Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are infections in any part of the urinary system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract — the bladder, which stores urine, and the urethra, which carries urine out of the body.
UTIs generally occur when bacteria enter the urinary tract through the urethra and spread to the bladder. While the system is designed to keep out bacteria, sometimes the defences fail, and you end up with a full-blown infection.
At Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic, our providers, Dr. Pankaj Chopra and Dr. Neha Maheshwari, and the rest of our team treat numerous urinary tract infections in Gilbert, Fountain Hills, Mesa, and Scottsdale, Arizona. However, while both men and women can develop UTIs, they’re far more frequent in women. Here’s a close look at these infections and why they favor women.
The symptoms of a UTI, if any, may depend on which part of the urinary tract is affected.
If the infection is in the bladder, the most common symptoms are:
If the infection is in the urethra, the most common symptoms are:
Other symptoms you may experience are cloudy-looking urine and urine with a strong, foul odor.
If you have any of these symptoms, visit one of our offices to be tested. We can resolve most UTIs with a short course of antibiotics.
When it comes to urinary tract infections, the sexes aren’t equal, and that has everything to do with anatomy.
Women’s urethras are shorter than men’s, and they’re located close to the anus. That means opportunistic bacteria can hop from the anus to the urethra and make their way just a short distance to the bladder.
One way to avoid such a problem is the way you wipe after you urinate. Always wipe from front to back; back to front can introduce the anal bacteria into the urethra.
Having sex can also lead to a bladder infection, which is why you should always urinate before and after intercourse to flush out the bacteria.
An infection of the urethra may be caused by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), too, such as herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and mycoplasma. Since women's urethras are also close to the vagina, the pathogen doesn’t have far to travel to cause problems.
Using diaphragms as a birth control method may increase the risk for UTIs because they’re inserted into the vagina, as can spermicidal agents.
And after menopause, a decline in the levels of circulating estrogen causes changes to the urinary tract, which may increase your risk for UTIs.
The first-line treatment for most UTIs is a course of antibiotics, the type matched to the specific bacterium causing the infection. UTI symptoms usually clear up within a few days of starting treatment, but you may need to stay on the antibiotics for a week or more.
Take all the medicine as prescribed, even if you feel better, or the problem may recur, and the treatment may be less effective.
The doctor may give you a pain reliever to ease the burning during urination, but it’s often unnecessary, as pain usually goes away soon after starting an antibiotic.
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of a UTI, especially if you’re a woman, it’s time to come into Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic. Walk in, call us at any of our locations, or book an appointment online.
