12 Tips To Help You Survive UTIs

Understanding your vagina

The vagina has a very special environment.
Before you start approaching menopause, estrogen will trigger the cervix into producing mucus.
This mucus is slightly acidic which is important as it helps restrain any bad bacteria or fungi that may actually inadvertently appear in the vagina.
This slightly acidic mucus also houses a colony of friendly bacteria.
The friendly bacteria in the vagina are very different from the combinations of friendly bacteria that you find in your digestive system.
Estrogen levels decrease during menopause, thus affecting the production of mucus in the vagina, which can impact all areas of your vaginal health.

Why are urinary tract infections so common during menopause?

Menopause affects the production of mucus in the vagina, which helps to sustain your friendly bacteria.
These are different to the friendly bacteria that live in your digestive tract.

One of the functions of the friendly bacteria in the vagina is that they police the whole vaginal area and that includes the opening of the urethra which is the tube that leads up to the bladder.

If the production of mucus in the vagina decreases, this can have a marked negative impact on the level of friendly bacteria in the vagina, leaving you much more vulnerable to picking up bladder infections.

Doctors normally prescribe antibiotics to treat UTI’s.
However, the main problem with antibiotics is that they often kill off the friendly bacteria, resulting in a decreased level of the friendly bacteria in the vagina.
This can leave you even more vulnerable to repeat infections.

What is a UTI?

A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that occurs somewhere in the urinary tract.
The kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra are all part of the tract.
A UTI happens when bacteria gets into the urethral opening and then travels up into the bladder.
This causes problems like infection and inflammation and as a result, urine can leak out.

Lower tract UTIs are the most common and involve the urethra and bladder.
Upper tract UITs are rarer and involve the ureters and kidneys.
UTI’s are more common in women because of their anatomy, specifically the short distance from the anus to the opening of the urethra and bladder.
This makes it easier for the bacteria from the digestive tract to reach the urinary system.

Other causes of UTIs

Sexual contact may introduce bacteria into the urinary system
Certain applications of birth control such as diaphragms or spermicidal agents
Hormonal deficiency during menopause

Symptoms of urinary tract infections

Burning sensation when urinating
Cloudy discharge
A bladder infection from cystitis may result in pelvic pain, frequent painful urination and blood in the urine
A kidney infection may cause back pain possibly only on one side, high fever, chills and nausea

Treatment for urinary tract infections

Infections limited to the bladder can be easily treated with antibiotics.
However, if left untreated a lower UTI may spread up to the kidneys where it becomes more dangerous and can result in a kidney infection causing permanent kidney damage.
Lower tract UTIs are the most common and involve the urethra and bladder.
Upper tract UITs are rarer and involve the ureters and kidneys.

Tips that can help prevent UTIs

Don’t let your bladder get overly full and do not hold on
Try to go as soon as you feel the need to go.
This will keep the bladder free of any kind of acidic urine.
Also, emptying the bladder after intercourse will help flush out bacteria.

Avoid feminine products
Vaginal smell can get stronger during menopause and women tend to use gels or deodorants to combat this.
Do not use harsh soaps and shower washes that are full of chemicals as they will dry out and irritate the opening to the bladder even further.
The weaker it becomes, the more likely the bacteria will be able to get into the bladder.

Avoid diaphragms with spermicides
The use of spermicides during intercourse may increase your risk of UTI infection as they can have a toxic effect on the vaginal flora

Use milder detergent and fabric conditioners
Pay attention to the kind of soaps and fabric conditioners that are you using on your underwear.
This again, can irritate the whole vaginal area and make things more prone to bacterial infections.

Don’t wear thongs
If you are wearing thongs, the strip part is held right up tight between your back passage, the vagina and the opening to the bladder.
Bacteria can use that part of the thong to travel all the way down and can be a contributing factor for bladder infections.

Wipe from front to back
That way you do not get any bad bacteria ending up in the vagina or in the bladder.

Drink plenty of water
One of the other symptoms of menopause is that the bladder’s mucous membranes start to dry out.
The lining of the bladder can end up becoming thinner and therefore more sensitive to the type of urine that is being stored in the bladder.
If you are dehydrated and your bladder is starting to become more sensitive, then your urine will become more acidic and concentrated and that will irritate your bladder even further.

Take a menopause support supplement
This can help and get your estrogen levels up gently, which in turn can support the friendly bacteria in the vagina and also help to keep your bladder nice and healthy.

Do pelvic floor exercises
These can be great for strengthening the bladder and keeping it in tip top condition.

Drink unsweetened cranberry juice
This helps to flush out the nasty bacteria in the bladder.
However, make sure it has not been sweetened, because sugary drinks and foods can help to feed those bad bacteria.

Cut down on sugar
Cutting back on sugar in your diet, can help to lessen the likelihood of bladder infections.

Use a vaginal probiotic
It is important to go with one specifically for the vagina, because the friendly bacteria in the vagina are quite different to the digestive ones living in your gut.

When do you need to see your doctor?

If you are getting pain
If there is blood in your urine
If you have a fever
If the pain becomes too intense

It is important to have a check-up with your doctor, who might prescribe a course of antibiotics.
Antibiotics can be part of the problem but sometimes you need the antibiotics to get rid of the first infection, after which you need to ensure that you sustain the friendly bacteria in the vagina and hopefully avoid this becoming a vicious cycle.

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