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May 29, 20233 min read

5 Things You Should Know About Urinary Tract Infections.

UTIs are also known as Urinary Tract Infections.


This is one of the most popular topics I get asked about and when I asked my friends about it they all remember how worried they were when they got their first UTI. Some of them said they felt embarrassed because they really did not know much about it!


For something so common- not many people know that much about UTI. Some questions I get include; Is a UTI like an STI? Why do I keep getting them? Are women more prone to getting them than men? Can I get it more than once? Is it dangerous?


These are all valid and important questions and I am going to be addressing some of these as well as all you need to know about UTIs.


What is a UTI?


A urinary tract infection is an infection that can affect your urinary tract which includes bladder, urethra and your kidneys. It is caused by E.coli and other bacteria finding its way from outside of the body like the anus into your urethra which is a tube that leads to your bladder.


If the infection is not treated it can go up and infect your kidneys (this is called pyelonephritis). There are other conditions that can also increase the risks of UTIs such as diabetes and hormone changes.


5 FACTS you should know about UTIs.


1. How do you know if you have a UTI.


There are many signs of a UTI. The most common ones are;

  • Pain in the flank, abdomen or pelvic area

  • Increased need to pass urine

  • Increased urge to urinate

  • Pain when passing urine

  • Blood in the urine

  • Abnormal urine colour and smell.

Other symptoms that are ‘red flags’ are fever, confusion, nausea, vomiting, back pain, blood in urine and altered mental state. If you get any of these symptoms it may indicate either worsening infection or even a kidney infection!


2. Women are more prone to getting to UTI - thanks to anatomy!


Yes, women are more prone to getting a UTI partly due to the female anatomy! Yes, the urethra in a woman is shorter than a man’s which makes it easy for bacteria to travel up to the bladder and further.


*By the way, the urethra is the tube that urine is released from the bladder out of the body.


3. Sex can increase your risks of getting a UTI.


People often get confused between a UTI and STI.


They are totally different. A STI is a Sexually Transmitted Infection which you can get during sexual intercourse. A UTI is not an STI but sex can increase your risks of getting UTI. Having sex can introduce bacteria into the urinary tract as the female urethra is located close to both the vagina and the anus so bacteria can easily travel up.


It can be confusing to know the difference at times as some symptoms overlap such as pain when passing urine, abdominal pain etc. Some advice to prevent UTI includes cleaning your genital region before sex and peeing after sex to flush out any bacteria that may have entered your urethra.


4. UTIs can turn into a kidney infection.


Yes it can get serious if it is not treated.


If you do not treat the symptoms on time, the bacteria can move from your bladder (cystitis) up to your kidneys (pyelonephritis) and cause an infection. It is so important to see your doctors before it gets to this.


5. Who do I go to and how is it diagnosed?


So you can see your GP about any UTI symptoms you may have. They will get a urine sample from you and test it using a simple test called urinalysis - and if it is positive you'll get some antibiotics!


6. Can I prevent it?


Yes there are a few things you can do to help prevent a UTI like try and completely empty your bladder every time you pee, try not to hold your pee, drink plenty of fluid, wipe from front to back after you use the toilet and try to avoid douches and scented bath products.


Lastly, yes you can get it more than once so it is important that you don't only finish your course of antibiotics but that you take some of the advice to prevent UTI in the first place.





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