PREVENTING UTI

Urinary Tract Infection… a bacterial infection of any part of our urinary tract. This is caused by the existence of a high number of bacteria that enters our urethra. A person suffering from UTI may experience the following symptoms:

• pain or cramps in the lower abdominal region or on the back part of the hips
  
  
• a burning sensation while urinating
  
  
• fever
  
  
• chills
  
  
• the urge to urinate very frequently
  
  
• the feeling of wanting to pee but little or no urine comes out
  
  
• cloudy urine
  
  
• foul-smelling urine
  
  
• urine with traces of blood
  
  
• nausea and vomiting
  
  
• inability to control the release of urine
  
  

A person with this kind of infection may or may not experience all of the symptoms at one time. If you ever experience any of these symptoms, it is best to go to a doctor immediately so a prompt analysis can be made. The process would involve a urine test called urinalysis. In urinalysis, a fresh sample of the urine will be needed for testing. This laboratory test will determine whether bacteria exist. If the number of bacteria is high, then the doctor will probably give an antibiotic prescription.

It is important to strictly follow the doctor’s antibiotic prescription. For example, if the physician would prescribe taking a particular antibiotic (the dosage is also included) for a number of days or weeks, the patient must do so for the exact duration. If not, the infection will not be cured and the possibility of recurrence is high. Also, if the patient stops the medication before the prescribed date, the body’s defense system will just culture bacteria immune to the antibiotics, thus making the body and its defense system weaker.

Other measures are also important when fighting urinary tract infection. Such measures are hygiene and good health habits. For hygiene, the most important note is to wash (the genitals plus the anal region) with soap and water regularly and meticulously. Unclean genitals and rectum are the usual starters for the existence of bacteria as they are easily transferred to the urinary tract. Pregnant women should also take extra precautions against UTI since the risk is higher for them and the infection can be passed on to the fetus. Drinking lots of water (and cranberry juice) will also reduce the risk for infection.