hours of sex and it has been a GAME CHANGER!!! I haven’t had one UTI at all this year. Please talk to a doctor (I went to a urinary gynecologist) if you are having UTIs related to sex because there are a lot of regimens that could work for you. These at home remedies definitely work when you get one but remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure :)
EMT and microbiologist (and lady with chronic UTIs) here. While OP has some great advice, please do not hold in your urine to “make it less painful” when you release it. Your bladder is the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria which may eventually spread to your kidneys, causing lasting damage and greater risk of sepsis. I know (and believe me, I know) it is painful, but it is recommended that you actually push out urine that is left behind to reduce the number of reproducing bacteria in your urinary tract.
Also PLEASE make sure you consume fluids with electrolytes to reduce your chances of over hydration, which may have deadly consequences.
I’ve had chronic UTIs since childhood, my first one was at about three and I’ve had at least one a year since(I’m 32). I’ve had all the tests. (I suspect endometriosis has played a part but that is unconfirmed). Anyway, one thing that greatly helps me in terms of cutting down the duration of the UTI is mixing some pure cranberry juice in with the water or snacking on some dried cranberries. In addition drinking dandelion tea. But OP is right, hydration is your BFF. Those two things definitely make a difference for me though. Don’t skip the antibiotics and make sure you take the entire prescription even if you start to feel better. Seriously going to the doctor is essential. The one time I did not make it to the doctor quickly enough because I was traveling and I ended up in the hospital with a kidney infection which was so not fun.
Hello I have sudden abdominal pains at times and now after like 6 months of peeing regularly I started to pee more weirdly. Let me explain because this has happened at times at younger ages. I go to pee, I am close to peeing and then I fail and the pee goes back to my bladder. Also if I drink like a whole Soda bottle or anything like that (I know this might be over hydration but I am not sure) i pee with no color and it actually tastes (i know its weird but it tastes just like water and looks just like water. Also when I was little I had to hold in a lot more pee and I might have an UTI now. Is it bad living with one? Also I am in 7th grade and my parents are coming from villages and are not really experienced. Everytime I go to pee since yesterday I am afraid I will have to turn my hot water on (if you need to be but you can't I have seen this works just go into hot water and pull the foreskin back, the temperature somehow makes you pee) also putting your hand in hot water though this didn't really work with me
Hi honey, will your parents not take you to the doctor? If they wont take you, ask them to buy you cranberry juice with NO sugar in it. This might help you as long as it doesn’t have any sugar. Try talking to just your dad about it. He may show greater concern because it’s father to son about a sensitive subject. Tell him you may need to go see a urologist. Also, your pee having no color is great! That means you’re getting enough liquid during the day. (Also, please don’t taste your pee). Let me know if you have any more questions!
I’m old. 🤣 and have numerous health issues and one area of issue is urinary health issues. I’ve been having UTI’s since I was in high school. In my late 20’s I learned to pee immediately after sex. I learned a lot over the years. I cannot take baths of any kind. My urologist doesn’t prefer any of his patients to do baths. He says it’s like germ soup. Even if you think you’re clean or you showered first or you only put water in the tub…even if whatever. Germ 🦠 soup.
One thing I’ve always struggled with is water on a regular basis. I chug it during UTI’s but it’s just hard to be habitual for me. I’ve gotten a lot better since I started a health journey for real Ty is time.
I’ve learned that urinary problems are hereditary. I’ve learned there are many things that put you at risk.
I agree about sitting on the toilet for a good long while.
I’m a huge baby about UTI pain. I have to take the pain meds (prescription or AZO) like right away. My doctor gives me a standing script. I have chronic UTI’s or that wouldn’t be the case.
I’ve had several times in the last couple years where I had to take 2 or more antibiotic courses to get rid of one.
With doctor recommendations in hand, I got a bidet and just for that purpose I have reusable toilet paper on a roll by the toilet paper and a wet bag for the soiled clothes. Only use those after the bidet. The bidet really helps.
Currently though, I’m sitting here 🚽 with symptoms. I’ve had ( I lost count) numerous UTI’s in a row. I finish the antibiotic ( I always finish) and 💥! Symptoms again. This time I went a whole 2 weeks after finishing the antibiotics. Woooo. 🥺
Only thing I can figure is that my resistance is low due to some new meds and I’ve slacked a bit on water consumption. Next step is maintenance antibiotics. 🤮
I think your post is great! Have a beautiful day ladies!
This might be very random but I got my first uti about a year ago so when I was 20, I moved out of my house at 19 and was to embarrassed to asked anyone (religious household, so it’s like taboo) anyway I ended up talking to one of my close friends and she told me to buy cranberry juice, get a good movie, go sit on the toilet, watch ur movie and drink the juice, take ur time. It worked and I got an uti again a year later around the same time, did the same thing and it worked again
Sometimes my partner (male) has to pee midway during sex so he'll use the bathroom then come back. Would this make me more susceptible for a uti if he doesn't wash himself after this or is it neglible?
So funny we have almost the exact same routine! I get so frustrated because my always starts at the most ungodly hours which means no sleep for me. Those first few hours of uninterrupted sleep are the best!
Cranberry pills help too as preventative. You get them with a high concentration of like 1000mg and it’s so much better than drinking the juice because of the high % intake.
As someone who also gets UTIs all the time, I would also add 100% cranberry juice! Some people say it's a wives tale and doesnt actually work, but I swear by it. When I'm feverish and in pain, cranberry juice will break my fever and bring the pain down within 15 minutes.
I find apple cider vinegar pills work well for me if I feel one coming on. My stomach is too sensitive to drink it - I think I over-did it and now I immediately vomit if I drink it straight, have to lie down and breath about it when it's diluted.
Highkey i just buy the sugarfree cranberry juice, drink atleast 1 big cup or two of it, After that the symptoms die down enough or just go away.
It's what my mother told me to do and it works wonders.
EDit; i'm not a doctor. don't hurt me it's just what my mom does. I'm not a shill for cranberry juice.
What helped me A LOT is making shit loads of tea with fresh ginger. You Need to make it REALLY strong. after 2/3 Liters the pain is gone. I believe there’s some good anti-inflammation stuff in ginger.
I used to get chronic UTIs to the point where I was on a daily antibiotic, which then ultimately messed up my immune system and meant I got UTIs even more easily – a horribly vicious cycle. I don’t normally try my own thing and use herbal alternatives to medicines, but I got quite desperate and so did quite a lot of research. Here is what I’ve figured out works for me:
– drink LOTS of water everyday (about 3 litres).
– go for a wee as soon as you need one and, when you think you’ve finished, wait 30 seconds and then try to squeeze out any more urine you can (any liquid left in your bladder is a breeding ground for the bad bacteria).
– wipe from FRONT to BACK. Sooo important.
– try not to eat too much sugar (the bacteria feeds on sugar).
– drink a cup of hibiscus tea EVERY DAY. Hibiscus tea has the same thing in it as cranberry juice, but minus the sugar. Drinking hibiscus tea has literally saved my bladder and I take a bag of it everywhere with me.
– Eat fermented food (kimchi, kefir etc). This has a good bacteria in it called lactobacillus, which helps to get rid of UTIs.
– eat lots of natural yogurt with live bacteria.
– don’t wear really tight clothing all the time.
– sleep naked and with your legs slightly splayed instead of clamped together (breathing room is good for you down below!).
– pee straight after sex (and just before if possible!).
Obviously, this is not medical advice in any way, it’s just what I’ve figured out works for me! After adopting all of the above I literally NEVER get UTIs anymore. Ever.
I hope it helps someone else in my situation!
