What Causes A Urinary Tract Infection
Urinary tract infections are caused by microorganisms usually bacteria that enter the urethra and bladder, causing inflammation and infection. Though a UTI most commonly happens in the urethra and bladder, bacteria can also travel up the ureters and infect your kidneys.
More than 90% of bladder infection cases are caused by E. coli, a bacterium normally found in the intestines.
How Are Urinary Tract Infections Treated
You will need to treat a urinary tract infection. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria and fight an infection. Antibiotics are typically used to treat urinary tract infections. Your healthcare provider will pick a drug that best treats the particular bacteria thats causing your infection. Some commonly used antibiotics can include:
- Nitrofurantoin.
Its very important that you follow your healthcare providers directions for taking the medicine. Dont stop taking the antibiotic because your symptoms go away and you start feeling better. If the infection is not treated completely with the full course of antibiotics, it can return.
If you have a history of frequent urinary tract infections, you may be given a prescription for antibiotics that you would take at the first onset of symptoms. Other patients may be given antibiotics to take every day, every other day, or after sexual intercourse to prevent the infection. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best treatment option for you if you have a history of frequent UTIs.
How Should I Sleep With Uti Pain At Night
Here are some things you can do to help you sleep more comfortably at night, if you have UTI pain:
- Make sure you empty your bladder completely before going to bed.
- You may consider setting alarms during the night so you wake up and use the bathroom.
- Use an incontinence pad or wear incontinence pants. These can lessen the concern of urinating in your sleep or give you the option of not getting out of bed to urinate.
- Use a hot water bottle or heating pad to warm your abdomen to minimize bladder discomfort or pressure.
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When To Seek Immediate Medical Attention
UTIs are uncomfortable, but theyre not an immediate medical emergency. Some people make the mistake of assuming the same is true with a kidney infection.
Kidney infections are serious conditions that do require medical attention. Untreated, a kidney infection can quickly cause long-term kidney damage or kidney scarring. These infections can also cause sepsis, which can lead to .
Because of this, a kidney infection can be fatal if it progresses. Its important to have it treated immediately by a healthcare professional.
Note that kidney stones, if left untreated, can also cause a blockage that can lead to infection and sepsis. This may require a procedure done with intravenous antibiotics by a urologist.
What About Cranberry Juice For Uti
![Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)](https://www.healthybladderclub.com/wp-content/uploads/home-remedies-for-urinary-tract-infection-uti-home-remedies.jpeg)
Its a long-held belief that consuming cranberry juice may help prevent and treat urinary tract infections. While its true that cranberries contain an active ingredient that can prevent adherence of bacteria to the urinary tract, there is still no evidence that cranberry products can treat a UTI.
One of the reasons: Products like cranberry juice or cranberry capsules are not explicitly formulated with the same amount of PACs that have shown potential in lab studies. Moreover, a 2019 report in the Journal of Urology noted that the availability of such products to the public is a severe limitation to the use of cranberries for UTI prophylaxis outside the research setting.
In all, theres actually very little high-quality research on the topic of prevention. For instance, a 2016 study in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that among female nursing home residents, daily consumption of cranberry capsules resulted in no significant prevention of UTIs.
While consuming cranberry juice or supplements is not considered a first-line treatment of urinary tract infections, in most cases, it cant hurt. After all, drinking plenty of liquids does dilute your urine and help spur more frequent urination, which flushes bacteria from the urinary tract. The exception: Those who are taking blood-thinning medication, such as warfarin, should not consume cranberry juice. And those with diabetes should be mindful of the high-sugar content of fruit juices.
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Interstitial Cystitis: 5 Natural Ways To Help Relieve Bladder Pain
Approximately 36 percent of all women living in the United States suffer from the painful pelvic condition called interstitial cystitis . IC is much more common in women than in men, but it also affects somewhere between 14 million men in the U.S. alone. Children can also be affected be interstitial cystitis in fact, many adult patients with the condition claim that their symptoms have affected them since a young age.
