Are you someone who is scared about making frequent trips to the restroom or feel a burning sensation while urinating? Well if you have been going through all this then you can hold urinary tract infection responsible for it. Caused due to the excessive bacteria growth in a person's urinary tract, this infection causes more complications and can be way too hazardous to your health than you think. The burning sensation and frequent urination is not all that a urinary tract infection might cause, but it also brings along various other discomforts such as kidney damage, bladder infection, lower back pain and fever. As a wise man or a wise woman once said that “Prevention is better than Cure'', by following the saying of that wise person we have brought some preventive measures that you can follow to keep the problem of urinary tract infection at bay and avoid any of the complications associated with it. Read along to know about 5 preventive tips that you can follow to prevent a urinary tract infection.
What is a Urinary Tract Infection?
It is always good to look into a disease or condition and to understand it well before jumping in and knowing about the preventive measures or treatments that can be used to correct it. Let us take a moment here to understand what actually a UTI is and what are its causes.
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Also Read: How To Tackle a Urinary Tract Infection in Monsoon? Doctor Answers
A urinary tract infection is caused due to the presence of bacteria in the urinary tract which usually enters from the urethra and tends to get multiplied inside the bladder. Most of these urinary tract infections involved the urethra, bladder and the lower part of the urinary tract. Mainly there are three types of urinary tract infections depending upon the part of bladder they affect namely-
- Cystitis- Affects the bladder
- Acute pyelonephritis- Affects the kidneys
- Urethritis- Affects the urethra
Where different types of UTIs affect different parts of the urinary tract, the symptoms of this infection are more or less similar to each other such as frequent urination, pee burn, strong smelling urine, traces of blood in urine, pelvic pain, etc. Where this is not all that a urinary tract infection brings along with it but some of the risk factors of UTIs are-
- Blockage in urinary tract
- Kidney damage
- Sepsis
- Suppressed immune system
- Recurrent infections
- Urethral narrowing
Tips to Prevent UTIs
As by now we have learnt all about what a urinary tract infection is, its causes, types, symptoms and risk factors, let us take a step ahead and learn about some preventive measures that you can follow in order to prevent yourself from getting affected by this infection and avoid the complications caused due to it.
#1. Stay Hydrated
Drinking up plenty of fluid and keeping yourself hydrated can take you a long way in your self care journey. Hydration is something that provides the body with enough energy, keeps the skin glowing, helps to regulate body temperature, provides lubrication to the joints, improves mood, helps to get better sleep, prevents infection, ensures proper functioning of the organs and helps in providing nutrition to various parts of the body.
Where hydration plays such an important role in maintaining a person’s overall health, you would be surprised to know that water can also help you to keep the Urinary Tract Infections at bay. Drinking plenty of water helps in flushing out the toxins from the body and hence helps to dilute your urine. By doing so it makes a person urinate frequently and hence flush out the harmful bacteria from your urinary tract.
#2. Pee before and after sex
If you think that you should only pee when your bladder is full and you can not hold it on for any longer, you might have a wrong impression and this might be an eye opener for you. Urinating before and after a sexual intercourse is really important to keep yourself safe from any kind of urinary tract infection and to prevent the growth of bacteria inside your urinary tract. One must pee and wash themselves with water before a sexual activity and pee after a sexual intercourse in order to flush out or push out any bacteria that might have entered your urethra during this activity.
#3. Wipe
Washing yourself down there is important and so is wiping. As the bacteria tends to hang in the region around the anus, it begins to wipe itself correctly especially after a bowel movement. Wiping up from front to back will not just help in keeping yourself hygienic but als help to keep the bacteria away from the anal region and prevent it from climbing up the urinary tract through urethra.
#4. Ponder upon birth control
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Also Read: Birth Control Patch: How To Use, Limitations And Tips To Follow While Using
Where most of the people around the globe consider condoms to be one of the most effective birth control options and have been using it without giving it a second thought, it is high time that you start thinking about it and what all it has been doing to your body. As condoms are made up of spermicides of diaphragms, they can contribute to the growth of bacteria down there. Some people usually get UTIs due to the use of these condoms and hence they might opt for some other kinds of birth control methods.
#5. Say no to chemical products
Using feminine hygiene products that consist of high amounts of chemicals in them is a big no. By doing so you are not just treating your sensitive body parts with loaded chemicals but are also inviting the bacteria to infect your urinary tract. Using feminine hygiene products such as liquid wash, deodorant, powders and other such products can cause irritation and promote the growth of infection in the urinary tract.
Follow these simple tips to prevent any kinds of urinary tract infection and the complications associated with it. By following these practices you can keep yourself clean and hygienic and keep that infection causing bacterias away.
