A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a very common illness for women. About half of all women may have a UTI sometime during their life. Many women will have a UTI reoccurrence. UTIs are infections caused by bacteria in the urinary tract, which is the system of the body that eliminates urine from the body. The urinary tract includes the bladder, kidneys, and urethra. UTIs are usually short-term, resolving in a few days to a few weeks.

Personal Story

Let’s face it! Urinary tract infections hurt! It’s not just the pain you pee after you decide you can’t put off going to the bathroom another minute, it is also the embarrassment you have when you must ask someone for help. But we women need to rule out more serious conditions with the help of a practitioner and form a plan to rid ourselves of the infection.

Symptoms

UTI symptoms in women are easy to notice.

• When there are bacteria in the bladder, they cause an infection called interstitial cystitis (IC). The symptoms are pain during urination, a frequent urge to urinate, pain in the lower abdomen, and/or blood in the urine.
• When the infection is in the urethra, the UTI is urethritis. The ureters drain urine from the kidneys to the bladder. These urethrae can have bacteria in them which cause pain during urination, a frequent urge to urinate, difficulty beginning to urinate, or pain during sexual intercourse. In addition, a woman may feel pain or itching even when not urinating.
• An infection in the kidneys is more serious. The symptoms for a woman with a UTI in the kidneys also include back pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting.

Risk Factors

Risk factors for UTIs vary according to whether it is acute UTI, Post Menopause UTI, or Recurrent UTI.

• Acute UTI risk factors are: Previous UTI, Sexual intercourse, or using spermicide.
• For Post Menopause UTI, the factors are: Previous UTI, Sexual intercourse, Incontinence, or Diabetes.
• Recurrent UTI risk factors include Previous UTI, Sexual intercourse, Use of Spermicide, Contraception, Genetics, and Distance from the urethra to anus.

Treatment

Conventional treatment is usually antibiotics. Most of the time, a three-day antimicrobial therapy for acute UTI. This treatment is effective 90% of the time.

The goal for natural treatment of a urinary tract infection is to aid the body’s defenses by increasing the amount of urine, encouraging a good pH to slow bacteria’s growth, preventing adherence of bacteria to the wall of the bladder, and improving the immune system’s response to invaders.

• In one study, there was significant lowering in one year to the next in the number of UTIs. This reduction occurred with using vaginal suppositories of certain strains of lactobacilli.
• Uva Ursi is an alternative treatment which does not have much clinical research to back it up, but it is useful for recurrent UTIs.
• Cranberry may also be useful to prevent recurrent UTIs.

My family has used Uva Ursi and cranberry with success in treating recurrent UTIs at home. However, we first had a diagnosis of UTI from our family physician.

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. Please encourage others by writing in the comment section above.