Women get more urinary tract infections than men. One reason is that the female urethra, the tube that drains the urinary bladder, is smaller in women than in men. Furthermore, the female urethra’s opening to the exterior is in a place where bacteria thrive. I’m limiting my comments to the common kind of urinary infection, bladder infection, called
cystitis. A more-serious urinary tract infection is infection of the kidney; that’s pyelonephritis (PIE-uh-low-nuh-FRIGHT-iss).
The typical bladder infection gives rise to pain when passing urine. The bladder calls for frequent emptying, and there’s an urgency to empty it when the call of nature sounds. In younger years, intercourse often is a prelude to a bladder infection. At older ages, a laxity in bladder support and a change in the bacteria that surround the urethral opening are the more common causes for infection. The bacterial change occurs when estrogen production falls off.
For infections that are related to intercourse, a woman ought to empty her bladder soon after relations. Or, if that doesn’t stop recurring infections, then she can take a dose of antibiotic after sex. Another way to nip a full-scale infection in the bud is to have on hand an antibiotic prescription that can be taken at the first inkling that the bladder is coming down with another infection.
For recurrent infections not related to sexual activity, a nightly dose of an antibiotic is one way to stop infections from repeatedly returning.
Always, people want to know about the effectiveness of cranberry juice as prevention for these infections. Some endorse taking 8 ounces of pure cranberry juice daily to end cycles of infection. Cranberry juice contains a material that stops bacteria from clinging to the bladder wall. Don’t use cranberry cocktail. You can use cranberry tablets and pills. Others feel cranberries have no beneficial effect.
Recurrent infections also call for some lab work to see if the urine has a new germ or if the old germ is what keeps reappearing.
