(Grrr ... I just lost my post ...)

Hi Alffe,

Many years ago, before having kids, I used to get frequent bladder infections (the most common type of UTI). I tried doing all the right things with drinking lots of water and cranberry juice, emptying my bladder before and after sex, not wearing super tight jeans, avoiding bubble baths ...

Anyway I ended up having x-rays of my bladder when it was full and then when it was empty. Nothing unusual showed up so I also had a cystoscopy where a flexible viewing tube was inserted through my urethra so the doctor could see the inside of my bladder. Not fun. However, I rarely got bladder infections after that procedure. It was explained to me that there may have been some scarring along my urethra from previous infections and that may have been preventing me from completely emptying my bladder or it may have been an area where bacteria could collect more easily. So the scope may have helped to widen my urethra.

p.s. If you drink cranberry juice it should be 100% juice and not Cranberry Cocktail which is too sweet and doesn't contain enough cranberries. Cranberry juice contains an ingredient that makes it hard for bacteria to stick to the wall of the bladder.


And here is something else I just found:

"Many women get more infections after menopause because the tissues are thinner and bacteria can get through more easily. Estrogen has been shown to decrease bladder infections. If the bladder is "fallen" or weak ... it does not empty completely and bacteria may invade the urine that is sitting there. That's why women who are prone to frequent infections should remember to empty the bladder every two to four hours and right before and after sex."



http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/880000006.html