Although IC cannot be completely cured , treatment can help to manage symptoms and reduce pain. What types of interstitial cystitis natural treatments are available? These include acupuncture for improving pain tolerance exercises like yoga or tai chi to increase blood flow and a healing diet to reduce inflammation. Chronic stress and unhealthy habits like smoking can also worsen interstitial cystitis symptoms, so lifestyle changes to address these contributing factors are also important.
What Are The Treatment Options
Treating a thickened bladder wall means treating the underlying condition that caused the change in the wall.
For example, UTI treatment usually involves a course of antibiotic therapy. To prevent UTIs, practice good hygiene. Wipe front to back to reduce the risk of germs from the rectum reaching the urethra.
Surgery can remove noncancerous tumors that are causing you symptoms. The tumors usually wont recur.
Cancerous growths can sometimes be removed with surgery, too. Additional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation, may also be necessary.
Prostate treatment is a somewhat controversial subject. Prostate surgery can sometimes lead to incontinence or erectile dysfunction. If prostate symptoms are minor, your doctor may recommend a watch-and-wait approach to monitor your prostate regularly. Prostate cancer is often a slow-growing cancer. This means aggressive treatment isnt always best.
If excess bladder emptying due to urge incontinence is a problem, your doctor may recommend anticholinergic drugs. These medications relax the detrusor muscle of the bladder.
If urinary retention is occurring due to BOO, your doctor may prescribe medication, such as tamsulosin, to help your urine flow be stronger.
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How Do I Know If I Need Antibiotics To Treat My Uti
Once you have a UTI, home remedies and OTC medications will not cure a UTI. You will need antibiotics to cure your UTI. Once you start antibiotics, symptoms usually clear up in 2-3 days.
Even though the symptoms should clear up quickly, you should still take all the antibiotics your doctor prescribes for you. If you dont, the infection could come back even stronger the next time.
For an uncomplicated UTI, these antibiotics are prescribed most often:
Can Utis Be Treated Without Antibiotics
In general, its recommended that you see a doctor and be treated with antibiotics when you start feeling UTI symptoms. In some cases, your body might be able to fight it off without antibiotics, but that can be a very uncomfortable, time-consuming process. It can also become dangerous if it turns into a kidney infection.
Dr. Rx
Since the standard treatment for UTIs are antibiotics, let the doctor know if you have any allergies to medications. Dr. Chandrapal
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Practice With Kegel Exercises
Kegels are specialized movements we do to strengthen the pelvic floor. It consists basically of holding your urine in the middle of your urinary stream to locate the pelvic muscles in your mind.
Once you find them, contract them repeatedly for a few minutes while sitting, standing, or laying down. This will give you more control over your voiding functions, and symptoms may start to improve after a while.
Consider Switching Birth Control Methods If You Have Repeat Bladder Infections
If you have trouble with repeat bladder infections, talk with a health care professional about your birth control. Consider switching to a new form of birth control if you use diaphragms, unlubricated condoms, or spermicide, all of which can increase your chances of developing a bladder infection. Consider using lubricated condoms without spermicide or using a nonspermicidal lubricant.
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Drink Plenty Of Water
Drinking water and other non-carbonated, low-sugar fluids helps dilute your urine and flushes bacteria from your bladder.
Proper hydration can also prevent further bacteria growth.
Studies show that increasing your overall water intake can decrease your risk of recurrent UTIs.
On average, its suggested that women get at least 11.5 cups and men 15.5 cups of water per day, but that number varies from person to person, and about 20 percent of that water will likely come from food.
Your goal should be to see clear or light yellow urine, and to urinate at least every four hours.
