Doctors Reveal How to Prevent a UTI and Keep It From Returning With Six Easy Tips
This simple bathroom strategy can slash UTI risk by 90 percent
Frequency, urgency and burning pain… women are all-too-familiar with the signs of a urinary tract infection (UTI). In fact, a 2016 report in the journal American Family Physician reveals UTIs are the most common female bacterial infections. And once you’ve had one, odds are you want to know how to prevent a UTI from recurring. Fortunately, there are a few simple tricks that reduce your risk of developing a UTI. Here, five strategies that can help.
Why it’s so important to prevent a UTI
Noticing more frequent urinary trouble these days? Here’s why: A 2019 study in the journal Climacteric found hormonal changes that occur due to menopause put women over 50 at added UTI risk.
UTIs typically occur when bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsielal and Proteus enter the urethra (urinary tube) and build up in the bladder. And while most UTIs are confined to the bladder, that bacterial growth can sometimes spread to the kidneys.
Woman's World Answers
“If the infection reaches your kidneys, it can cause serious problems like sepsis or kidney damage,” notes Raj Dasgupta, MD, Chief Medical Advisor for Fortune Recommends Health.
Plus, even a UTI that’s considered mild can trigger distressing symptoms that negatively impact your emotional well-being and overall quality of life, according to authors of a 2000 report in The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice.
How to prevent a UTI
Speedy medical treatment can nip a UTI in the bud and keep it from causing a kidney infection. This means contacting your doctor as soon as you feel symptoms like painful urination or smell “popcorn” urine.
You’re likely to receive a prescription for antibiotics, which can clear up a UTI in as little as three days. But to prevent urinary tract infections in the first place, experts advise the following:
Stay well-hydrated
“Drinking plenty of water (around 1.5-2 liters per day) helps flush bacteria out of your urinary tract, reducing the risk of infection,” Dr. Dasgupta notes. Indeed, researchers reporting in a 2018 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine found that women who upped their water intake by 1.5 liters (a little more than six cups) per day had 47 percent fewer UTIs in a 12-month period than those who skimped on fluids.
Urinate after sex
Sexual activity can push bacteria into the urethra, increasing the risk of UTIs. That’s why it’s important to empty your bladder afterward, say experts reporting in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. Their 1990 study found that women who did so reduced their UTI risk by up to 90 percent.
Wipe from front to back
We know you know this, but it still bears repeating. Findings from a 2010 British study show wiping from front to back after urinating or having a bowel movement reduces UTI incidence by keeping fecal bacteria from entering the urinary tract.
Take a daily stroll
“Regular exercise can lower the risk of UTIs by improving circulation and helping your body fight off infections,” says Dr. Dasgupta. And it doesn’t take exhausting workouts to get the benefits.
Results of a 2016 study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggest that engaging in easy activities like strolling, bicycling and light gardening for four hours weekly (about 34 minutes a day) significantly reduces your UTI risk.
Consider D-mannose
“Over-the-counter supplementation with d-mannose has been scientifically proven to help decrease recurrent UTIs,” says Barbara Hanna, DO, ob/gyn and co-founder of MyMenopauseRx.com.
D-mannose is a simple sugar that keeps bacteria from sticking to bladder walls. That’s the reason a 2013 study in the World Journal of Urology determined that taking two grams of d-mannose powder dissolved in water daily for six months cut women’s risk of recurrent UTIs by 76 percent.
A product that contains the study-backed dose: Nutricost D-Mannose Powder.
Ask about vaginal estrogen
Findings in the journal Climacteric reveal the drop in estrogen that occurs due to menopause can thin tissues and disrupt the balance of good-to-bad bacteria in the urinary tract, significantly increasing UTI risk.
The good news, according to Dr. Hanna: “Women in menopause can prevent recurrent UTIs by using estrogen therapy that is applied directly to the vagina.” In fact, a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggests vaginal estrogen can reduce postmenopausal women’s risk of repeated UTI episodes by 50 percent.
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