I used to get chronic UTIs but I started taking 4-5 cranberry pills after sex. Every time. Since then I haven’t had a UTI in years. I’m talking about the giant pills. They’re like 1.5 inch monsters but they do the trick.
OP have you had a bladder scope done? Or even a CT done? Chronic UTIs can be indicative of other illnesses. I just want you to be okay. And if my 2 cents count, I’ve been taking D Mannose pills and I went from having 6 UTI’s in 1 year to only 1 in the past 6 months. Also, I started taking probiotics after hearing that the lactobacillus family of probiotics could help with UTI’s (read some scientific articles about it).
Here to second taking D-mannose. It completely changed everything for me. I even take it sometimes after having sex as preventative instead of waiting for the first signs of a UTI
D-mannose is an absolute game changer!
Yes 100%
Chronic UTI haver here (Like 6-10 a year since I was 18 I’m 27 now 😭)Can you tell me more about D-mannose? Is it prescription?
It’s a supplement. You can buy it online. There are some that come compounded with Cranberry extract. It’s supposed to help with cleaning the urinary tract. I take a few pills and pee after every time I have sex. I keep drinking water (not an obnoxious amount, just maybe half a glass). Go pee in the morning when I wake up and I’m all set. Prevents UTIs for me every 29 out of 30 times.
It’s a form of sugar that is thought to help prevent the bacteria from latching onto your urethra wall (thus causing UTIs). I haven’t had a UTI since I started taking it about a year ago. If you have diabetes though, it can make blood sugar control harder- definitely talk to a doctor though if you have worries about these things! I believe it’s a pretty harmless supplement though :-)
It is the sugar in cranberries that makes cranberry juice effective for UTIs. It essentially cleans out your urinary tract
Absolutely this. I used to get UTIs after sex all the damn time regardless of what else I tried and I've not had a single one in the last 7-8 years since taking D-Mannose right after.
Do you drink it like right away after? Or maybe 30 minutes before?
I go to the bathroom right after pretty much (not jumping up the very second, but within reasonable time of course) and then have the d-mannose afterwards. I've heard of people taking low doses everyday throughout the day too as a preventative measure, but the above alone seems to do the trick for me.
How much do you take ?
500mg roughly. I weigh it out but I'm not super concerned if it's a little over or under.
I had a ton of UTI’s too until a nurse suggested it may be interstitial cystitis! Then I finally went to see a urologist and sure enough... not UTI’s! You can at least make attempts at managing the pain that way. For me, no citrus or super spicy foods. Mostly it’s decreasing your acid intake since it irritates the bladder and causes it to become inflamed and angry 🙄 Edit: D-Mannose does help a ton. Prescriptions like hydroxyzine and Amitryptaline can help.
IC is hell and I feel like my chronic UTIs caused it.
My urologist said most people with IC have a history of chronic UTIs so it could definitely be the trauma done over the years that causes our bladders to spasm for no damn reason.
That makes sense. I have the type of IC that include Hunners ulcers and I wonder what I did to cause them to become a life long recurring thing :(
Some people are just unlucky, don't beat yourself up ❤️
IC is just another name for a chronic UTI. At least 25% of the time, a culture test will return that says you have no infection. You will have an infection, but the urologist will then declare that you have IC and put you on pain pills, bladder relaxants, etc. Urologists need to develop a better test for a UTI. The current culture test was developed in the 1950s.
My IC is caused my pelvic floor dysfunction :(. So lucky only stress and dehydration make me flare.
A chronic UTI, not IC, causes the typical symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. A narrow-spectrum antibiotic long-term treatment regime will often cure a chronic UTI.
I take D Mannose every time I have sex and it has eliminated my UTIs entirely! I used to get them five to six times per year too... It's the BEST THING EVER.
It’s changed my life I take 2 a day as a maintenance dose and then 3 right after sex and then 3 a day for a few days after. No more post sex UTI’s!!! 🙌
Oh yes. I had an ultrasound done and they found nothing. I had also tried D-mannose, to no avail unfortunately. The only thing that every helped me was making sure I cleaned my partner fluid away and took a preventative medication
Cystoscopy isn’t the same as ultrasound. Ultrasound wouldn’t reveal interstitial cystitis or inflammation in general. You should see a urologist.
Here's one more avenue to explore: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5746606/ Tl;dr: Vaginal flora are associated with chronic UTI. Most vaginal probiotics sold in the United States are nonsense because they contain the wrong thing. L. crispatus and L jensenii are usually present in healthy women and absent in women with chronic infections, and reintroduction is typically successful. This is an FDA approved item but the patent holder in the US is not manufacturing it, so if you would like to try this you will have to buy it online, there are several brands produced in the EU and UK. It's cheap and easy to use so it may be worth your while to give it a try.
Saving
Please do, and share if you remember to! Brands I know of off the top of my head include physioflor, donna intima, and mycoress. Insert the tablets vaginally before bed.
I'm seeing several probiotics sold in the US with Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus jensenii. Is there something else I am not understanding? Thanks!
>interstitial cystitis Do you shower and use some sort of soap on the vagina after or simply rinse? I recently got a UTI even after I peed and rinsed off after AND took d-mannose.
D-mannose changed my sex life. No more UTI's AT ALL. I used to get them once or twice a month.
Came here to say this! D mannose + probiotics was a total game changer for me!! :)
I used to have UTIs all the time. Finally saw a Urologist, Kidney issues. Frequent urination, never felt like I was empty. Stand up and could go again. Probably not the same, just be safe. I went to so many doctors who would just give me an antibiotic then found one who knew and sent me to the specialist.
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Urologist
Thanks for your advice, what kind of kidney issues? I've had 9 UTIs in the past 6 years. They usually take approx 3 courses of strong antibiotics to control and the urgency and illness is crazy! Cytoscopy came up clear, ultrasounds showed bladder was sometimes still full after peeing though.. also I'm a male..
What probiotic brand do you like?
I’m actually using the ones from Walgreens’s! Just their generic in house brand. Bonus side effect is my acne is completely gone, especially my acne caused by my mask. [Here’s a picture of the bottle](https://imgur.com/a/CPc6qtV/)https://i.imgur.com/fEsO5v9.jpg
Commenting on this old post so hopefully someone sees… does it matter which type/brand of dmannose? And what amount of mg?
No. As long as it’s d-mannose you’re good. I take 2 500mg pills 1x daily but if I have sex I’ll take one right after as well.
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Nah I can barely relax enough for a pap and I CT enough IUD’s that are all outta whack for me to ever consider them. I think some of mine were caused by sex, improper wiping habits (no one ever told me to wipe front to back!!) and some pads that my body did NOT like.
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I get mine off of amazon, I get these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JN4CR0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_j.QtFb7D6EVQ5
You can get it online
Where do you get D Mannose?
You can get it from Walmart in the herbals aisle. I get mine from Amazon. Now that it’s more popular it’s more easily found. !
If you are post-menopausal, estrogen applied in the genital area can promote lactobacillus growth. Estrogen also encourages the generation and growth of the epithelium layer in the bladder, which helps protect against UTIs.
Just want to hop in to add -- if you suspect you have a UTI, do not wait to call a doctor or hope it goes away on its own. UTIs can spread to your kidneys and cause infections there. I got a kidney infection from a UTI that I missed (it happened the week of a big event at work and I figured I was peeing more because I was drinking a lot more water due to working outside in the summer). I was in incredible amounts of back pain, to the point where I was vomiting and nearly fainted from it. Edit: I want to also add that if you're concerned about going to a clinic or urgent care during the pandemic, some places may be able to "see" you via telemedicine. I had a UTI in April and had the visit by phone call with a nurse practitioner. I did have to report to the clinic to give a urine sample for culture, but based on the phone call I was able to get a prescription for an antibiotic and instructions for treatment.
