ALL ABOUT UTI

Welcome to the most didactic and foremost narration of today’s plot which is chiefly dedicated to all my lovely ladies all around the world who definitely once in their lifetime get trapped by the Urinary tract infection which is the second most common type of infection in the body thus posing most serious health problem which affects million of people each year if not treated sooner. And you know what the womens are at higher risk of developing UTI than men, thank you god for once again making life adventurous for us!

See UTI is an infection which can act on any part of the urinary system i.e kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra. Most infections entail the lower urinary tract i.e bladder and urethra which if treated promptly rarely lead to the complications but conversely can permanently damage the kidneys from an acute or chronic kidney infection.

UTI don’t always cause any mark sign but when they do they may include— strong urge to urinate, burning sensation with urine, passing frequent small amounts of urine, cloudy urine, red/bright pink/cola colored urine, string smelling urine, pelvic pain etc

Now you all put down into an interrogation round that why females are more prone and how it happens? Well let me begin with latter part first, see bacterias are the most common cause of UTI’s although fungi rarely infect the urinary tract but E.coli bacteria which lives in bowel causes most havoc.

Now why Urinary tract infection are common in females, because:

• Thanks to our anatomy where we have shorter urethra than man which shortens the distance for bacteria to travel to reach the bladder.
• Sexual activity can also be the cause, where the women who are more sexually active are more prone to infection than women who are not.
• Certain types of birth control ways especially where women use diaphragm or spermicidal agents.
• Menopause, as after menopause there is a changes in the lining of the vagina and decline in circulating estrogen that again makes us more vulnerable to infection.
• Unhealthy Hygiene Practice by wiping from back to front after pee or passing stool.

Now let’s come to next part of story where we understand the different types of UT infections and parts gets affected:

• Bladder: Infection of bladder is cystitis, this type mostly caused by E.coli and sometimes other bacteria too. One more thing sexual intercourse may also be reason and all womens are at risk of cystitis ( why, remember the female anatomy I told above). This infection leads to pelvic pressure, lower abdomen discomfort, frequent painful urination, sometimes blood in urine appear.
• Urethra: Infection of urethera is urethritis and mostly occurs when gastrointestinal bacteria spread from anus to the urethera. This infection leads to burning sensation with urine, discharge etc.
• Kidneys: When UTI affects the kidneys it causes acute pyelonephritis and leads to back pain, high fever, shaking & chills, nausea, vomiting etc.

Now when you find any such symptoms kindly don’t hold up and wait for the worse affair. Better meet with your doctor where they ask you to conduct a urinalysis (examine urine) or urine culture but after treatment if your infection is persistent with on-off over and over again then they might ask for ultrasound/ cystoscopy/ CT scan.

Simple UTI’s gets cured with short course of antibiotics but sometimes a person gets encountered with antibiotics resistant infection where the infections now no more working to the antibiotics, this happens in individuals who have very frequent infections so in this case one have to follow intravenous treatment.

Now warm-hearted part of the story is things to take care of : Increase your fluid intake, take probiotics, take some herbal teas ( green tea; chamomile tea; peppermint tea etc) as they are rich in antioxidants/anti-inflammatory/anti-microbial/anti-fungal properties, practice good hygiene, avoid irritating feminine products, change your birth control method, keep genital area dry by wearing cotton garments and loose fitting clothes.

Most importantly avoid sugary and spicy foods, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, caffeinated drinks, citrus foods, milk, heavy yogurt, tomatoes, night shades, canned-packaged fruits, meat, egg yolk etc. Better stick to Homemade nutritious diet with the use of some spices like: cumin, carom, fennel, coriander, mint, turmeric, rock salt etc

Lastly the most candid free advice which may be less valued because free phokat ka kisi ko raaz in aata but I will vocalise that kindly take care of yourself too which is very important aspect of this life. You know this is a hard reality that women juggle in multifarious roles-responsibilities where they are managing others and choke back the cultural beliefs of being a pativrata naari where she should first feed her husband, kids, herd of relatives aur phir khud. So bravery! I mean its good to take care for entire family but what about you ladies, aapko apna khayal khud hi rakhna padega na and this can be attainable only if her responsibilities get equalised with every one in the family and faithfully impel her to devote some self-care regime for her well-being too.