Causes Of Utis And Bladder Infections
![Complete UTI and Bladder Infection Home Remedy Regimen (Including ... Complete UTI and Bladder Infection Home Remedy Regimen (Including ...](https://www.healthybladderclub.com/wp-content/uploads/complete-uti-and-bladder-infection-home-remedy-regimen-including.png)
UTIs and bladder infections occur as a result of bacterial growth in your urinary tract. Your body is naturally home to billions of species of bacteria, and not all of them are bad.
In fact, bacteria help keep your body functioning the way its supposed to. But some bacteria dont belong in sensitive places in your body, and they can trigger some pretty miserable symptoms when they end up in the wrong place.
For example, E. coli, which is most commonly found in your digestive system, is also the most common type of bacteria to cause a UTI or bladder infection.
Several things can increase the risk of UTIs and bladder infections. While some of these risk factors are out of your control, you can control others.
- Sexual intercourse: As fun as sex is, it can increase the risk of developing UTIs. The friction and movement around your genital area during sexual activity can facilitate bacteria moving around down there.
- Hygiene: Things like forgetting to change your underwear, wiping from back to front, or sitting in wet or sweaty clothes for prolonged periods can up your chances of getting a UTI.
- Genetics: Some people are simply more prone to UTIs than others. If someone in your immediate family gets UTIs regularly, youre probably more susceptible to them too.
- Age: Due to urinary incontinence and estrogen deficiency, research shows that women are more likely to get recurrent UTIs after menopause.
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Take Your Daily Supplements
Supplements can help you in different ways, depending on the source of your problems.
If your symptoms are caused by prostate enlargement, you can relieve the pressure from your bladder by shrinking your prostate using Total Health for the Prostate. Total Health will lower your PSA and alleviate your urinary symptoms, without any side effects.
Prostate Healer fights against prostate diseases like prostatitis and BPH, protects bladder health, provides symptomatic relief from urinary tract infections, and reduces inflammation.
If you have cystitis, cranberry juice and cranberry supplements can be helpful.
Easy Homeopathic Remedies For Bladder Infections
1. Cantharis: When the person experiences acute pain along with a sudden urge to urinate but is not able to urinate, this remedy is used.
2. Pulsatilla: This remedy is helpful when there is frequent pain along with a sudden urge to urinate and the infection commences after getting the feet cold and wet.
3. Nux vomica: This remedy can be taken when there is a frequent urge to urinate and the urge never gets fully satisfied, even after urination.
4. Sarsaparilla: This remedy is recommended when the person feels a burning pain while urinating, due to a bladder infection.
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Clinical Presentation And Diagnosis
Patients with cystitis often present with a frequent, persistent urge to urinate despite passing a small amount, dysuria or a burning sensation during urination, or suprapubic heaviness.7 Patients with pyelonephritis often experience flank pain or tenderness, a low fever , chills, nausea, vomiting, and malaise with or without symptoms of cystitis.2 Patients with a lower or upper UTI may experience hematuria or notice that their urine is cloudy or has a strong odor. Elderly patients tend to present with nonspecific symptoms including altered mental status, change in eating habits, lower abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation.6
In most patients who present with signs and symptoms of UTIs, a history of illness is the most important diagnostic tool, especially when symptom onset is sudden or severe and when vaginal discharge and irritation are not present.2,3 Sometimes, however, UTI diagnosis cannot rely solely on patient symptoms because some patients are asymptomatic this is more common in older adults than in younger adults.6 Laboratory tests, urine-sample tests, and pelvic examinations should be performed in patients with urinary tract symptoms to properly diagnose UTIs.2,3 Laboratory tests for UTIs include assessments for the presence of bacteriuria and pyuria, nitrite, leukocyte esterase, and antibody-coated bacteria.2
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About Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections are common infections that can affect the bladder, the kidneys and the tubes connected to them.
Anyone can get them, but theyâre particularly common in women. Some women experience them regularly .
UTIs can be painful and uncomfortable, but usually pass within a few days and can be easily treated with antibiotics.
This page is about UTIs in adults. There is a separate article about UTIs in children.
