Why does uti recur

In addition, bacteria feeds on the extra blood sugar in your system. A weakened immune system makes you more susceptible to infections. A spinal cord injury or nerve damage near the bladder. A kidney stone blocking urine. Being Sexually Active Frequent sex and vaginal penetration causes bacteria to move around and end up in the wrong places leading to a UTI. Genetics Some people are just more prone to developing UTIs. How To Avoid The Recurrence of UTIs Drinking lots of water, urinating before and after sexual intercourse, and not waiting to urinate can all help reduce your incidence of urinary tract infections.

Urinary Tract Infections. National Library of Medicine. April National Kidney Foundation. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. February Mayo Clinic. January Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection Prevention. March University of Rochester Medical Center. A review in Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases suggests that susceptibility to UTIs depends on specific immune system signaling pathways and expression of the genes that govern these pathways.

These types of factors can then run in families. In addition to getting your medical history, your doctor will probably want to do the following, according to the Mayo Clinic :.

A urinalysis: Your doctor will probably ask for a urine sample to look for the presence of white blood cells, red blood cells, or bacteria, all of which can indicate a UTI. A urine culture: Sometimes your doctor will want to do a urine culture, which lets your doctor know what bacteria is behind your UTI and which medications will be best to treat it.

Your doctor might also use a contrast dye to highlight parts of your urinary tract. A cystoscopy: When you have chronic UTIs, your doctor may want to do a test called a cystoscopy. That uses a long, thin tube with a lens called a cystoscope to see inside your urethra and bladder. A single dose of an antibiotic after sex , if your recurrent UTIs are related to sex.

Some of the prevention methods overlap with treatment options mentioned above. Drinking enough water and emptying your bladder frequently and after sex are helpful for preventing bacteria in stagnant urine from colonizing, the NIDDK explains.

And wiping from front to back helps stop fecal matter which contains UTI-causing bacteria from making its way from the anus to the urethra. Peeing after sex is also such common UTI-prevention advice , in case any bacteria has gotten up there. Prophylactic antibiotics are another preventive method to know about if you have recurrent UTIs.

Prophylactic antibiotics is basically a fancy way of saying preventive antibiotics. A chronic urinary tract infection is an ongoing or recurring infection of the urinary tract. The infection may recur because the tract gets re-infected or because treatment did not clear the infection entirely. Symptoms may stop during treatment, but they may start up again after treatment.

According to one study , a doctor will diagnose a recurring UTI RUTI if a person has three positive urine cultures during a month period or two infections during the previous 6 months. According to the same study, UTIs are more common in women. The report noted that around percent of females would develop a UTI in their lifetimes, but they will not always become chronic.

The urinary tract is divided into the upper and lower urinary tract and is composed of a series of organs and tubes that take urine out of the body:. A UTI may affect any part of the urinary tract. However, infection typically occurs when bacteria enter the urinary tract through the urethra, which is the tube carrying urine from the kidneys to the bladder.

If the infection starts in the urethra and bladder, it is usually not serious and clears up with treatment. However, if a UTI reaches the kidneys, it can be more serious. A person with an upper urinary tract infection may need to go to the hospital for treatment. Females are more likely than males to get a UTI because of the position and shorter length of their urethras.

The female urethra is near the anus, which makes it easy for bacteria from the stool to get into the urethra. To prevent this, always wipe from front to back after going to the toilet.