By Board Certified Urologist, Dr. Yana Barbalat
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common outpatient infections seen by primary care doctors. Sixty percent of women will experience at least one UTI during their lifetime. An estimated 30% of women who have had one previous UTI are likely to experience an additional episode at some point in their life. The good news is that having one UTI does not condemn you to multiple UTIs to come!
Factors that can predispose someone to a urinary tract infection include:
- Dehydration
- Recent increase in sexual activity
- Having a urinary catheter or recent surgery which required bladder catheterization
- Spermicide use
- Recent antibiotic use for another infection
- Estrogen Depletion
- Fecal incontinence
- Obstructed urinary flow
The key to preventing recurrent infections is to modify any possible risk factors. Increasing hydration, estrogen repletion, regular voiding without “holding it”, and avoiding spermicides are all strategies that can be used to prevent another infection.
Good cranberry pills, such as Utiva 36 mg PACs supplements, can be a powerful prevention tool for those patients who are unable to identify what factors cause their UTIs, or have factors that cannot be modified easily. These supplements prevent adhesion of bacteria to the bladder lining, thus preventing recurrent UTIs. There is excellent scientific data to suggest that patients who take daily cranberry pills containing 36 mg of PACs experience significantly less UTIs than those who do not.
