Ways to Prevent a UTI

Urinary tract infections cause burning, dark urine, frequent urination, and other issues that disrupt your life. Naturally, you’d like to prevent that misery, but is it possible? It’s a definite “yes” — and we’d like to tell you how.

At least 8 million people visit medical providers for help with urinary tract infections (UTIs) every year. At Urology Specialists of Cypress, our team, led by experienced board-certified urologist Dr. James Stocks, can help you experience fewer UTIs and spend less time at the doctor through excellent preventive care. Here are our top recommendations for preventing UTIs.

Drink extra water for wellness

Water is important for whole-person health, and it plays an especially big role in keeping your urinary tract clean and healthy. Drinking lots of water — ideally about 1.5 liters (just over six cups) beyond your usual fluid intake — daily can help prevent UTIs in a few ways.

First, water promotes good bladder health overall, which means you’ll be better able to fight off UTIs. In addition, water helps dilute your urine and stops the bacteria in your bladder from multiplying. This makes it easier to flush bacteria out quickly.

Water can even help treat UTIs. In fact, about half of UTIs are treatable with just increased fluid intake. However, if the infection moves up your urinary tract, it becomes more challenging to treat and requires expert medical care.

Urinate when the urge hits

Every time you urinate, you remove bacteria from your urinary tract. Delaying urination can lead to a sharp concentration of bacteria concentration within your urine and significantly raise your risk of a UTI.

We recommend urinating whenever you need to go. On average, The American Medical Association says it’s healthy to urinate every two or three hours to help prevent UTIs. If you wait until you feel as if you’re bursting, that’s too long. Listen to the signals your bladder sends to help keep it healthy and prevent UTIs.

Urinate before and after sex

About 95% of UTIs are caused by E. coli bacteria, which commonly occur in and around the anus and genitals and can easily travel into a woman’s urinary tract and cause a UTI. Another bacterium, gardnerella vaginalis, may contribute by activating the E. coli already present.

Urinating both before and after sex reduces the bacteria in and around your bladder. Be sure to wipe front-to-back to prevent bacteria from spreading from the anus. This simple step could potentially prevent the majority of UTIs, so it’s worth taking a few extra minutes to urinate before being intimate.

If you develop a UTI, rest assured that we’re ready to help. From lifestyle to medical approaches like medication, our Urology Specialists of Cypress experts provide the attentive support you need, whenever you need it. We want to get you out of pain as soon as possible, so we offer same-day scheduling for UTIs and kidney stones. Phone our office at 281-304-2521 or reach out online now.