Frequently Asked Questions
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Frequently Asked Questions
Home
> Frequently Asked
Questions > Urinary Tract Infection
See also:
 "It
was a normal day at work, but I was tired and felt like I had to pass
urine the whole day. But when I went to the bathroom, not much came out.
When I did pass urine, it burned and smelled bad—and looked cloudy too.
These problems lasted a few days. So I called my doctor, and she said it
sounded like a Urinary
Tract Infection, or UTI. I went to her
office, and she asked me to pass urine into a cup. She tested the urine
and told me I had a UTI. She called my drug store and ordered pills for
me. I took all of the pills she prescribed, and then the UTI and the
symptoms were gone."
What is a Urinary (YOOR-uh-nair-ee) Tract Infection (UTI)?
A UTI is an infection anywhere in the urinary tract. The urinary tract
makes and stores urine and removes it from the body. Parts of the urinary
tract include:
- Kidneys—collect waste from blood to make urine
- Ureters (YOOR-uh-turz)—carry
the urine from the kidneys to the bladder
- Bladder—stores urine until it is full
- Urethra (yoo-REE-thruh)—a
short tube that carries urine from the bladder out of your body when
you pass urine
What causes Urinary Tract Infections
(UTIs)?
Bacteria (bak-TIHR-ee-uh), a type of germ
that gets into your urinary tract, cause a UTI. This can happen in many
ways:
- Wiping from back to front after a bowel movement
(BM). Germs can get into your urethra, which has its opening in front
of the vagina (vuh-JEYE-nuh).
- Sex
- having sexual
intercourse. Germs in the vagina can be pushed into the urethra. For
some women, certain sexual positions can induce the likelihood of
infections. For further information on sexual positions see below.
- Waiting too long to pass urine. When urine stays
in the bladder for a long time, more germs are made, and the worse a
UTI can become.
- Using
a diaphragm (DEYE-uh-fram) for birth control, or spermicides
(creams that kill sperm) with a diaphragm or on a condom. To read
more about diaphragms, go to http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/diaphragm-4244.htm.
- Having
diabetes, which makes it
harder for your body to fight other health problems.
- Loss
of estrogen (ESS-truh-juhn) (a hormone) and changes in the vagina
after menopause. Menopause is when you stop getting your period.
- Catheter - having had a catheter (KATH-uh-tur) in place. A catheter is a thin tube put
through the urethra into the bladder. It’s used to drain urine during
a medical test and for people who cannot pass urine on their own.
What are the signs of a Urinary Tract
Infection (UTI)?
If you have an infection, you may have some or all of these signs:
- Pain
or stinging when you pass
urine.
- An
urge to pass urine a lot,
but not much comes out when you go.
- Pressure in your lower belly.
- Urine that smells bad or looks milky, cloudy, or
reddish in color. If you see blood in your urine, tell a doctor right
away.
- Feeling
tired or shaky or having a
fever.
How does a doctor find out if I have a Urinary
Tract Infection (UTI)?
To find out if you have a UTI, your doctor will need to test a clean
sample of your urine. The doctor or nurse will give you a clean plastic
cup and a special wipe. Wash your hands before opening the cup. When you
open the cup, don’t touch the inside of the lid or inside of the cup. Put
the cup in easy reach. Separate the labia, the outer lips of the vagina,
with one hand. With your other hand, clean the genital area with the wipe.
Wipe from front to back. Do not touch or wipe the anus. While still
holding the labia open, pass a little bit of urine into the toilet. Then,
catch the rest in the cup. This is called a “clean-catch” sample. Let the
rest of the urine fall into the toilet.
If you are prone to UTIs, your doctor may
want to take pictures of your urinary tract with an x-ray or ultrasound.
These pictures can show swelling, stones, or blockage. Your doctor also
may want to look inside your bladder using a cystoscope
(SISS-tuh-skohp). It is a small tube that's put
into the urethra to see inside of the urethra and bladder.
How is a Urinary Tract Infection
(UTI) treated?
UTIs are treated with antibiotics (an-tuh-beye-OT-iks), medicines that kill the bacteria
that cause the infection. Your doctor will tell you how long you need to
take the medicine. Make sure you take all of your medicine, even if you
feel better! Many women feel better in one or two days.
If you don't take medicine for a UTI, the UTI can hurt other parts of
your body. Also, if you're pregnant and have signs of a UTI, see your
doctor right away. A UTI could cause problems in your pregnancy, such as
having your baby too early or getting high blood pressure. Also, UTIs in pregnant women are more likely to travel to
the kidneys.
Will a UTI hurt my kidneys?
If treated right away, a UTI is not likely to damage your kidneys or
urinary tract. But UTIs that are not treated can
cause serious problems in your kidneys and the rest of your body.
How can I prevent a Urinary Tract Infection
(UTI)?
These are steps you can take to try to prevent a UTI. But you may
follow these steps and still get a UTI. If you have symptoms of a UTI,
call your doctor.
- Urinate when you need to. Don't hold it. Pass
urine before and after sex. After you pass urine or have a bowel
movement (BM), wipe from front to back.
- Drink
water every day and after
sex. Try for 6 to 8 glasses a day.
- Clean the outer lips of your vagina and anus
each day. The anus is the place where a bowel movement leaves your
body, located between the buttocks.
- Don't
use douches or feminine
hygiene sprays.
- Wear underpants with a cotton crotch. Don’t
wear tight-fitting pants, which can trap in moisture.
- Take
showers instead of tub
baths, especially prior to and after sexual intercourse. This may take
away the spontaneity of sex, but any woman who suffers from a UTI may
find this is an acceptable measure of prevention.
- Sexual
Positions – certain sexual
positions will force the penis to put pressure on the urethra.
Imagine the point of entry, any position or angle that applies
positive pressure to the area of the urethra will increase your
chances of a UTI. Rear entry positions move the pressure in a
negative direction making them ideal. Safe (negative) and unsafe
(positive) positions are outlined below.
I get UTIs a lot. Can my
doctor do something to help?
About one in five women who get UTIs will get
another one. Some women get three or more UTIs a
year. If you are prone to UTIs, ask your doctor
about your treatment options. Your doctor may ask you to take a small dose
of medicine every day to prevent infection. Or, your doctor might give you
a supply of antibiotics to take after sex or at the first sign of
infection. “Dipsticks” can help test for UTIs at
home. They are useful for some women with repeat UTIs.
Ask your doctor if you should use dipsticks at home to test for UTI. Your
doctor may also want to do special tests to see what is causing repeat
infections. Ask about them.
For more Information
For more information on urinary tract infections, please call
womenshealth.gov at 1-800-994-9662 or contact the following organizations:
National Kidney and Urologic
Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NIH
Phone number: (800) 891-5390
Internet address: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov
American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Resource Center
Phone number: (202) 638-5577
Internet address: http://www.acog.org
American Urogynecologic
Society
Internet address: http://www.augs.org
American Urological Association
Phone number: (866) 746-4282
Internet address: http://www.urologyhealth.org
This FAQ was reviewed by:
Magda Barini-García,
MD, MPH
Senior Medical
Advisor
Center for Quality
Health Resources and Services Administration
Rockville, MD
Kristene Whitmore, MD
Director, Pelvic and Sexual Health
Institute
Graduate Hospital
Philadelphia, PA
All material
contained in this FAQ is free of copyright restrictions, and may be
copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on
Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of
the source is appreciated.
Content last updated May 1, 2008.
|
You may need to download a free
PDF reader to view files marked with this icon.