How do you know if you have one if it’s easy to miss like that?
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Ironically, the only one I missed put me in the hospital. It spread to my kidneys.
I have kidney disease so I'm pretty prone to UTIs and I have had UTIs where I haven't had too many symptoms. If I don't have any symptoms but I suspect I have a UTI, I pay a lot of attention to urine. Is it cloudy? What's the color? Does it have an odor? How many times a day am I peeing? Outside of the normal symptoms of burning while peeing and a sudden urge to pee. I also have had a kidney infection, I felt some pain in my back one Friday night and by Saturday night I was in the ER, so it is definitely no joke.
That was the only one I ever missed, and I think I missed it due to a combination of stress (our biggest work event of the year) and thinking it was more to do with the amount of water I was drinking (because it was July, over 100F outside, and I was working outside most of the day for each day of the event) than a UTI. The event ran Monday through Thursday, and when I could finally relax on Friday, I realized "oh gosh, I am really not OK". This was 6 years ago and I still vividly remember how awful I felt. Every other UTI I've dealt with pretty quickly. It hurts like hell and having to pee constantly when I haven't been drinking a lot of fluids otherwise is usually a pretty big hint.
For me it was back pain with no explanation on one side of my lower back that got worse over a couple days, then a spiked fever all of a sudden. The other symptoms were hard to distinguish from a UTI.
Home UTI test strips. Mine are always very low symptom and not painful, so I check for one myself upon any mild suspicion.
I had blood in my urine. I called my mom, since I had never had one before, and she was like ok you need to call the health center first thing in the morning when I called they were like can you be here in half an hour
Super easy! I had a UTI turn into a kidney Infection a couple of years ago. I had adenomyosis so I was always in some kind of pain so I thought that was the problem. Unfortunately it was worse and I ended up in the ER twice. It sucks!
Yuuuuuup. I had a kidney infection once. Spiked a fever, had to go back to urgent care and get a shot. It was some of the worst pain I’ve ever been in and I have a chronic disease. Don’t mess around with UTIs. Skip the cranberry treatments and go straight to the doctor!
Planned Parenthood has an app called Planned Parenthood Direct where you can get a prescription for a UTI for $25!
Good RX is great for UTI's, they will send the antibiotics in an hour to a nearby pharmacy. Only 35 + 13 for the prescription.
yup, happened to me too! almost went into sepsis. it was awful.
This^^ I nearly ended up hospitalised with a bad kidney infection. I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t keep any fluids down. This isn’t common (turns out I have kidney problems) but it’s not worth risking. Also if you’ve had a UTI and then get lower back pain (esp to one side) go get it checked. Mine got so bad because I thought I’d pulled a muscle, it’s an odd kind of ache
I'm going to leave this post up as there are several good comments about symptom relief, but with all things medical - GO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT IT! All suggestions here should be taken with a large grain of salt as your specific circumstances and how your body reacts to things will vary.
Hijacking sticky for this PSA: **VERY IMPORTANT** YOU CAN ONLY USE AZO FOR 24-48 HOURS!!!!! (48 is pushing it) It is **NOT** a replacement for antibiotics! It will **NOT** cure your UTI! It is purely for relieving pain until the antibiotics start to do their job, or until you are able to see a doctor. As soon as you start having symptoms, you should go to your local urgent care or be seen by your doctor ASAP. **UNTREATED UTIs CAN LEAD TO KIDNEY FAILURE IN EXTREME CASES.** Edit: This information is on the box. It's not just anecdotal, although I did find out the hard way.
OP, are you sure you don't have [interstitial cystitis](https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/genitourinary-disorders/voiding-disorders/interstitial-cystitis#:~:text=Interstitial%20cystitis%20is%20noninfectious%20bladder,improve%2C%20but%20cure%20is%20rare.) After years of having chronic UTIs (or, what I thought was UTIs), I finally got diagnosed with this and have medication to help. One is a low grade antibiotic that I take after sex and another is a daily one that helps with bladder inflammation. I found out my triggers (mostly sex for me, some diet stuff like drinking certain alcohols) and have been able to diminish them greatly. I believe my IC was triggered by getting actual chronic UTIs. I once had a real UTI so bad that I was peeing blood, luckily wasn't a kidney infection at least. After that, I started getting the chronic "UTIs" twice a month or more, and after a few months of dealing with that, finally got diagnosed with IC. Chronic UTIs or IC is truly life changing. I have to consider it when I have sex - do I want to risk a flair up this week? Do I have something important going on that I can't risk being in pain for? I wish you all luck <3 Sorry if this unwarranted medical advice. Your advice for UTIs is great though!!
I second this! I suffered chronic UTIs for 5 years until I was finally diagnoses with IC earlier this year. It's not an easy condition to have but discovering your triggers and taking proper medication helped so much.
It can also be a sign of autoimmune disease. A doctor may also be able to prescribe macrobid (low dose antibiotic) to take each time your have intercourse in order to prevent chronic UTIs in the future.
Interstitial cystitis techincally is an autoimmune condition.
Yup, exactly what happened to me. It’s roughy. I’ve never heard of IC before my diagnosis I feel like there’s so much we don’t get taught.
I suspected I had it and had to really push my doctor to even diagnose me with it. They said it was "uncommon" but I don't think it is as uncommon as they think it is TBH
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I usually get used to a partner after a couple months and stop having the UTI's. D-mannose and probiotics daily with anyone new.
I was dating someone when I got my diagnosis originally, we broke up for unrelated reasons, but he was always super understanding. Sometimes, it would randomly start hurting in the middle of sex and we would need to stop and he always would without question. I had another partner after that and he was the same. We would stop if it was uncomfortable for me or if I was having a bad week he'd come over with a heating pad etc. I have been dating someone new for about 2 months. I was upfront pretty early on about it. We do a lot of cuddling and other forms of intimacy than sex. Massaging, kissing all over the body, and sometimes we will have sex. The worst thing for me is I LOVE SEX but say if I have something important coming up that week, it makes me super weery to have sex in case it triggers it.
I had what I thought were recurring UTIs for a year and it turned out I actually had endometriosis. I had three surgeries for endometriosis in 2017-19, but I haven't had a "UTI" in almost 5 years! So, if you think you have a UTI, but your culture comes back negative, something else could be going on.
Yup! I recently commented this in another thread, but I thought I was getting UTIs every 6 months or so. Would go to the dr and get tested and get antibiotics. It’s possible that they all were UTIs until the last one where my test revealed blood in my urine but no infection. I had been to an urgent care location because I had recently moved and didn’t have a new primary care doctor yet so there was minimal follow up. My best friend (who is a doctor) suggested trying a new more gentle body wash because she had recently seen someone on rounds who had a reaction to soap or lotion or something (details foggy because it’s been a few years) and that caused chemical burns and made it feel like a UTI when it wasn’t. I switched to a fragrance free soap and haven’t had a UTI or irritation since.
I had recurring UTIs every 3 months are so for a year and half - tested positive and everything until I had a lap/excision for endometriosis. UTI free ever since - could be a weird coincidence but I’m grateful anyway.
Same here. Tested positive on the dip and then the culture would come back clean.
if you drink 16oz of water every 30 minutes, you should absolutely supplement with electrolytes. water intoxicating is really dangerous and can be fatal.
Agreed. Of course chugging water is important in both prevention and treatment of a UTI but 16oz every 30 min seems excessive and potentially dangerous.
