What Causes UTIs? How Do You Treat Them Effectively?

Did you know that India has a pretty high percentage of its population that suffers from UTIs? It has been estimated to be anywhere between 20-30%, and harms more women than men. This number can vary wildly if you go from one region in the country to the next. Let us learn about the causes, symptoms and treatment in a little more detail, so we can stay cautious.

Common Causes Of UTIs

Most of us vaguely remember the diagram of the excretory system from our school era, but if you don’t, no issues. We will give you a super quick Anatomy 101 lesson. The urinary system consists of all the components involved in the filtration of blood to form urine, its proper storage and subsequent excretion from the body. The stars of this show include the kidneys, 2 ureters, one bladder and the urethra in the end. Now, if any one of them gets affected by a pathogen, you could get a UTI. Most infections remain and leave the lower end of the urinary tract, but if the kidneys get affected too, serious treatment measures may be needed. Some very well known villains in this stage show include- E. coli which can infect the bladder, while the urethra can get affected by chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhoea or mycoplasma respectively. So, practising safe sex is very important if you look at all these infamous names above.

Symptoms And Treatment Of UTIs

We have listed out all the worrisome symptoms you can watch out for:

• Wanting to pee always even if you have just finished doing your business.
• Painful and burning sensation associated with urination.
• Urine that does not look straw yellow and clear- may be foamy or cloudy, have blood in it.
• Your pee isn’t supposed to smell great, but if it smells weirder/more pungent than usual.
• Pain in the pelvis- especially in women.

The treatment options available are many and act fast too. So yay!
Antibiotics are your best friend here! But be sure to complete the full course and not leave anything in between. You may be given strong or gentler antibiotics depending on how often you get UTIs. Some of us are unfortunate in this area- we may get recurrent UTIs. You can also drink lots of water in the meantime or may be given antibiotics intravenously if the infection is more severe. Your doctor should help you with the prescription.

How To Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Follow these hacks closely, and you can largely prevent UTIs from ever bothering you!

• Wash your hands always. Why? If you don’t, then you may transfer pathogens into your urethral passage while washing up.
• Dealing with periods every month is not easy. To ensure UTIs don’t get added to the mix, change your pad or tampon every few hours. Do not keep tampons in for many hours. Don’t use any scented personal hygiene products either.
• Make it a conscious choice to drink lots of water everyday. Set an alarm if you need to, but get it done. You can flush out toxins easily with this hack.
• Don’t hold in your pee. Just go and finish your job ASAP.
• Remember to pee before and after having sex.
• Wear underwear that is not too tight. Applies to your pants or skirt or dress too.
• Drink lots of buttermilk or consume probiotics containing fermented foods which can help regulate pH in your body.

Conclusion

UTIs are largely preventable if we remember that cleanliness is important. The best part is most of the UTIs stop bothering you after a course of treatment. But, if you have recurrent UTIs, you should consider taking some long term measures that a doctor can help you with. Getting tested early and getting the right diagnosis can greatly reduce the guesswork involved in the whole process. So, stay safe and UTI free with these simple but super effective measures.