Urinary Tract Infections

Your body is equipped with a filtering system for disposing of liquid wastes. It's called the urinary tract. In women especially, this system is subject to invading bacteria, which can get inside the urinary tract and multiply. This results in infection and the discomfort that goes along with it.

About one of every five women will have a urinary tract infection during her life, and some women will have more than one. Fortunately most urinary tract infections are not serious. With the antibiotic drugs that are available today, these infections are easy to treat, and symptoms disappear in a short time. Some women are prone to urinary tract infections and have them often. For them, these infections can be especially frustrating.

Causes
Urinary tract infections are usually caused by bacteria from the bowel that live on the skin near the rectum or in the vagina. These bacter can spread and enter the urinary tract through the urethra. They then travel up the urethra causing infections in the bladder and, sometimes, in other parts of the urinary tract.

Sexual intercourse is one of the causes of urinary tract infections. Women may be prone to urinary tract infections after sexual relations because of their anatomy. In front of the vagina is the opening of the urethra. During intercourse, bacteria in the vaginal area could be massaged into the urethra by the back and forth motion of the penis. Bladder infections also tend to occur in women who change sexual partners or begin having sexual intercourse more frequently. Although it is rare, some women get an infection each time they have sex.

Waiting too long to urinate can also result in urinary tract infections. The bladder is a muscle that stretches to hold urine and contracts to expel it. If you go for hours without urinating, the bladder muscle is stretched beyond its normal capacity. Overfilling the bladder like this gradually weakens the muscle so that it can't contract with enough force to expel all of the urine it holds. Some urine remains in the bladder after urination. Any time this happens, the risk of a urinary tract infection increases.

Symptoms
Symptoms of urinary tract infections can come on suddenly. The first sign of a bladder infection is a strong urge to urinate (urgency) that cannot be delayed. As urine is released, a woman will feel a sharp pain or burning sensation in the urethra. Very little urine is eliminated and the urine may be tinged with blood. The need to urinate returns minutes later (frequency). Soreness may occur in the lower abdomen, in the back, or in the sides.

This cycle may repeat itself many times during the day or at night (nocturia). Most people normally urinate about six times a day, so if you are urinating more often, you may have a bladder infection.

If the bacteria enter the ureters and spread to the kidneys, symptoms such as back pain, chills, fever, nausea, and vomiting may develop in addition to the symptoms of a lower urinary tract infection.

Diagnosis and Treatment
Urinary tract infections are diagnosed on the basis of the number of bacteria and white blood cells found in a urine sample. To detect the presence of bacteria and white blood cells, a sample of your urine is examined under a microscope and also cultured in a substance that promotes the growth of bacteria. A pelvic exam may be needed as well.

Antibiotics are used to treat urinary tract infections. Most patients with urinary tract infections have to take antibiotics for 7-10 days. But with some infections, only a single dose of an antibiotic is needed.

Be sure you use all of the medication you are given even though your symptoms may disappear before you finish your prescription. If you stop treatment early the infection may still be present or it could come back after a short time.

Source: Patient education material from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology was used as a source of information to develop the content for this topic.