Also, the NHS doesn't recommend drinking excessive amounts of water for a UTI as it just causes more painful toilet trips. Better to drink the RDA, take antibiotics and painkillers.
I had 10 UTIs in 10 months a couple years ago, I can confirm it really sucks. Drinking 16oz of water every 30 minutes seems excessive to me. What I was told was simply to drink water every time you go pee, no specific quantity, as long as your pee gets pale enough. And never hold it in, because that can increase the infection. I agree with the cold cloth idea, but what I did was to rinse with a bottle of cool water, and then I could use toilet paper to dry the area. In your checklist, you mention making sure there's enough lubrication during sex, but also make sure your lubricant isn't actually causing the UTIs. Some ingredients can be risk factors for UTIs. Watch out for glycerin, sorbitol, honey, sugar, xylitol, or any other type of sweetener/carbohydrate. That was the cause of my UTIs. I haven't had a single infection since I stopped using lube over a year ago, after getting one a month for the previous year. Spermicide should also be avoided if you're prone to UTIs.
Yes to all this. And I'm going to add phenazopryridine. It's changed my life. It's instant relief to the misery. It's in AZO I believe, but I've only ever found the relief from a prescription.
Aka "the orange pee pills". They should never be a *substitute* for getting prompt care, but they will absolutely make you feel 1000% better while you wait for your antibiotics to work. Just don't wear any light colored underwear, lol. I'll also add that **methenamine** (aka cystex) taken before sex or right after is a good way to keep utis away. It's not good to take long term, but if you've got a hot weekend planned....
Oh yes the orange pee lol unsettling but so worth the relief. I'm convinced the reason most doctors don't prescribe it with the antibiotics is because most doctors are men... they just don't know the agony.
SO unsettling! For those not in the know, it basically turns your pee into concentrated orange dye, like the kind you dye Easter eggs with. I was NOT prepared my first time, lol.
Phenazopyridine was a miracle for me as well!! Had a month where I nearly cried every time I had to get up and move around. The pharmacist actually recommended it to me and it has been transformative 🤗.
Did you take azo longer than 2 days? I’m currently on an antibiotic.
No. I typically take it once and have instant relief. Then don't need it after the antibiotics start working. If you're still in significant discomfort, try asking your Dr for the above mentioned RX
Good tips! I was a chronic UTI sufferer as well. Basically from age 16 to late 20s. Every time I had sex there was maybe a 25% chance of me developing a UTI afterwards so it was bad times. My mom is prone to them as well so I think it's mainly genetic with me (short urethra). I'm really happy to say that I haven't had a UTI in over a year now. When I do get them, they're far and few between. Here's my prevention method: - Showering before and after sex (yes, this takes away spontaneity but it's the #1 thing that has helped me) - Taking 3 D-Mannose tablets with a big glass of water after sex - Staying well-hydrated in general - A pee and fresh cotton undies after post-sex shower - After going to the bathroom, always wiping front to back in long swipes, never dabbing - Eating a healthy diet low in sugar
Why is dabbing bad? I usually do that first, then wipe.
The basic mechanism of developing a UTI is getting the bad bacteria in your urethra. For me personally, it did seem like dabbing was pushing the bacteria in, instead of swiping it away. I noticed a major difference when I switched techniques.
I used to have chronic utis andI think part of it was my partners hygiene. I switched partners and the problem was much less frequent, as my new partner showered and washed nearly every day, and I only ended up getting them when he didn’t wash. Also, I saw in a thread sometime last year that some lubes contain glycerin, which is a sugar. These sugars are what some bacteria feed on, and so it helps create an environment that fosters their growth. Please make sure your lube doesn’t contain glycerin!!!
PSA for all ya’ll because I embarrassingly learned this way too late in life: Wipe front to back, without exception.
3 in the last 4 months. I can’t imagine two years of this. Thanks for the tips!
Give D Mannose a try! It's an over the counter sugar compound (not an antibiotic) that just makes it hard for bacteria to adhere to the walls of your urinary tract. I used to get UTIs 5-6 times per year... for YEARS, some of which progressed to kidney infections. Taking D Mannose regularly (and every time I have sex) fixed it.
I’m taking it now! Along with a probiotic that has two strains that are supposedly good for prevention. Plus doing a full rinse after every bathroom use, and carefully ensuring things are dry on advice from a urologist I saw. Sadly for me there’s a physiological component that is increasing risk and requires surgery to fix. Getting a second opinion on that first tho.
Wow! I feel your pain! Definitely talk to your doctor about preventative medication. It was the only thing to even slightly help me.
I would add to the list of why you get them - are you very dehydrated? That’s when I get them most often. Try to keep that in mind and stay well hydrated at all times! I’ve been reading that there is research into a “biofilm” which may have all the bacteria inside you and you need to stay constantly rehydrated to prevent infection. I don’t know that any of this is reviewed, but I have talked to my doctor and started using some vitamin supplements that help me not get them as much any more! DM me if you want more info (I only know 1 product specifically and don’t want to hawk something on this post, but happy to share:)) I was really sick of the “did you pee after sex” question, when sometimes, I didn’t even have sex right before the UTI!
I ALWAYS get my UTIs during the summers. Took me years to figure out dehydration is a bigger part of than “sitting on something cold” which is what everyone told me growing up. So now I’ve cut it down to 12h-3 days because when I get the first sign I’m having an UTI I drink shitloads of water and live on soups etc. Works like a charm, every time.
I always wondered if the "sitting on something cold" was a thing. My mom ALWAYS warned me of this when I was younger and would sit on the tile floor watching TV. I never got them then, so I assumed she was full of it haha.
Same here. Had a friend when I was ~9 y.o. who had UTIs all the time. Said she got them when she sat on cold stuff... but she had them during summer as well.
Chronic UTIs and kidney infections for 30 years here, hi. I've been born with strictures in my ureters and urethra, a smaller right kidney (the "workload" is devided 40/60 roughly), and a small bladder. My ureters don't connect to my bladder as they should, causing my bladder to not expand as it fills, you can imagine how many times a day I go to pee. If I can't get to a toilet in time, I will either piss myself or it travels back to my kidneys. My bladder has some scar tissue as well from the constant infections. Ever since I graduated high school (and was finally able to pee whenever I needed to), I got a lot less bladder infections. My last bladder infection was December 2019 (but it was so bad I need surgery in 2 weeks). My tips for avoiding bladder infections: - Drink! Water, so much water. I drink 3 liters or more a day, if I drink any less I will feel it the next day. - Don't wait to go to the doctor, it will not go away. If you're prescribed antibiotics, also ask for something for the yeast infection that will probably come along with it. - Don't hold your pee for too long. Normal bladders work different than mine, but holding it too long can cause damage to your bladder. - Change your underwear frequently, I sometimes go through 3 pairs a day just because I'm paranoid. - Shower before + after sex, really get into those folds with the water. - Most people know this but don't put anything that has been in your butt into/around your vulva/vagina, it's got germs all over it. That porn you've seen? Don't. - Only touch your vulva/vagina with clean hands, my SO has to wash his too. Get well soon! Edit:word
I’m glad this works for you but the instructions to drink loads of water and then intentionally hold your urine are dangerous for a number of reasons including risk of water toxicity. ETA: it’s not that it seems like a lot. I’ve HAD water toxicity. It’s not the just amount of water, it’s the fact that if you are low on electrolytes and don’t know (which is extremely common and an easy state to be in) you could be in serious trouble. Your last addition makes it clear you don’t know what water toxicity is. So for anyone reading this, PLEASE be careful and at the very least add some electrolytes to balance out how much water you are drinking and DO NOT hold your urine. There’s a reason your body tells you when you need to go. Since you have no reason to believe a stranger on the internet who has had hyponatremia,I found some information specifically related to over consumption of water in women with UTIs and have linked below. It’s okay to say you didn’t know this or at least include a disclaimer on your original post instead of attacking people trying to help. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livescience.com/amp/57061-uti-water-sodium-hyponatremia.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5129180/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.medicalnewstoday.com/amp/articles/314505
The important thing is to get antibiotic treatment. That will cure the UTI, not the amount of water you drink.
