By Andreas Mertens

Do you often find yourself planning intricate maps that will thwart the crowds and get you to a bathroom in seconds?  You’re not alone. Frequency and urgency to urinate are the signature side effects of Urinary Tract Infections, or UTIs. Two thirds of women will have a UTI in their lifetime and sexually active women between 18 and 24 are most commonly affected.  Thankfully, there are many ways to reduce the chance of getting one and recognize when it’s serious.

Urinary tracts include people’s bladder and kidneys, the ureters that connect the two, and the urethra, which urine is expelled through.  Infections typically start in the urethra and work their way up through the system.  An infection in the bladder will make itself known with the tell-tale burning sensation, a frequent and urgent need to urinate, nausea, vomiting, lower back pain, cloudy or slightly bloody urine, or a combination of these.  If a bladder infection moves to the kidneys, it can also cause a fever and intense lower back pain.  While UTIs can cause permanent damage if they’re not treated, the symptoms will usually clear up after a week of antibiotics.                                                                                  

UTIs in young men are very rare and usually signify kidney stones, lesions in the bladder, or other factors that may need separate treatment.  While these can cause UTIs in anyone, infections in women are typically caused by bacteria entering the urethra from the vagina, most often helped along by the motions of vaginal intercourse.  For young women, penetrative vaginal sex is actually the best predictor of UTIs, and the more sex someone is having, the higher the odds they will experience a UTI. 

Women who are having oodles of sex and are worried about getting a UTI can reduce their risk in several ways.  Avoiding the use of spermicide with diaphragms, and even the small amount on spermicidal condoms, will keep the vagina at its bacteria-fighting best.  Changing condoms or washing the penis, sex toy or hand before switching between oral, anal, and vaginal sex is an essential part of safe sex.  It also helps keep E. Coli, the most common culprit behind UTIs, away from the entrance to the urethra. 

Recent studies have shown that many traditional suggestions for preventing UTIs aren’t very effective.  It is still recommended to urinate frequently and right after sex, to be sure to completely empty the bladder; avoid baths and hot tubs; and wipe from front to back, but for some people these actions may not actually reduce the risk of UTIs.  The material, tightness, and type of clothing or underwear people wear also has little effect, meaning you can wear leggings guilt-free (as long as you don’t call them pants).  Using tampons and douching are sometimes associated with a slightly higher risk because they irritate the urethra.

 However, drinking cranberry juice every day has been proven to help avoid UTIs, making the juice a healthy, delicious, and undeniably sexy natural preventative measure.  While antibiotics are still by far the most effective treatment for UTIs, think of how amazing it would be to share a prophylactic, post-coital glass of juice.  Cheers!