It's five in the morning. You've just completed what may go down in your book as the best night of passion you have experienced. Suddenly, you are snapped out of your bliss by the call of mother nature. You look over at your guy, who is peacefully drooling on his own side of the bed, and you carefully scoot off the bed to scurry into the bathroom undetected.
An hour and three glasses of water later, there you are still in the bathroom, biting down on a spare roll of toilet paper to muffle the whimpers of pain.
Congratulations, you've just experienced a urinary tract infection (UTI).
"But why? Why me? Why now?" you may be asking. Urinary tract infection is the third most common medical complaint, behind the flu and the common cold, among women in their reproductive years. An estimated 7 million cases occur in the United States each year. That means roughly 19,178 women will experience the burning sensation tonight. Rest assured that you're not alone.
What is a UTI? Simply put, a urinary tract infection is a brief infection on the surface of the bladder. You will know you have it if you have the urge to urinate frequently or experience a painful burning sensation. Other symptoms may include discomfort in the lower abdomen, cramping in the pelvic area or back, and strong urine smell.
Now that we've successfully squelched the urge to pounce on your guy, let's find out how UTIs relate to your sex life. The number of probable causes may turn you off from procreation for a while.
The factors responsible for UTIs among sexually active women:
*Having sex for the first time
*Intense or frequent sex after a period of abstinence
*Sexual position
*A sudden increase in the frequency of sexual intercourse (more than four intercourse episodes a month)
*Contraceptives:
The spring-rim of the diaphragm may bruise the area near the bladder neck
Unlubricated condoms may injure vaginal tissue
Spermicides
*Having a mother with a history of UTIs
*Biological factors such as having a shorter than average distance between the urethra and the anus.
Maybe you're a nymphomaniac and are unable to give up sex. If so, there are things you can do to help prevent UTIs. Most of them are hygienic and if you're female, you are programmed to be clean and pretty-smelling. To be on the safe side, avoid tight fitting pants and cotton-crotch underwear (this gives you license to wear crotchless panties and tight skirts, but may lead to frequent sex. Be forewarned.), take showers instead of baths, avoid bath oils, douches, and powders, and choose sanitary napkins over tampons.
You say you've taken all the necessary precautions and still ended up with a UTI? There is temporary relief available. Drink plenty of fluids, preferably cranberry juice. Cranberry juice has well-known special healing properties called tannins (also found in blueberries). These tannins, or proanthocyanidins, prevent E.Coli bacteria from adhering to cells in the urinary tract. Fructose may also interfere with bacterial adhesion and is present in all fruit juices. Alcohol and coffee should be avoided as there is very little, if any, fructose found in them.
As with the common cold, you may get another urinary tract infection, especially if the first one goes untreated. If you experience frequent UTIs, consult your physician.
Learn more about sexually trasmitted diseases.