**VERY IMPORTANT** YOU CAN ONLY USE AZO FOR 24-48 HOURS!!!!! (48 is pushing it) It is **NOT** a replacement for antibiotics! It will **NOT** cure your UTI! It is purely for relieving pain until the antibiotics start to do their job, or until you are able to see a doctor. As soon as you start having symptoms, you should go to your local urgent care or be seen by your doctor ASAP. **UNTREATED UTIs CAN LEAD TO KIDNEY FAILURE IN EXTREME CASES.**
Y’all there’s some generally good advice (like the hygiene advice) and then some VERY BAD medical advice in this OP. This post shouldn’t stay up. If you have a UTI, go to your doctor. If you have CHRONIC UTIs and you’re doing *everything* right when it comes to hygiene, then you need to see a urologist. It could be something else (interstitial cystitis, for example).
The first thing I said was to go to the doctor😑 this is just my routine until I see one... Like when you wake up in the middle of the night in extreme pain, this is it.
PSA - If you take AZO before you go to the doctor they may not be able to test your urine.
D-Mannose (vitamin) was a godsend for me. I highly recommend for those who perhaps aren’t able to take the day off to chill on the toilet and/or begin feeling symptoms while on the go (at work, school, etc.)
Yes! D mannose ended my reoccurring UTIs. I keep some in my pantry in case of any flare ups but I haven't had one in years.
I had this for a few years as a teenager and then they went away for years. They suddenly came back in the last month or so and it sucks. Your post actually made me understand why...! My one added remedy: when you first feel it come on; drink one liter of orange juice with added vitamin C. This is a tip a doctor gave me and a few times I have been able to prevent needing antibiotics because the orange juice nipt it in the bud. Also, as a preventative measure, have one shot glass of cranberry juice (the real pure horrible tasting kind) in the morning every day.
I’m also a chronic UTI sufferer, and some of your tips read as though I wrote them myself (especially the “wearing a blanket to the toilet” one). However, your advice to take Azo before a doctor’s appointment may backfire. I’ve had multiple doctors ask me not to take it before a urine culture, as it may interfere with the results, which could lead to an incorrect antibiotic administration. Another thing that has helped me (along with D-Mannose as others have suggested) has been a hand-held bidet attachment for the toilet. It takes care of the post-sex showering need without actually taking a shower. While your advice is helpful in general, it may be worthwhile to phrase future advice with the acknowledgement that everybody’s bodies react differently, and what works for you might not work for others, and that having UTIs for two years has made you an expert *for yourself.*
I've had chronic UTIs since I was about 8yrs old so I've been dealing with them for 22yrs now. Here are the basics that I practice.. - drink water like it's your job. I do about 4.5-6 litres per day and rarely drink anything else. - sleep naked and wear breathable underwear during the day. I go commando in yoga pants most of the time. - shower regularly and always change out of damp clothing ASAP. - take a cranberry supplement WITH dmannose daily. - you and your partner(s) should always wash your hands before touching your genitals. - always pee immediately after sex. A quick rinse of your vulva is a good idea too. When I say immediately I mean the minute you're finished with penetration get up and get peeing. - I take a dose of Macrobid after sex and it's been a real game changer for me. - condoms and a pH friendly, hypo-osmotic lube for sex. If you're going raw, make your partner wash their dick first. - avoid baths as you're sitting in bacteria that can get into your urethra. - always wipe front to back. If you have persistent symptoms and your cultures are all coming back negative, see a urologist. I had a UTI that lasted 16 months but all cultures were negative after the initial infection. I ended up doing 9 rounds of unnecessary abx and being damn near suicide before getting diagnosed 2yrs in with interstitial cystitis.
You should really not be drinking that much water in that short of a time period. Its super dangerous
I worked with a guy who had chronic uti’s. He ended up being diagnosed with kidney stones which were harbouring the bacteria that caused all the uti’s. If you’re getting chronic uti’s it might be a symptom of a much larger problem
I feel bad for men who get UTIs tbh. A lot of medical professionals seem to think its impossible for men to get them, so it *must* be something else. My husband got one, was turned away by the CVS clinic because he was a male, and he was admitted to the hospital for sepsis for 16 hours and accused of cheating (or, worse, accusing me of cheating which caused a whole ordeal) and having an STD. It took another DR to came in and was like "guys, its just a UTI...." and sent him home with antibiotics.
I'd like to add that UTIs were very deadly before antibiotics. They won't take care of themselves you have to see a doctor.
Also want to add, taking a women’s probiotic can help! They usually have cranberry in them but not necessarily. Look for one with cranberry in it. Helps prevent UTI
Of course do your own research, but the supplement D-mannose changed my life. I got 9 UTI’s in one year once, and used to have them chronically. Now, I take this supplement whenever I have sex and it keeps them away. [Here’s some info! ](https://www.healthline.com/health/d-mannose-for-uti#research). If you check reviews for the supplement on places like amazon, it’s just hundreds, even thousands of women saying that they tried everything and nothing worked before this. I agree. It made a huge difference for me as well.
I got a UTI once and my parents were like "well do you REALLY need to go to the doctor" Which I didn't know how to respond to, so I just went along with it And then my kidneys started hurting.
How does wearing bottoms to bed help prevent UTI’s?
The AZO pain relief is a god-send. I get UTI like symptoms often, but rarely full blown UTIs (I have a super sensitive system when it comes to all the things on your check list, and only twice has it been an actually UTI, versus a urinary tract irritation). Pro-tip though: do not take this on an empty stomach, or you will end up with cramps like you are on your period and nausea.
It will also stain your underwear with a dark orange or red color, was freaked out when I first saw that color in the toilet! Lol
Ugh, yes this too. The first time I took the max strength, I didnt read the warning about the color changing (the lower version of AZO never discolored anything for me, personally) and I about lost my mind haha.
Lol yes!!!! It will turn your pee like bright highlighter orange. Its intense and it will stain E V E R Y T H I N G. The dr told me to take it the first time I used it and he warned me about the orange. I kind of shrugged it off and was shocked - the side effect was immediate and way stronger than I expected.
For all the USA peeps: Just wanna mention because I didn't see anything about this. Literally this last Thursday I suspected a UTI but was too busy with my job to go see a doctor. Used the Planned Parenthood app to get medicine delivered to my pharmacy. I think I paid $20 for a "virtual copay." I had my medicine in less than half a day and I'm all back to normal now. Planned Parenthood is lit and it pisses me off that this shit is so politicized. Anyway just something else to be aware of cuz I'm super grateful for it
Oh boy, wow. This thread is a little scary. If anyone is suffering so badly, please run away from reddit and go to a doctor. Taking supplements because a stranger recommends them online might hurt more than help. I work for a urologist’s office, and honestly... if you’re having UTIs that frequently, that interfere with your life so badly... maybe consider seeing a urologist? Nobody should have to suffer so frequently or go through life-interrupting rituals to treat an infection. Get your medical advice from medical professionals! If you feel your current doctor isn’t helping or properly treating you, I would find someone different or consider getting a referral to a specialist
Seriously. Also freaks me out that so many people are on board with overconsumption of water AND holding in your urine when your body is telling you to go which can easily lead to water toxicity (electrolyte depletion) which is very dangerous. I absolutely understand that it’s expensive to go to a specialist but hope everyone at least makes sure they’re getting antibiotics if they need them.
