The Time Sex Sent Me To Urgent Care

Getting older? Yup, you’re more likely to have a UTI

First, the basics. If you’re a woman, you’re already at risk for UTIs; women have a 50 to 60 percent lifetime chance of having at least one. And the risk of developing one increases as you get older — post-menopausal women have nearly a one in 10 chance of getting a UTI every year.

Women are more likely to get a UTI than men because their urethras are shorter, and closer to the rectum, than men’s are. That means it’s easier for bacteria to enter the urinary tract, where it can cause an infection.

Other factors that can make you more likely to develop a UTI include prior exposure to antibiotics; having diabetes; having sex; using certain types of spermicides; and poor bathroom hygiene (remember, always wipe front to back!).

But the bacteria alone aren’t the only culprit — it’s when the bacteria “adhere,” or stick to the urethra that an infection occurs, says Dr. Anthony Schaeffer, professor of urology at the Northwestern Feinberg Schol of Medicine in Chicago. “The bacteria have to have the capacity for binding … and that’s more easily achieved in woman as they go throughout menopause,” he explains. “The loss of estrogen makes it easier for bacteria to stick/adhere and migrate.”

Confirming the diagnosis

That bacterial invasion of the urinary tract commonly causes symptoms including burning with urination, frequent urination, urgency to urinate, and pelvic pain. If the infection reaches the kidneys, you may also develop a fever.

Your doctor will want to take a urine culture to make sure that the cause isn’t another culprit — like overactive bladder or a sexually transmitted disease. “The symptoms of a UTI are required but are not sufficient for the diagnosis,” says Schaeffer. That’s why your doctor will probably order a urine culture that will reveal whether there is bacteria in your urine to confirm the diagnosis — especially if you’re had infections before. (The bacteria is usually E. coli, which is found in the digestive tract.)

Fortunately, you shouldn’t have to wait for a “positive” urine culture to start treatment — your doc will likely initiate therapy immediately, prescribing a three- to five-day course of antibiotics to combat the infection. Your symptoms should improve fairly quickly but contact your doc if they don’t resolve by the end of treatment.

Reducing the risk

Better than treating a UTI? Preventing it ahead of time. To reduce your risk, take a two-pronged approach: prevent bacteria from getting into the urinary tract — and keep it from sticking if it does get in.

Your best defense is a simple one: pee, and pee often, and make sure that you’re emptying your bladder every time. “Voiding and emptying the bladder — that process is what protects the host from this invasion of this bacteria,” says Schaeffer. “You have to have enough fluid intake to void and wash out the bladder. The more you urinate, the more you wash out literally the bacteria trying to invade.”

Peeing before and immediately after sex can also help you reduce the risk of getting an infection; intercourse can force bacteria into your urethra, and you want to flush it out right away.

If you’re post-menopausal, using topical estrogen on your vagina can help reduce your risk of infections, says Schaeffer. And if you suffer from recurrent infections (defined as more than two in six months, or three in a year), talk to your doctor about taking a low dose of medicine daily to help prevent them.

I’ll be using these tips to keep having sexy times with my guy … without needing another trip to Urgent Care afterwards. These strategies may help keep you UTI-free as well.

Have any of you ever had a UTI? Let us know in the comments below.