Nine Ways to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Those annoying and often painful urinary tract infections are more common in the summer months when you tend to get dehydrated from the heat, allowing infection causing bacteria to build up in your bladder. Plus, they always tend to occur at the most inconvenient times like when you're on vacation! If urinary tract infections tend to be a problem for you, here are some steps you can take for urinary tract infection prevention:

1. Drink at least 8 ounces of water every day.

Why does this work? It helps to flush infection causing bacteria out of your bladder and urinary tract. This is why urinary tract infections tend to be most common in the summer when your urine becomes more concentrated due to dehydration. Most of us don't drink enough water during the summer months. Not only can dehydration lead to a urinary tract infection, it can also increase your risk of painful kidney stones.

2. Wear cotton underwear on a daily basis.

Cotton underwear allows more air movement to occur, keeping your urethra drier. As you probably already know, moisture can be an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. Avoid underwear made out of synthetic materials, particularly during the hot summer months.

3. Urinate on a frequent basis.

Take time away from your summer fun to urinate on a regular basis. This helps to flush out infection causing bacteria so they don't have time to set up a nasty and inconvenient urinary tract infection. This is one of the fundamental principles of urinary tract infection prevention. Never hold your urine longer than you have to!

4. Watch your hygiene.

Wipe from front to back using unscented toilet paper to reduce irritation and potential inflammation. Perfumes and fragrances on toilet paper can be quite irritating to the urethral area, encouraging the growth of infection causing bacteria.

5. Take preventive measures before and after sexual intercourse.

Be sure to empty your bladder before and after intercourse. Sexual activity is one of the most common risk factors for a urinary tract infection. By urinating, you flush out any bacteria that may have entered your urinary tract through sexusl intercourse.

6. Don't use products that might irritate your urethral area.

These would include scented vaginal products, bath oils, bath powders, and bubble bath. These can irritate and set up an inflammatory process that can promote urinary bacteria. Choose a shower over a bath to avoid exposing your urethra to stagnant water that predispose you to a urinary
tract infection.

7. Add some cranberry juice to your diet.

Drinking several glasses of a cranberry juice on a daily basis may help to prevent urinary tract infections. There are some good medical studies to back up this urinary tract prevention strategy. If you're concerned about the sugar, get one of the light versions on the market sweetened with Splenda. You can also get capsules composed of cranberry extract that are quite effective in preventing UTI's if you don't appreciate the taste of cranberry juice.

8. Avoid using spermicides as a form of birth control.

Spermicides have been shown to increase the incidence of urinary tract infections in women. If you have frequent urinary tract infections, talk to your doctor about using an alternative form of birth control.

9. Talk to your doctor.

If you have recurrent urinary tract infections despite the above measures, talk to your doctor about the possibility of using low dose antibiotic therapy to prevent them. This should only be used as a last resort since antibiotics can have side effects. Also contact your doctor, if you have urinary tract symptoms along with a high fever, back pain, or vomiting.

Give some of these urinary tract infection prevention strategies a try and, hopefully, you'll be free of urinary tract symptoms this summer!