How to Put an End to Your Recurrent UTIs

No one wants to experience the discomfort of a urinary tract infection (UTI) more than once. But 3 out of 10 women end up with a second UTI within several months after the first one.

Early treatment does more than ease your symptoms. Preventing recurrent UTIs also ensures you don’t develop complications.

Whether it’s your first or fifth UTI, our Michigan Avenue Primary Care team is here to help. We will determine if you have an underlying condition contributing to the problem and recommend customized care.

Here, we look at UTI complications and risks and how to end recurrent infections.

Recurrent UTIs

The criteria for recurrent UTIs is having two or more in six months or three within a year. A new UTI can appear as quickly as one month after treating an existing infection.

The symptoms are the same as a regular UTI. You may experience:

• Pain or burn when urinating
• Frequent need to urinate but passing a small amount
• Pelvic pain or pressure
• Cloudy urine
• Foul-smelling urine
• Incontinence (leaking urine)
• Urgent need to urinate
• Blood in your urine

Recurrent UTIs usually occur when new bacteria take hold. However, an earlier UTI may cause a reinfection if any bacteria remain.

Complications

Recurrent UTIs increase the risk of a kidney infection or kidney disease. You also have a higher chance of developing bladder problems. While recurrent UTIs don’t cause bladder cancer, they may increase your risk.

Pregnant women who develop recurrent UTIs need immediate treatment because the infection can cause an early delivery or a low-birth-weight baby.

In severe cases, the bacteria can spread beyond your urinary tract. If that happens, you may end up with a blood infection or sepsis (a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the infection causes body-wide inflammation).

Risk factors

Your chances of having recurrent UTIs increase if you have:

• Vaginal atrophy (weak urinary tract tissues due to low estrogen after menopause)
• Untreated atrophic vaginitis
• Frequent sex (having sex two or more times weekly triples the risk of UTI)
• New or multiple sex partners
• A sister or mother with a history of frequent UTIs
• Urinary retention
• Diabetes
• Bladder diverticula

Bladder diverticula are tiny pouches in the wall of the urinary bladder that may trap bacteria.

How to stop recurrent UTIs

We use two approaches to stop recurrent UTIs, medical treatment and self-care recommendations.

Medical treatment

Antibiotics eliminate the bacteria causing your infection. We may treat your UTI with a 1-2 week course of full-strength antibiotics. Or, you may respond better to taking low-dose antibiotics for an extended time. 

If sexual activity causes your UTIs, we may recommend a single dose of antibiotics after intercourse to prevent ongoing infections.

We also diagnose and treat any underlying health conditions contributing to your UTIs. (In addition, we may refer you to a specialist, depending on the condition.)

Self-care steps

We recommend three self-care tips that help stop recurrent UTIs:

1. Drink plenty of water

Urine flushes out the bacteria. Getting enough fluids makes you urinate more often, preventing bacteria from attaching to the bladder wall.

2. Drink cranberry juice (or take supplements)

Cranberries contain active ingredients (proanthocyanidins) that prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall. However, don’t grab a random bottle of cranberry juice. Follow these recommendations from the FDA:

• Drink juice containing at least 27% cranberry juice. One cup daily may help prevent recurrent UTIs.
• Take cranberry supplements containing at least 500 milligrams (mg) of 100% cranberry fruit powder.

3. Improve bathroom hygiene

The bacteria responsible for UTIs often come from the area around the anus. Wiping from front to back after using the toilet prevents bacteria from traveling to the urethra (the tube where urine comes out).

Seek early treatment for recurrent UTIs

Our Michigan Avenue Primary Care team offers comprehensive care for recurrent UTIs. Call the office or book an appointment online to begin your treatment and stop ongoing infections.