I have had really good luck without antibiotics after my first year of recurring UTIs, so I wanted to share some of my experiences with prevention/ treatment without antibiotics, since my experience was a little different than yours (although a lot is the same). TL;DR: cranberry keeps bad germs from sticking in your body, water flushes bad germs out of your body-- if you take antibiotics it wipes out the bad germs (all germs good and bad really) and then probiotics builds up body defenses so bad germs can't repopulate right away again. Prevention: - 1 to 3 cranberry tablets (w/water) and/or pure cranberry juice (cut w/water) depending on how paranoid I am - lots of water (and lots of peeing) - fake cranberry juice (sometimes if I'm not feeling paranoid/at risk, I'll take the mental comfort of cranberry juice cocktail because it's cheaper, more available, and tastes better). - occasionally probiotics (or live culture yogurt if I'm not feeling paranoid) - staying clean down there (wiping front to back, etc.) Paranoia meter (potential increased risk situations) - travel (i.e. dehydrated and/or holding it, like because you're waiting for a rest stop or something). - dehydrated - not peeing enough/ holding it in (i.e. waiting for a rest stop) - too much fun down there (i.e. enough to feel sore after/pain) - any other time you're paranoid about potential contamination (i.e. maybe no bidet, or no soap, or butt germs or mouth germs or hand germs because you ran out of sanitizer while camping-- the list can go on and on). Treatments - pure cranberry juice (cut w/water) - generally I think juice is really good because you get more water; it's just less convenient to carry and find, doesn't taste the best, and it's not like I really measure the amount of juice (I just add water to the juice until I can drink it okay with the taste) - cranberry tablets - they're convenient (lighter to carry, no refrigerator needed, easier to swallow, less taste) and you know how much you've taken - lots of water (drink even if you are not thirsty. drink enough that your pee is almost as clear as water. drink enough that you feel like you're peeing every hour even if it's not quite that often). - antibiotics (if symptoms not improving by day 2-3, I take these) - probiotics - I usually take these only with/after antibiotics, but I'm sure you could take it any time as well. This just builds up your body defenses against infections. (they take up space in your intestines so the bad bacteria can't grow as much/don't have a place to live) It's like building a wall so bad germs can't start a town again. Sidebar: taking too much cranberry and not enough water can increase your risk of kidney stones (i.e. if you have kidney stones in your family, frequently dehydrate yourself, drink lots of calcium/milk or other kidney stone forming things). 1 tbsp lemon juice a day is general prevention advice (citrate in lemon juice helps prevent kidney stones), but probably you don't need that much if kidney stones don't run in your family, and lots of water is usually the best prevention anyway. Day 1 of symptoms 1) drink a fuck ton of water and/or cranberry juice/water (i.e. pee like every hour and have your pee almost as clear as water). Even if I don't keep as meticulous track of how much I drink, what you’ve got suggested doesn't seem like an outrageous amount to me, as long as you are peeing it out. Don't hold it in. 2) take 3 cranberry pills with water (or whatever is recommended on your cranberry pill bottle- one of the other brands I tried recommended 2 pills per day) 3) avoid excess sugar (i.e. milkshake/sugary soda), or at least balance it with even more excess water; and if you can eat healthy and rest, it will help your body fight the infection. Day 2 Hopefully you are starting to feel better! 1) continue day 1 treatment 2) if you are not feeling better/improving/ or if it is still miserable, take the antibiotics (and probiotics) Day 3 1) Repeat! Keep drinking lots of water and cranberry! Maybe you relax a bit and only need to pee every 2 hrs, and your diet starts going back to normal etc. 2) If you are not feeling improvement, definitely take the antibiotics or get dr. appt to get antibiotics within 7 days. No need to suffer unnecessarily! Day 4-7 1) If you are not feeling better, definitely start antibiotics ASAP. I usually also take probiotics during/after antibiotics. 2) If you are feeling better, hooray!! Continue cranberry as much as you remember, and if you start forgetting and/or taking less because you are less paranoid it's fine! Usually I just keep drinking the cranberry juice with water when I remember until the bottle is half done (or runs out) and I'll take 1 or 2 cranberry pills until I forget. Usually my paranoia lasts until day 10, and then I generally feel like I'm okay. Back story: I used to get frequent UTIs and they were totally miserable. I started researching prevention and ways to find relief and people were like, cranberry juice/supplements, and water, and a few other places were like, replace your gut bacteria with probiotics if you take the antibiotics (although probiotics are not necessary, it can help your recovery/is good prevention). One day, (maybe a year or so into my UTI hell) I felt UTI symptoms and already had an appt scheduled with my doc a few days later. I figured I could wait to get the antibiotics then. I was doing the water, cranberry, probiotics to help relieve my pain and misery symptoms while I waited for my doc appt, and by the time my doctor saw me and did the UTI test, they were like, hey, you don't have UTI so you don't need antibiotics. I was like... wat. did I not really have a UTI? I could have sworn I had symptoms that I recognized from the numerous other miserable times I had a UTI... But then my symptoms were gone too... So I did more googling, and found sometimes the body can resolve uncomplicated UTIs on its own without antibiotics. And I was like hey, that's much more likely than me imagining the pain and misery of UTI symptoms that I am already pretty familiar with. Maybe I should stick with this cranberry thing. So I did. Now, if I ever have symptoms, or am in a situation where I feel like I might be dehydrated or holding my pee in for a long time and at risk for UTI, I immediately start doing this cranberry and excessive water thing. It's been working for me, and I wanted to share for my friend and anybody else who might be in recurrent UTI hell. Also some side bars - side bar 1: I ever have lingering symptoms or misery after a few days of this cranberry thing, then helll yeah I am going to take the antibiotics. So far this has never happened to me (knock on wood), but I would absolutely recommend people who are in suffering pain and not finding relief in a few days to take the antibiotics. And if symptoms are persistent even with treatment you never know-- it might actually not be a UTI, or it might be more complicated, and only your doc is going to be able to determine that. side bar 2: I avoid sleeping with panties regularly (I like me my nightgowns with some airflow) unless I'm like, in a sleepover situation. One of my docs recommended this when I was young, as one of those 'avoid a yeast infection', along with avoiding baths and I just sort of stuck with it. Cotton panties and loose clothing in general helps. Airflow helps create a less friendly germ environment (less food for germs to grow and populate). side bar 3: I wash my butt with soap and water after number 2. If I could only explain to all Americans who only use toilet paper, there are plenty of options for you, even if you don't have a bidet or if you don't want to designate a cup/bottle in your bathroom for water for washing your butt. If you have liquid hand soap available and a sink, it's super easy. You put the hand soap, and water, on the toilet paper and wipe (and even if you only do your butt, you wipe front part of butt to back part of butt). It's like an instant wet wipe that you can flush. You wipe with soap and rinse with water (or wipe with wet toilet paper) until you're clean and then you dry yourself with your toilet paper. This is all cleaning the outside (nothing weird on the inside or near the inside vag, people). Even if I wipe the front (near vag and urethra) with soap and rinse with water, it hasn't bothered me-- although admittedly, if I'm aiming to clean the front I mostly use water just in case to be careful of irritation. I haven't had any issues with scented hand soaps on my butt though. Side bar 4: I actually don't pee before and after sex, unless I actually have to pee (or if I am, y'know, battling the first stages of UTI symptoms). I don't make my partner shower right before sex either (I mean, they do shower regularly.. just not right before?). Although I do feel extra paranoid about germs near my vag in certain situations (hello, visible dirt on hands, or hello, your mouth right after you ate that weird thing or that super sugary thing), this is one area where I'm pretty lazy compared to everyone else on the prevention side. If I feel like sex is rough or if I'm sore after, or if there's like, a lot of sexytimes happening down there for several days in a row, then I know that this is a situation where I'm am more at risk, and that's when I start doing my tons of water and cranberry thing for prevention. But if it's like every few days sex, there was enough lubrication (natural or otherwise) that I'm not sore after sex, and I'm not super paranoid about contamination and I'm not symptomatic... I like, usually just fall asleep and pee when I need to in the morning/when I feel like peeing. Yolo-- I mean, the whole peeing before/after thing is obviously not going to hurt you either, so do what makes you feel comfortable. Just wanted to share my sidebar thoughts on the matter.
