Urinary tract infection in women
Urinary tract infections are very common in women. 1 in 5 will suffer at some point in their lives from a urinary tract infection. Of course, many women will have more than one infectious process. Most of these infections do not become a serious problem. They generally respond very well to the use of antibiotics and the discomfort improves fairly quickly.
It must be remembered that the urinary system includes the kidneys, the duct (ureter) through which urine passes from the kidneys to the organ where it is stored (the bladder), and the duct through which urine is expelled from the bladder to the outside of our body (the urethra). That is to say that in any of these places we can have an infectious process related to urine.
Most UTIs occur in the lower part of the urinary system (bladder and urethra). Although an infection at this level is very uncomfortable for the patient, it is usually not a serious medical problem (unless the patient is pregnant). An infection at the level of the kidneys or ureters becomes a problem of major medical importance.
Urinary tract infections are usually caused by bacteria that live in the intestine or on the skin near the year, as well as in the vagina. From these sites they reach the urethra, where they penetrate the urinary system causing infection in the urethra, bladder or the rest of the urinary system.
Sex is one of the most frequent causes of urinary tract infections because the movements of the penis in and out of the vagina facilitate the entry of bacteria from the vagina through the urethra. Some women get a urinary tract infection every time they have sex (although this is not common). A good preventive measure is to urinate after having sex so that the bacteria that have penetrated the urethra are eliminated in a mechanical way (by dragging) with the outflow of urine.
Another condition that predisposes to these infections is the retention of urine for a long time. It should be remembered that the bladder is a muscle and that when it is kept dilated for a long time, the muscle usually undergoes a process of “fatigue”. When urinating, this already exhausted muscle will NOT contract sufficiently, leaving some urine in the bladder. This residual urine in the bladder predisposes to infections because urine is a very good medium for bacterial growth.
Women who are pregnant, those who have had infectious urine processes in their childhood, those who are in menopause and diabetics are other conditions that predispose them to have a greater probability of suffering from this type of problem.
