Why women are prone to UTIs

BRIGID MONDA dissects into the symptoms, causes and remedies of urinary tract infections

Men have a more visible plumbing system but women’s is more finely tuned. It consists of two bean shaped kidneys that nestle at the back of your abdomen below the diaphragm one each side of the spine and produce urine.

Draining each kidney into the bladder are the ureters, long slender muscular tubes resembling a thick piece of macaroni through which urine passes in little waves from the kidneys to the bladder.

The bladder is a hollow muscular bag that sits in front of the uterus and stores urine until you want to void it and the urine is pushed out by the contraction of the bladder muscles.

The urethra is the short tubular passage about four to five centimetres long which drains urine from the bladder to the outside of the body.

Because of its short length and the proximity of it’s opening to the vagina and anus which are teaming with bacteria, this means germs don’t have to travel too far up to get into the bladder. This can happen for example during sex when bacteria are easily pushed into the urethra. In men, the urethra is about 15 to 20cm long and travels through the penis both of which are protective so men do not get urinary tract infections or UTI as often as women do.

A healthy tract

UTIs are about 50 times more common in women than in men and about half of women will get a UTI at some point in life.

A healthy urinary tract has several natural defenses against infection so our urine is sterile. It contains fluids, salts and waste products, but it is free of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Unlike urine, our stool is not sterile and has bacteria like Escherichia coli that lives harmlessly in the gut but once in the urinary system, they multiply rapidly to large numbers and cause infection.

It is the most common cause of UTI in women. Infection can reach the kidneys through the blood but this isn’t common.

Other causes of UTI are diabetes, which suppress the immune system, kidney stones, obstruction or defects within the urinary tract.

The risk of UTIs increases during pregnancy because of hormonal changes to the urinary tract, and the pregnant uterus putting pressure on the bladder making it more difficult for urine to pass from the kidneys to the bladder and out. Honeymoon cystitis is the same as any UTI but occurs soon after sex in women who have not had sexual intercourse for a while like couples who live apart during the week then have frequent intercourse during a weekend visit.

Symptoms of a UTI are a burning sensation when you pass urine and passing it frequently and constantly. You also get an urgent need to pass urine immediately you hold it, you feel tired and pain even when not urinating with an uncomfortable pressure above the pubic bone.