Urinary Tract Infections in Teens and Adults
Prevention
You can take steps to prevent new or relapsing urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Prevention steps for men and women
- Drink plenty of water and other liquids each day. This helps ensure that you urinate frequently, which flushes bacteria from your urinary tract.
- Urinate when you have the urge. Don't hold your urine for a long time.
- Avoid constipation.
- Drink cranberry juice or take cranberry pills.3
Prevention steps for women
- Urinate immediately after sexual intercourse. This is the best protection women have against UTIs, because it helps prevent bacteria from moving into the urethra.
- Avoid using a condoms coated with spermicide or a diaphragm for birth control if your doctor believes they are causing you to get UTIs.
- Change sanitary napkins often.
- Avoid douches, feminine hygiene sprays, and other feminine hygiene products with deodorant. These can alter the normal balance of organisms that help prevent infection.
Prevention step for men
- Keep the tip of your penis clean, especially if you are uncircumcised. The foreskin can trap bacteria, which can then get into the urinary tract and cause infection.
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| Author: | Kathe Gallagher, MSW | Last Updated: June 15, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Philip Belitsky, MD, FRCSC - Urology | |
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