Prevention
You can take steps to prevent new or
relapsing
.
Prevention tips for men and women
- Drink plenty of water and other liquids each
day. This helps ensure that you urinate frequently, which flushes bacteria from
your urinary tract.
- Urinate when you have the urge. Don't hold your
urine for a long time.
- Avoid constipation.
- Ask your doctor
about taking methenamine to prevent recurrent UTIs.
- Ask your doctor
about taking antibiotics to prevent recurrent UTIs.
Prevention tips for women
- Urinate immediately after sexual intercourse.
This is the best protection women have against UTIs, because it helps prevent
bacteria from moving into the urethra.
- Avoid using condoms
coated with spermicide or a diaphragm for birth control if your doctor believes
they are causing you to get UTIs.
- Change sanitary napkins
often.
- Avoid douches, feminine hygiene sprays, and other feminine
hygiene products with deodorant. These can change the normal balance of
organisms that help prevent infection.
- Wipe from front to back
after using the toilet to avoid spreading bacteria from your anus to your
urinary tract.
- Try cranberry products like pure cranberry juice, cranberry extract, or cranberry pills.
- If you get UTIs often, ask your doctor about taking
antibiotics right after sexual intercourse to prevent recurrent
UTIs.
- Post-menopausal women may want to ask their doctors about
using to prevent recurrent UTIs.
Prevention tip for men
- Keep the tip of your penis clean, especially if
you are uncircumcised. The foreskin can trap bacteria, which can then get into
the urinary tract and cause infection.