AUA Update - UTI's Often First Occur In College Due to Alcohol & Sex

[icnmgrjill]

(Just goes to show that alcohol might make you do things that you wouldn't normally do, like not follow normal hygiene procedures when having sex. What's the golden rule??? Pee immediately after sex to empty your bladder of any bacteria that might have been introduced during sex. Shower, as soon as possible. Last but not least, you might find success with Very Private Body Wash, which patients have reported helps reduce the incidence of sex induced UTI's. It's available in the ICN Shop. - Jill )

PREDOMINANT RISK FACTORS FOR FIRST URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN COLLEGE-AGED WOMEN

Increased sexual activity and alcohol consumption were associated with an increased risk of developing urinary tract infections (UTIs), and college-aged women experiencing urinary frequency or urgency should seek medical care to treat what may be their first urinary tract infection (UTI), according to new research presented at the 104th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA).

From July 2001 through April 2005, researchers studied 181 women with their first UTI who presented to the student health care facility at the University of Florida. The control group consisted of 80 women attending the clinic without a UTI. A clinic nurse administered a survey that addressed lifestyle habits and dietary intake. Results showed that frequency and urgency were the most common symptom, and that UTIs were most commonly found in women who had increased sexual activity and recent alcohol consumption. The use of sanitary napkins during menstruation also increased the risk for a first-time UTI. Hesitating to urinate, direction of wiping and the use of tampons did not appear to correlate with increased UTI risk. Co-existing chlamydia, gonorrhea and yeast infections did not contribute significantly to urinary symptoms.

“If you are experiencing urinary frequency and urgency, you should seek medical attention,” said Anthony Y. Smith, MD, an AUA spokesman. “A woman experiencing her first UTI might not recognize these symptoms immediately. But, medical attention is necessary because UTIs can lead to kidney infection and even sepsis. So, it is important for women who notice these symptoms to seek medical attention.”


Vincent, C; Brown, M; Reyes, L; Canales, B; Mullers, K; Vincent, V; Li, Q; Thomas, T. Symptoms and risk factors associated with first UTI in college-aged women: a prospective cohort study. J Urol, suppl. 2009: 181, 4, abstract 396.

[Cortana-mana]

Part of the problem is the lack of sex education or even miseducation out there. My mother is a nurse and talked to me about a lot of things when it came to sex. I really knew a lot more than other people as a youngster, but she didn't remember to cover everything. When I first started having sex in college I didn't know about the Golden Rule as it were.

Nothing could possibly be more embarassing than asking your doctor what he means when he asks if you are following good sex hygiene practices. I thought you were supoosed to cuddle and go to sleep together after sex (thank Hollywood). I had no idea how important it was to pee and wash afterwards.

[jen74]

I have not had sex with my hubby in over a year due to pain and infections. For me, no matter how careful and clean I was I still got a UTI. I really think it has to do with lacking something. People who get these UTI's are surely lacking something( possibly a good bacteria or something down there). Before I ever got sick, I had a good sex life, I mean I never got a UTI. I also was not as clean as I am now since getting sick, and I never got a infection. Our bodies were designed to be able to have sex and not have to immediately clean afterwards. Something has changed in us. Maybe it has to do with all the new drugs the pharmaceuticals have come up with in the last decades. Maybe something is altered in us that allows us to get these UTI's, I do not know. I hppe they can one day come up with a drug that can eliminate UTI's altogether.
Jen

[Rev214]

For those prone to infections, it's vitally important to flush your bladder soon after intercourse (does not have to be immediate but within about 2 hours) but in order to do this you need to have a *good* urine stream. A *dribble* won't wash out the bladder! You need to make sure you drink enough so that you have a good volume of urine to flush out your bladder soon after having sex. This was pointed out by Larrian Gillespie, author of "You Don't Have to Live with Cystitis." I think it was following this advice which put an end to my bladder infections. That and giving up the diarphragm. :)