Say Goodbye To That UTI: 4 Ways Women Can Combat Urinary Tract Infections

If you are having to urinate frequently or having pelvic pain, you may have a urinary tract infection. Unfortunately, women are more prone to this problem because their urethras are shorter than men's, meaning that bacteria doesn't have to travel very far to infect the bladder.

Thankfully, you can get rid of this annoying issue relatively quickly if you are proactive. Here are four ways to combat a UTI.

Set Up an Appointment with Your Family Primary Care Physician

Data from electronic health records says that UTIs are the 25th most common diagnosis made by a primary care physician (PCPs). So seeing your doctor when you have a UTI is a great first step since he or she handles this problem quite often.

When you go in for your appointment, your doctor will likely ask you to give a urine sample. The doctor's lab will run a urinalysis and culture to confirm whether or not you have a UTI. Even if you already positive that you have UTI symptoms, a urinalysis is important since the doctor will likely prescribe a specific antibiotic based on the type of bacteria they see in the test.

When your doctor prescribes you an oral antibiotic to take care of the problem, make sure that you take the full course, even if your symptoms have gone away.

If you are starting to have more serious symptoms—vomiting, fever, nausea—along with your UTI, make sure you get to your primary care physician ASAP. A UTI that isn't taken care of can worsen, and these symptoms could be indicative of a kidney infection.

Take Probiotics if Your Doctor Give You the Okay

While antibiotics are stellar at eliminating UTIs, they can be harsh on your digestive system. If you doctor says that it's okay, be sure to add a course of over-the-counter probiotics when you are taking your antibiotics. These will help keep your gut healthy and keep your immunity up. Probiotics are especially important for women with menopause. Menopause can alter vaginal pH, making it easy for bad bacteria to thrive.

If you aren't fond of probiotic supplements, try incorporating fermented foods, like sauerkraut and yogurt into your diet until the UTI is gone.

Drink Plenty of Fluids

Since you are most likely using the bathroom frequently, drinking more fluids may not sound appealing. However, if you are unable to see your doctor right away, this is one of the best things you can be doing to get rid of the UTI. Drinking water can flush away bad bacteria in your system.

While it is annoying to keep having to go to the bathroom, be sure you aren't ignoring the urge and holding. Not only will this be painful, but it lets the bacteria grow in the urinary tract.

If you are sick of drinking water, try adding some seltzer water and cranberry juice together. Cranberry juice has an ingredient called A-type proanthocyanidins, which are supposed to keep bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract.

Drinking apple cider vinegar (ACV) can also help, since it makes your urine acidic. This acidity makes the tract inhospitable to bacteria. If you do drink ACV, make sure to dilute it with water, as too much of it can be bad for your teeth.

Work on Any Constipation

Constipation can worsen a UTI since hard stools in the rectum can actually push against the urethra and bladder. This in turn, can make the urethra strain and be pinched, meaning it's harder to flush bacteria out.

Talk with your doctor about what you can do if this is frequent problem. In the meantime, try to incorporate more fiber in your diet. Eat good foods like prunes, and avoid foods that cause bloating, like cheese.

Since you should be drinking plenty of fluids, you may want to incorporate a synthetic fiber—like Metamucil—into your drink.

If you follow these four tips, you should be able to get over your UTI sooner rather than later.

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