This page covers:
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Take An Otc Medication
Phenazopyridine hydrochloride is a pain reliever for the urinary tract and can be purchased over the counter in generic form or as the brand name drug AZO. This medication temporarily relieves urinary urgency, pain, and pressure associated with UTIs. However, it doesnt treat the underlying infection.
A Note About Sex And Gender
Sex and gender exist on spectrums. This article will use the terms, male, female, or both to refer to sex assigned at birth. .
A UTI is an infection in any part of the urinary tract. The urinary tract is the bodys drainage system for removing urine. It consists of :
- The kidneys: organs that filter waste from the blood and produce 12 quarts of urine per day
- The ureters: the tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder
- The bladder: the organ that stores urine
- The urethra: a tube at the bottom of the bladder that allows urine to exit the body
Most UTIs occur as a result of bacteria such as Escherichia coli . However, other types of pathogens, such as viruses and fungi, can also cause UTIs.
A UTI may occur when a pathogen enters the urethra and infects any part of the urinary tract. The infection can irritate the lining of the urinary tract, leading to symptoms
resistant infections that do not respond to traditional treatments and are more likely to result in potential complications.
Doctors may prescribe different antibiotics depending on whether the UTI is simple or complicated.
The type of antibiotic, the dose, and the length of treatment a doctor prescribes will depend on a persons health status and the bacteria found in the urine culture. For example, treatment for complicated UTIs may take 714 days and require broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics as well as hospitalization.
Doctors may prescribe the following first-line antibiotics for uncomplicated UTIs:
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How To Treat Urinary Tract Infection At Home
Here are 20 effective and natural remedies for a bladder infection that are inexpensive, harmless, and easy to use at home.
1. Drink Plenty of Water: Water is a great cleansing agent and helps in flushing out the harmful bacteria in the form of diluted urine. So, drink lots of water for quick relief from a bladder infection.
2. Baking Soda: You just need to mix a spoonful of baking soda in a glass of water and drink it. Repeat this remedy daily till the symptoms subside completely.
3. Cranberry Juice: Cranberry juice is an effective home remedy to stop bladder infections in pregnant women. Cranberry contains enzymes, which are really beneficial in treating a bladder infection. Therefore, drinking cranberry juice will let you get rid of a bladder infection quickly.
Note: Avoid intake of cranberry juice if you or any family member of yours has a history of kidney stones, or if you are taking medicines for thinning the blood.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar: Soak in water, containing apple cider vinegar. It will greatly reduce the burning sensation that is caused while urinating due to a bladder infection.
5. Yoghurt: Eating yogurt is also beneficial as it contains acidophilus, which helps in curing bladder infection.
6. Heating Pad: In order to ease out the pain, caused due to a bladder infection, use a heating pad over the abdominal area.
9. Drumstick Flowers: Mix a teaspoon of juice of drumstick flowers in ½ glass of coconut water. Drink it at least 2 times a day.
Can Urinary Tract Infections Be Prevented
![Over The Counter Treatment for UTI Symptoms Over The Counter Treatment for UTI Symptoms](https://www.healthybladderclub.com/wp-content/uploads/over-the-counter-treatment-for-uti-symptoms-manage-your-uti.jpeg)
These steps may help reduce the chance of getting UTIs:
- Drink plenty of water every day.
- Drink cranberry juice. Large amounts of vitamin C limit the growth of some bacteria by acidifying the urine. Vitamin C supplements have the same effect.
- Urinate when you feel the need. Do not wait.
- Take showers instead of tub baths.
- Clean the genital area before and after sex, and urinate shortly after sex.
- Women should not use feminine hygiene sprays or scented douches.
- Cotton underwear and loose fitting clothes help keep the area around the urethra dry. Tight clothes and nylon underwear trap moisture. This can help bacteria grow.
- Repeated bouts of urinary tract infections can be treated with small doses of regular antibiotics.
Please consult your health care provider with any questions or concerns you may have about UTIs.
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