What Are the Best Ways to Prevent a UTI?
A urinary tract infection, or UTI, is an unpleasant experience for anyone. You may be someone more likely to get a UTI. In that case, it is important to know ways to prevent an infection. Keep reading to find out how to prevent a UTI.
Symptoms and Causes of a UTI
When you get a UTI it is usually due to excess bacteria that can get into the urethra. This condition will cause inflammation as well as irritation. A UTI causes symptoms like:
- Pain when urinating
- A feeling of pressure in the pelvic area
- Cloudy or abnormal colored urine
- Strong smelling urine
- Flank pain (pain in the sides around the kidney area)
The bacteria that cause the infection are introduced from outside of the body. Females are more prone due to the short length of their ureters. However, it is a relatively common infection, and everyone should know how to prevent it.
Best Ways to Prevent a UTI
The best treatment is prevention. So, here are a few ways that will help you minimize the chances of urinary tract infection:
- Practice good hygiene
- Drink more fluids
- Urinate more frequently
- Change clothes more often
- Evaluate eating habits
All these suggestions are helpful in the prevention of a UTI. Good hygiene practices limit the number of bacteria that could cause infection. Drinking more fluids helps hydrate and will allow you to urinate more frequently. Urinating more frequently and increasing fluid intake will help flush the tract and remove the bacteria that could cause infection.
If you have sharp abdominal pain, blood in your urine, or fever and you suspect you have a UTI, call your doctor ASAP. Any symptoms like these could be signs of a kidney infection, which develops when a UTI is left untreated for too long.
If you suspect you may have a UTI and live near Chattanooga, TN, call UT Urology at (423) 778-5910 to help with diagnosis and treatment. The doctors at UT Urology will help you with the best ways to prevent UTIs. Remember, prevention is the best medicine!
