Sex and the UTI
So, how can something that most people will say is pleasurable cause something so painful as a UTI?
Well, in women, the distance between the urethra (or opening where the urine comes out) and the vagina (where you have sex) is not very far. Friction from sex irritates the urethra, germs or bacteria travel up the urethra into the bladder and “voila” you have an overgrowth of infection.
If you are like me, you’ve had a UTI after having sex. The burning and stinging usually starts within 12-24 hours after sex and won’t stop until you take action. Some actions should be taken before you think about sex, other actions should be done after sex.
Before sex, be sure you are careful about any lubricants or condoms you and your partner use. These lubricants have chemicals in them that can cause irritation which break down the body’s ability to keep you from getting a UTI. Water soluble lubricants are the best. Please don’t use skin cream or Vaseline as a lubricant. Yuck.
Also, this is the time to be sure you are eating a balanced diet. Eating a diet high in fruits, salads and vegetables with few proteins can cause alkaline urine. Alkaline urine is more likely to develop a UTI than acidic urine because bacteria don’t grow well in acid.
During sex, sometimes the position you use or oral sex can irritate your urethra. Do what’s right for you. It makes it so much easier if you can talk to your partner about the problem so that won’t become part of it!
After sex, go right away to the bathroom. Urinate and be sure to wipe with toilet paper from front to back. Yes, it’s nice to lie around after sex but you must take care of your body or you are going to be miserable. Urinating after sex flushes out the bacteria before it has a chance to cause a UTI. Urine is actually pretty clean when you don’t have an infection. So, you gotta keep it clean.
Now, it’s been 12 hours since you last had sex and the burning has started. It may mean that a UTI is starting. You need to flush out your bladder by urinating more frequently than usual, drinking lots of water, cranberry and blueberry juice and avoid cola products. It is best if these juices don’t have sugar. Use the sweetener stevia to avoid the effects of lots of sugar.
There’s one more thing you can do when you have the beginning of a UTI. If it’s Saturday night and you know you can’t get to a doctor until Monday, there is something you can buy over the counter at the drugstore called pyridium. Look in the section where they have women’s hygiene or ask the pharmacist. It is a non prescription strength urinary pain reliever. It’s an all natural dye that coats the lining of the bladder and soothes the irritation you feel when you have a UTI.
So, these are some great ways to prevent, correct and cure your UTI! Next time, we need to talk more about using good foods and avoiding bad foods to cure your UTI.
Speaking of sweeteners; did you know that many artificial sweeteners cause the same symptoms as a UTI? The “pink” and “blue” packets have been shown to be very irritating to the bladder. I have done pretty well with the “yellow” sweetener. I stick to that. Stevia packets are usually green although I’m not crazy about the taste. But, you may enjoy it!
If you need relief in like 15 minutes, then you need to check out this ebook I wrote. It’s all about how to get UTI relief in 15 minutes. Get it here:
