[Alffe]

I wonder why some women constantly get urinary trac infections....like one after another.

can anyone shed some light on this?

[Curious]

it can depend on many things alffe.

not drinking enough water. holding it for too long...sex can introduce bad bacteria.
wiping the wrong way. just for starters.

some just are prone to them. but keeping a higher acidity level helps. like drinking cranberry juice.

[Lara]

As Curious wrote, it can depend on many things, Alffe.
My daughter has them because she has structural problems in her ureter (not her urethra). She's only got one kidney and ureter now, but that ureter remaining is called a Megaureter and it pools urine because of the shape so never actually voids all the urine that should be going under pressure from the kidney to the ureter to the bladder. Some people also have problems with the ureter at the entrance to the bladder. Like a valve that doesn't quite shut tightly enough, it will allow some urine to push back up into the ureter.

In her case the problem is in the ureter and kidney rather than the urethra so she's more prone to actual kidney infections. The urethra is the part that goes from the bladder to the outside. That's where most people get the problem. Drinking more water and being really hygienic can help. Cranberry juice is good. Can buy it in capsules as well. Doctors recommend no bubble baths too. Showering rather than actual bathing is better if someone has a UTI although that type of thing doesn't affect my daughter because her problem is more internal.

Some people do seem to be more prone to them than others. If they persist people need to see a doctor. That's really important.

[Silverlady]

Alffe,
Another cause of uti's could be contamination from bath water. I have a huge whirlpool tub in my bathroom. For years I soaked in it which helped my arthritis. But I also got uti's constantly. We blamed them on everything in the world. Then I started taking showers instead. The UTI's went away and haven't come back.

Billye

[~scrabble]

(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

[cat265]

Candida can cause major havic in anyone body. Also being the reasons for recuuent UTI. goole candida symptoms. Iam sure you will be surprised