How to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Video Transcript

"To prevent urinary tract infections which is primarily a problem with women, you first need to understand why women more of these than men. The tube leading from the bladder to the outside of the body which drains the bladder of urine is called the urethra. In women the urethra is only about a quarter inch long. And in men of course it's the length of the penis. And so there's less chance in men for bacteria that may enter the urethra to get all the way up in to the bladder. Whereas in women it only has to travel a quarter of an inch. Therefore the bacteria can get in to the bladder, and cause a bladder infection much easier. Things that women do that may contribute to this, since we have bacteria on our bodies and skin all the time, particularly in our perennial or bottom area, is they should avoid wearing heavy to tight clothing, things that are binding or put pressure on the perineum or their bottom. They should drink lots and lots of fluid to keep the bladder flushed so that the bacteria is being washed out and isn't allowed to stay in the bladder and multiply. And when they travel they should not go long distances without stopping, getting up to walk around so that they're not sitting causing clothing to bind and bunch up in their crotch, which then can also contribute to pushing bacteria up in to the bladder. Cranberry juice and pills can sometimes helps because they acidify the urine and by acidifying the urine it's assumed that the bacteria can't grow in the acid environment. There is medicine to treat urinary tract infections. The most common one people may be familiar with is Cepter, Cyprode, Macrobid which is Nitrafeatoine and other antibiotics. It's best however, if you have symptoms of urinary tract infection, which would be burning with urination, frequency to go to the bathroom to urinate, which means you feel the urge to go often, and urgency which means you need to get there quickly to do it and you get there and you can only produce a little volume of urine. And that's all do to irritation of the urethra and the bladder itself. So to treat the urinary tract infection you can use antibiotics that are specific for the bacteria that you culture out of the urine and you can also take antispasmodics for the bladder to treat it and sort of anesthetize the bladder so it's not so irritable and cramping and causing discomfort."