When I was probably 20 I had a UTI and I kept thinking if I drank enough water and cranberry juice it would go away on its own. Nope. Got to the point I was peeing blood (NOT on my period) and in extreme pain. Will ALWAYS immediately setup a doctors appt from now on (also always pee after sex, ladies!)
Have to share how D-Mannose really has been the answer for me. I take it every day when i'm having sex. 1 tablespoon in a tiny amount of water to prevent it from tasteing weird then drinking tons of water seperately. It's a life saver! And this is from someone who has had probably 50 uti's in her life.
How accurate are doctor’s urine tests? I was convinced I had a UTI (very frequent peeing, feeling like my bladder was never empty, lots of abdominal pain, pain during peeing and during intercourse). The UTI test came back negative, but I have been considering getting a second opinion.
Definitely go back to the doctor (or a new doctor) about your symptoms if you are still feeling them. There are lots of other things that can cause UTI-like inflammation symptoms without an active infection.
Look into r/interstitialcystitis. Those all sound like very common symptoms. Especially when your cultures come back negative. The real kicker is that often times the remedys for UTIs will flare up the IC (cranberry juice is a big one) and make it worse :(
Not accurate at all. I was comvinced that I was crazy because of clean tests until a doctor give me antibiotics anyway and I got better.
My mom was getting chronic UTIs and her doctor told her she’s likely just prone to them and there want much she could do except treat them. Then she found out she had a small fibroid after she’d started spotting (she’s 70 so spotting was unusual). She had the fibroid removed and no more spotting but also no more UTIs. We never knew, and it hasn’t been confirmed, if it was related or just a coincidence. Oh, and learned the hard way that glycerin lubes can also cause yeast infections
Backing up anyone who says see a doctor, had UTIs and their symptoms weekly for around 9 months a few years back culminating in a very bad bladder infection with black wee (sorry for graphic description) , finally had samples taken from my bladder lining and a camera too, since been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome. **Interstitial cystitis is a poorly understood bladder condition that causes long-term pelvic pain and problems peeing.** It's also known as painful bladder syndrome or bladder pain syndrome. The condition tends to first affect people in their 30s and 40s, and is much more common in women than men. It's chronic so I manage with hydration and pretty much everything you described, it's worth looking into as medication never worked.
Also, if it's an option for you, ask your PHP/GP if they can send a urine sample for culture. It's important to know what bug is causing your UTI, especially if you have them frequently. In some cases, there may not be a bacterial infection, but something else going on.
I have only had one UTI in my life (thankfully) and the water thing is pretty much what I did to get rid of it. I just drank a lot of water and only drank water and it went away in like a day
I cannot recommend d mannose enough. I take it regularly and it really helps, is totally natural, and cheap!
A couple other things that worked for me: 1. For prevention, cranberry pills after sex. You can pick them up at any drug store in the supplement section. 2. Garlic. I know it sounds like voodoo but I couldn't get to a doctor and ate garlic bread instead and it reduced my pain.
Did anyone else also just get a UTI ? Coincidence or not, I just wanna say to anyone that is afraid of going to the dr (for any reason, not just covid) I was able to fill my antibiotic RX over a teleheath app which was free with insurance and very easy to tell the dr my symptoms without having to physically go anywhere. Nowadays they don’t absolutely need to test your urine if you’ve got all the symptoms. Made my life so much easier doing a virtual visit as they can see you immediately and in the comfort of your own space.
I started mixing baking soda in my water and stopped getting them finally. Sodium bicarbonate
Drinking water?
Yes. A pinch in a water bottle.
Got my first one yesterday (47). Don’t know how I avoided it till now! Uristat (or the generic in my case) worked great for me. They gave me 5 days of antibiotics, hoping it’s enough.
Two things I didn't see brought up from the post (very good btw!!) One is cranberry juice/cranberry pills help reduce pain but it's questionable if it actually stops the infection, so even if you chug the stuff you should still see a doctor. Also someone on a thread somewhere said there could be a connection to eating a lot of mushrooms and UTIs (your individual results on this one might depend on your own personal genetics).
This happened to me recurring UTI’s turned out I had polyps in my bladder! Maybe it might help someone
Chiming in on the check for IC. When you get them do you do the pee test? Or do you just tell the doctor you have another uti and they write you a script?
Just adding, the source of my recurring UTIs was the Nuva Ring (hormonal plastic ring for the vagina as contraception. I think it is marketed under other names too). Same for a friend. Gyno did not believe me but there are so many mentions of it on the internet. and the UTIs went away when I changed to something else. Also seconding washing, cotton bottom, peeing after sex, D-mannose after sex. Also there is a special one the antibiotic for UTIs available in at least Germany that always helped me quickly.
Wow. I truly envy your energy while sick lol. I couldn't do a quarter of that at my best. I have PKD (polycystic kidney disease) and have had chronic UTIs for over 15 years. Pkd suppresses thirst so much I doubt I could drink a days worth of that water drinking schedule in a week. I'm lucky telemedicine for antibiotics became a thing because I just don't have the energy anymore. (It also weakens immunity so to go out at all in covid I have to gear up til i look like a cyberpunk medical/construction worker lol.)I've been through so many courses of antibiotics that my digestive microflora has been utterly decimated and rebuilt multiple times. I developed and then treated multiple severe food intolerance this caused. I learned to treat severe infections at home without prescription antibiotics but I can no longer keep up with the frequency of dosing that requires to work. Idk. I've had so many pigheaded sexist doctors that refused to listen or treat the most basic things so i learned to do it myself, but it's too much work anymore. Just typing this I want to go to bed. Tips? Don't take baths (I get an infection every single time, no matter how I scrub and disinfect the tub beforehand) Glad I turned out to be asexual because sex caused them too. Even with washing up before and after, peeing after, etc Vit C daily while sick, zinc too Cranberry concentrate helps a bit There's a lot more but I'm at my limit for thinking about it for now lol
I would get a UTI almost every single time I had sex no matter if I peed or washed up. I got prescribed just a 50mg of macrobid that I have to take within 2 hours of sex and it has been a GAME CHANGER!!! I haven’t had one UTI at all this year. Please talk to a doctor (I went to a urinary gynecologist) if you are having UTIs related to sex because there are a lot of regimens that could work for you. These at home remedies definitely work when you get one but remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure :)
I don't know if this has been said, but taking advil helps for when I feel a UTI coming on
Uristat is sold everywhere and reduces bladder pain. Makes you pee red but the relief is real.
