Image result for The Main Causes of Urinary Tract Infection [UTI] in Women

Urinary Tract Infection [UTI] is an infection in any part of the urinary system. It can be in the kidneys, uterus, urethra, or bladder. However, most of happens at the lower urinary tract; the urethra and the bladder. Women are at higher risk of developing UTI than the men.

UTI can be really painful especially if it involves the bladder. It can lead to serious effects if it spreads to your kidney. You can do at home UTI test in the comfort of your home if you don’t want to go to the hospital. Urinary tract infection is treated with antibiotics.

The following are some of the causes of urinary tract infection in women

  1. Holding the pee for long

Holding a pee or not emptying the bladder completely could lead to high residual urine in the blood. This can create a room for the bacteria to build up in the urine that is stagnant, this, in the end, can lead to inflammation of the bladder or the urethra can get infected. Doctors recommend that you should always empty your bladder completely to let it fill again.

  1. Taking some medications

As mentioned above, when the bladder holds on to urine and you don’t empty it completely when you pee, there is a high chance that you can develop urinary tract infection because the bacteria will get the chance of growing. There are medications such as decongestants, antipsychotic drugs, antihistamines, and anticholinergic drugs that can make you to hold on to urine. However, that doesn’t mean that you should stop taking them, but you should be aware of the risks, try to completely empty your bladder when you visit the washroom, and you should take plenty of water.

  1. Diabetes

Diabetes can increase the chances of developing urinary tract infection. Research has shown that women with type 1 diabetes and low blood sugar control are more prone to UTIs. And again, women especially the elder ones who have type 2 diabetes have high level of hemoglobin A1C are at a higher risk of developing UTIs.

UTIs are also more common, severe, and harder to treat in women who have type 2 diabetes because of the high level of sugar in the urine that creates room for the growth of bacteria.

  1. Menopause

As women grow older, the estrogen levels tend to go down. Women who are in their midlife may experience thinning of the tissues in the bladder and vagina, and so the muscles and the nerves may not function properly, this can make it difficult to empty the bladder completely. These changes can, therefore, promote the growth of the bacteria, and increase the chances of developing a urinary tract infection.

  1. Wiping the wrong way

The rule is always that you should wipe from front to back. If you do this the opposite way, you can enable the bacteria to move from your anus to your urethra and into the bladder. Research has shown that wiping back to front increases the risk of developing a UTI by 64%.