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Suggest Ways To Prevent Recurrent UTI
Question: I get frequent urinary tract infections. I am 61 years old. Every time I get it I have to take antibiotics but this kills both good and bad bacteria therefore please can you let me know if I can prevent infections rather than have to cure it with antibiotics.
Brief Answer:
cranberry, voiding after intimacy
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Unfortunately about 1/4 of women who get a one time inflammation/infection of the bladder (acute cystitis) , can have recurrent UTI.
Assessment of the urine is important to determine if it is a new bacteria causing the infection or the same cause.
If it is the same, it is possible that it may be resistant to the antibiotics used and different course may be needed.
In addition an ultrasound of the urinary system looking for stones, cysts, abscesses etc is important to see if there is a structural reason for the repeat infections
Other treatment options are: (1)urinating immediately after intercourse to prevent any urine in the bladder from becoming infected
(2)drinking cranberry juice (at least 10 oz per day) or using cranberry tablets
There was one medical study found lower rates of repeat infections in women who drank 50 ml of cranberry-lingoberry concentrate daily for 6 months.
If this is available in your area, you can try this
(3)you may want to check to make sure there is no problem with your immune system
eg diabetes, steroid medications (Eg for asthma or other immune diseases) can affect the immune system and make infections more common
Unfortunately these measures do not work for everyone and infections can still occur.
Low sodium levels can occur as a result of urinary tract infections in some persons. It may be due to the kidneys not responding to certain hormones that allow for sodium absorption
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
cranberry, voiding after intimacy
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Unfortunately about 1/4 of women who get a one time inflammation/infection of the bladder (acute cystitis) , can have recurrent UTI.
Assessment of the urine is important to determine if it is a new bacteria causing the infection or the same cause.
If it is the same, it is possible that it may be resistant to the antibiotics used and different course may be needed.
In addition an ultrasound of the urinary system looking for stones, cysts, abscesses etc is important to see if there is a structural reason for the repeat infections
Other treatment options are: (1)urinating immediately after intercourse to prevent any urine in the bladder from becoming infected
(2)drinking cranberry juice (at least 10 oz per day) or using cranberry tablets
There was one medical study found lower rates of repeat infections in women who drank 50 ml of cranberry-lingoberry concentrate daily for 6 months.
If this is available in your area, you can try this
(3)you may want to check to make sure there is no problem with your immune system
eg diabetes, steroid medications (Eg for asthma or other immune diseases) can affect the immune system and make infections more common
Unfortunately these measures do not work for everyone and infections can still occur.
Low sodium levels can occur as a result of urinary tract infections in some persons. It may be due to the kidneys not responding to certain hormones that allow for sodium absorption
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: Consult a Urologist online for consultation about prostate and bladder problems, sexual dysfunction, kidney stones, prostate enlargement, urinary incontinence, impotence and erectile dysfunction - Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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