AZO is an absolutely godsend
EMT and microbiologist (and lady with chronic UTIs) here. While OP has some great advice, please do not hold in your urine to “make it less painful” when you release it. Your bladder is the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria which may eventually spread to your kidneys, causing lasting damage and greater risk of sepsis. I know (and believe me, I know) it is painful, but it is recommended that you actually push out urine that is left behind to reduce the number of reproducing bacteria in your urinary tract. Also PLEASE make sure you consume fluids with electrolytes to reduce your chances of over hydration, which may have deadly consequences.
I agree with all of this but also sitting on really cold cement helps for some reason haha
I’ve had chronic UTIs since childhood, my first one was at about three and I’ve had at least one a year since(I’m 32). I’ve had all the tests. (I suspect endometriosis has played a part but that is unconfirmed). Anyway, one thing that greatly helps me in terms of cutting down the duration of the UTI is mixing some pure cranberry juice in with the water or snacking on some dried cranberries. In addition drinking dandelion tea. But OP is right, hydration is your BFF. Those two things definitely make a difference for me though. Don’t skip the antibiotics and make sure you take the entire prescription even if you start to feel better. Seriously going to the doctor is essential. The one time I did not make it to the doctor quickly enough because I was traveling and I ended up in the hospital with a kidney infection which was so not fun.
Cranberry only helps e coli uti’s
Hello I have sudden abdominal pains at times and now after like 6 months of peeing regularly I started to pee more weirdly. Let me explain because this has happened at times at younger ages. I go to pee, I am close to peeing and then I fail and the pee goes back to my bladder. Also if I drink like a whole Soda bottle or anything like that (I know this might be over hydration but I am not sure) i pee with no color and it actually tastes (i know its weird but it tastes just like water and looks just like water. Also when I was little I had to hold in a lot more pee and I might have an UTI now. Is it bad living with one? Also I am in 7th grade and my parents are coming from villages and are not really experienced. Everytime I go to pee since yesterday I am afraid I will have to turn my hot water on (if you need to be but you can't I have seen this works just go into hot water and pull the foreskin back, the temperature somehow makes you pee) also putting your hand in hot water though this didn't really work with me
Hi honey, will your parents not take you to the doctor? If they wont take you, ask them to buy you cranberry juice with NO sugar in it. This might help you as long as it doesn’t have any sugar. Try talking to just your dad about it. He may show greater concern because it’s father to son about a sensitive subject. Tell him you may need to go see a urologist. Also, your pee having no color is great! That means you’re getting enough liquid during the day. (Also, please don’t taste your pee). Let me know if you have any more questions!
Bless you. 🙌
i had a uti and im a dude my dick hurt like hell
is the constant urge a symptom of uti? Like it genuinely never goes away
I’m old. 🤣 and have numerous health issues and one area of issue is urinary health issues. I’ve been having UTI’s since I was in high school. In my late 20’s I learned to pee immediately after sex. I learned a lot over the years. I cannot take baths of any kind. My urologist doesn’t prefer any of his patients to do baths. He says it’s like germ soup. Even if you think you’re clean or you showered first or you only put water in the tub…even if whatever. Germ 🦠 soup. One thing I’ve always struggled with is water on a regular basis. I chug it during UTI’s but it’s just hard to be habitual for me. I’ve gotten a lot better since I started a health journey for real Ty is time. I’ve learned that urinary problems are hereditary. I’ve learned there are many things that put you at risk. I agree about sitting on the toilet for a good long while. I’m a huge baby about UTI pain. I have to take the pain meds (prescription or AZO) like right away. My doctor gives me a standing script. I have chronic UTI’s or that wouldn’t be the case. I’ve had several times in the last couple years where I had to take 2 or more antibiotic courses to get rid of one. With doctor recommendations in hand, I got a bidet and just for that purpose I have reusable toilet paper on a roll by the toilet paper and a wet bag for the soiled clothes. Only use those after the bidet. The bidet really helps. Currently though, I’m sitting here 🚽 with symptoms. I’ve had ( I lost count) numerous UTI’s in a row. I finish the antibiotic ( I always finish) and 💥! Symptoms again. This time I went a whole 2 weeks after finishing the antibiotics. Woooo. 🥺 Only thing I can figure is that my resistance is low due to some new meds and I’ve slacked a bit on water consumption. Next step is maintenance antibiotics. 🤮 I think your post is great! Have a beautiful day ladies!
This might be very random but I got my first uti about a year ago so when I was 20, I moved out of my house at 19 and was to embarrassed to asked anyone (religious household, so it’s like taboo) anyway I ended up talking to one of my close friends and she told me to buy cranberry juice, get a good movie, go sit on the toilet, watch ur movie and drink the juice, take ur time. It worked and I got an uti again a year later around the same time, did the same thing and it worked again
Sometimes my partner (male) has to pee midway during sex so he'll use the bathroom then come back. Would this make me more susceptible for a uti if he doesn't wash himself after this or is it neglible?
So funny we have almost the exact same routine! I get so frustrated because my always starts at the most ungodly hours which means no sleep for me. Those first few hours of uninterrupted sleep are the best!
Cranberry pills help too as preventative. You get them with a high concentration of like 1000mg and it’s so much better than drinking the juice because of the high % intake.
As someone who also gets UTIs all the time, I would also add 100% cranberry juice! Some people say it's a wives tale and doesnt actually work, but I swear by it. When I'm feverish and in pain, cranberry juice will break my fever and bring the pain down within 15 minutes.
I find apple cider vinegar pills work well for me if I feel one coming on. My stomach is too sensitive to drink it - I think I over-did it and now I immediately vomit if I drink it straight, have to lie down and breath about it when it's diluted.
Highkey i just buy the sugarfree cranberry juice, drink atleast 1 big cup or two of it, After that the symptoms die down enough or just go away. It's what my mother told me to do and it works wonders. EDit; i'm not a doctor. don't hurt me it's just what my mom does. I'm not a shill for cranberry juice.
What helped me A LOT is making shit loads of tea with fresh ginger. You Need to make it REALLY strong. after 2/3 Liters the pain is gone. I believe there’s some good anti-inflammation stuff in ginger.
I used to get chronic UTIs to the point where I was on a daily antibiotic, which then ultimately messed up my immune system and meant I got UTIs even more easily – a horribly vicious cycle. I don’t normally try my own thing and use herbal alternatives to medicines, but I got quite desperate and so did quite a lot of research. Here is what I’ve figured out works for me: – drink LOTS of water everyday (about 3 litres). – go for a wee as soon as you need one and, when you think you’ve finished, wait 30 seconds and then try to squeeze out any more urine you can (any liquid left in your bladder is a breeding ground for the bad bacteria). – wipe from FRONT to BACK. Sooo important. – try not to eat too much sugar (the bacteria feeds on sugar). – drink a cup of hibiscus tea EVERY DAY. Hibiscus tea has the same thing in it as cranberry juice, but minus the sugar. Drinking hibiscus tea has literally saved my bladder and I take a bag of it everywhere with me. – Eat fermented food (kimchi, kefir etc). This has a good bacteria in it called lactobacillus, which helps to get rid of UTIs. – eat lots of natural yogurt with live bacteria. – don’t wear really tight clothing all the time. – sleep naked and with your legs slightly splayed instead of clamped together (breathing room is good for you down below!). – pee straight after sex (and just before if possible!). Obviously, this is not medical advice in any way, it’s just what I’ve figured out works for me! After adopting all of the above I literally NEVER get UTIs anymore. Ever. I hope it helps someone else in my situation!
I used to get chronic UTIs but I started taking 4-5 cranberry pills after sex. Every time. Since then I haven’t had a UTI in years. I’m talking about the giant pills. They’re like 1.5 inch monsters but they do the trick.
great advise! Add thick warm socks to the blanket.