Women & UTI
Urinary tract infections (UTI) can be irritating and painful to anyone. But women are the most who suffer from it. Statistics reveal that women are at more risk from urinary infections than men. Why? -because of their different anatomy. So, women must watch out for urinary tract infections and consult a urology specialist immediately on encountering the symptoms.
Statistics of the predominance of UTI in women
A look at the following statistical data will prove that women are more susceptible to UTI than men.
- The risk of getting UTI is 3-4 times greater if you are a woman
- 1/3 of women of age < 24 must have had UTI
- 50% of the women in the world must have suffered from UTI in their lifetime
- Women of age between 16 and 36 years have 35% more chances of UTI than men.
Urinary tract infection causes for women
Why women are more prone to UTI than men? Here are the reasons.
- Women have shorter urethras than men. This allows bacteria to easily pass through to the urinary bladder, causing UTI.
- When women have sexual intercourse, the bacteria is pushed upwards into the bladder.
- When women use contraceptive diaphragms, the natural environment around the urethra is affected, making it easily vulnerable to bacterial infections like UTI.
- Pregnant mothers experience a change in their anatomy and physiology of their urinary tract. This makes them the first victims of upper and lower UTI like cystitis or pyelonephritis.
There are more urinary tract infection causes for women than men. That is why women hould frequently consult a urology specialist when they experience women UTI symptoms.
Women UTI symptoms
Women may experience different kinds of symptoms for UTI due to their different anatomy. The women UTI symptoms are
- Abnormal frequent urination
- Intense urge to urinate
- Urinary incontinence
- Pain and burning during urination
- Pain or pressure in the pubic area or midline
- Pain in the side or mid-back
- Foul-smelling urine
- Cloudy urine
- Fever without or with chills
- Nausea with vomiting
- Waking up from bed to urinate
- Bed-wetting
On encountering any of these women UTI symptoms, the urology specialist will ask the patient to take blood and urine tests. The urine sample can indicate the presence of bacteria while the blood sample is used to check the WBC count. A higher WBC count shows the presence of infections. Apart from this, the urology specialist may ask the patient to take a CT scan of the kidneys and urinary tract along with an ultrasound examination of the same. Cystoscopy to check the inside of the bladder may also be suggested by the urology specialist.
Urethral stricture treatment in women
Women may suffer from UTI due to urethral stricture. Urethral stricture is the constriction or narrowing of the urethral tube due to the development of scar tissue in it. Urethral stricture treatment may involve one of the following methods listed below.
- Dilation- If the patient experiences frequent UTI, dilation is the best form of treatment. The urology specialist inserts a thin wire through the urethra into the bladder. Dilators pass over this wire to increase the urethral opening and dilate it.
- Catheterization -If you have a short urethral stricture, this is the option. Here the doctor inserts a catheter or hollow tube into the urethra to drain out the urine and then prescribes antibiotics to treat the infection.
- Urethroplasty - This involves enlarging the urethra by removing its narrow portion. After surgery, tissue reconstruction is done by grafting around the urethra. After this procedure, the chance of UTI become very low.
- Endoscopic urethrotomy -Here the urology specialist inserts a cystoscope which is a thin optical telescope into the urethra and tries to remove the urethral stricture by vaporizing it with a laser. Although the recovery is quick and scarring is low, there are chances f recurrence of UTI.
- Permanent catheter - If the urethral stricture is very severe, a tent or catheter is permanently implanted to keep the urethra open and drain the bladder.
Women may experience UTI more frequently than men but they can gain swift and successful relief from it by consulting an expert urology specialist at the right time without delay.
