Updated: Nov 6
Chronic UTI may be related to congenital factors, and later in life, sex partners, sex itself, and spermicide use may influence the recurrence. Also, kidney stones or bladder tumors may contribute.
Most infections have to do with diminished resistance to bacteria, which is why they are more common in life.
Bacteria usually enter through the vagina and originate from the bowel. It has, however, little to do with cleanliness. Wiping front to back is, of course, recommended, but your most significant defense system is the vagina and the bladder itself.
A vagina needs to be acidic, and alkaline soaps and wipes have no place close to the vagina. It does not matter if the soap is fragrance-free rainforest; soap, naturally made by your neighbor or imported from the Amazon rain forest, is soap. Soap has no place in between the small labia. Yes, please wash your anus with soap!
Also, pH-neutral fragrance-free rainforest wipes are not acidic and increase the chance of getting a UTI if used in between the small labia.
In short, close to the vagina, wash with water.
If the bladder tolerates one infection after another, the bladder wall is often chronically inflamed. If another severe chronic cystitis of the bladder wall is diagnosed, it can be quickly helped with medications in the bladder. It usually takes a bladder wall a year without infections to regain its original strength.
Urine retention or lack of emptying of the bladder does not help to prevent infections. That does not mean you need to drink large amounts of liquids; it usually means you must get up and empty the bladder regularly, even if you have no urge.
Vaginal estrogen is a big help for women in menopause to keep the vagina acidic. You must use enough of it with a regular frequency in the lower part of the vagina to make it effective.
D Mannose is a substance that can be used to prevent adherence of bacteria to the bladder wall and maybe another aid in prevention and conquering infections.
An excellent probiotic serves many purposes but helps increase your resistance and diminishes the harm all these antibiotics have done to your immune mechanism.
At Central Florida UroGynecology, we will guide you and assist you to stay infection-free. It all comes down to finding the cause, increasing resistance, and sticking to the basic rules. It is not finding strong and better antibiotics; this will only lead to resistance and not to better health.