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Not Cooties, But UTIs!
by Christy Brownlee, 07.10.02
If you're a girl, and especially if you're sexually active, chances are good that at some point you'll feel the painful irritation that signals the beginning of a urinary tract infection, or UTI. Watch out — you're under attack! UTIs are usually caused by bacteria that have spread from the rectum to the urethra — the opening and tube from which women and men urinate. And sometimes the bacteria spreads to the bladder.
UTIs are no laughing matter — they can make you feel lousy at the very least, and send you to the hospital for a long, unwelcome stay at worst. But the more you know about preventing and treating a UTI, the less likely it is that you'll ever have to suffer from one. Read on to see what you can do when bacteria attack!
How Did I Get This Infection?
Bacteria from the rectum that comes in contact with the urethra causes most UTIs. But other foreign bacteria can cause UTIs, too.
Your urethra can become irritated — and therefore more susceptible to getting an infection — for a number of reasons: an allergy to soaps, using bubble bath or spermicide, friction from tight jeans, or the thrusting of sex.
Sex is also an easy way to get foreign bacteria into the urethral opening. Any kind of sex play that brings fecal material into contact with the vagina and urethra can cause a UTI. Because the urethra is so close to the anus in women and because women have very short urethras, it's easy to accidentally transfer fecal bacteria to the urethral opening, especially in sex that involves both vaginal and anal play, and oral and anal play.
How Will I Know I Have a UTI?
"It was killer painful! And it burned like a demon," said Kate, a 17-year-old student, of her first UTI. "My mother noticed that all I did was go to the bathroom, so she took me to the nurse practitioner."
Kate's experience is pretty typical. Some common UTI symptoms include
- painful or burning urination
- lower abdominal pain or back pain
- a constant urge to urinate (even when there's no urine in your bladder)
- blood and pus in urine
What To Do
Many sexually transmitted infections can have the same symptoms as a UTI, so don't diagnose yourself. See your health care provider, or call 1-800-230-PLAN, to schedule a confidential appointment at your nearest Planned Parenthood health center. A clinician can diagnose the problem and give you medicine to relieve the pain and stop the infection. To prevent future UTIs, follow these tips:
- Wipe front to back after urinating to keep fecal bacteria away from the urethra.
- Always urinate right before and after sex.
- Drink plenty of water continually to flush your urinary tract.
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