# Urinary Tract Infection & Sex



## puddingpearl (Oct 10, 2011)

I have had a Urinary Tract Infection (and suspected kidney infection) for 2 weeks now, the first week of having it the doctor said it was merely abdominal pain, the second week I was diagnosed by another doctor and started antibiotics.I have tried 3 different antibiotics, the third one is Cipro which I am on just now which has helped a BIT. It's 2 pills per day (500mg each) for 1 week but I think I'll need more.I am in a long term serious relationship and have not been able to have sex for 2 weeks and it is now really starting to freak me out that this infection and pain is not going to shift and it will be a long time until I am able to have sex again. Even thinking about when I'm better, I think I'll be terrified to have sex incase it still hurts and the infection comes back. At the same time, I am REALLY missing sex and I feel so guilty for my partner who is understanding but he goes through so much with me already because I have IBS-D so this really is the cherry on the cake.Any comments or advice or support?Also, this infection started 3 days after my colonoscopy. My friend had a procedure recently at hospital and 3 days later took the same infection with EXACTLY the same symptoms (we were both missing the textbook symptom of stinging when peeing which is strange), it took hers 5 weeks to clear (which terrifies me). Coincedence? I'm not so sure. I am from UK so we use NHS.


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

I also tend to have UTIs as well as vaginal irritation and odor (which seems to be mainly on my left side where I also have sciatica-type symptoms). These issues started after my vaginal hysterectomy 13 years ago.Gynecologists usually just pretty much call what I have vulvodynia which is pretty much an unhelpful catch-all name. I generally only wear all-cotton underwear, use non-scented soaps and detergent for laundering, which doesn't seem to fix/prevent the issue.I was taking a probiotic that says it is specifically designed for bladder/vaginal issues. I ran out and forgot to buy some more. That was about 5 months ago. I seem to remember that it helped some. I just started taking it again this week so hopefully I'll notice improvement in the next 2-4 weeks. I also read that some women actually would put some of the probiotic directly into the vagina as well as take it orally. The one I use is Femdophilus by Jarrow and there may be other brands as well.


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## Korga (Sep 8, 2011)

Do not put probiotics in your vagina unless you want a raging yeast infection; they are for oral use and will disturb the PH of your vagina. I have frequent kidney stones and resulting Urinary infections. The Cipro should work. Don't worry so much. Urinary infections can be stubborn to clear up, but it's unlikely that it will be a permanent state of affairs. As with any infection, try to take care of yourself until it's cleared up; eat well, rest a lot, relax and drink plenty of fluids. In lieu of sex, try something with your partner that's intimate; like body massage and extra time together.


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## Ignea (Oct 10, 2011)

Have you tried Drinking Cranberry juice daily?


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## Zimmy (Jun 3, 2012)

puddingpearl said:


> I have had a Urinary Tract Infection (and suspected kidney infection) for 2 weeks now, the first week of having it the doctor said it was merely abdominal pain, the second week I was diagnosed by another doctor and started antibiotics.I have tried 3 different antibiotics, the third one is Cipro which I am on just now which has helped a BIT. It's 2 pills per day (500mg each) for 1 week but I think I'll need more.I am in a long term serious relationship and have not been able to have sex for 2 weeks and it is now really starting to freak me out that this infection and pain is not going to shift and it will be a long time until I am able to have sex again. Even thinking about when I'm better, I think I'll be terrified to have sex incase it still hurts and the infection comes back. At the same time, I am REALLY missing sex and I feel so guilty for my partner who is understanding but he goes through so much with me already because I have IBS-D so this really is the cherry on the cake.Any comments or advice or support?Also, this infection started 3 days after my colonoscopy. My friend had a procedure recently at hospital and 3 days later took the same infection with EXACTLY the same symptoms (we were both missing the textbook symptom of stinging when peeing which is strange), it took hers 5 weeks to clear (which terrifies me). Coincedence? I'm not so sure. I am from UK so we use NHS.


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## Zimmy (Jun 3, 2012)

drink lots of water to clear out the bacteria in your bladder, make sure you empty your bladder fully each time you urinate and dont hold it, and make sure you pee after sex - the urethra and vaginal opening are very close together and sex can push bacteria into your bladder causing recurring infections. also try to stay away from sugar for a few weeks as bacteria feed on it. if your having recurrent vaginal itching or yeast infection, you may be having a reaction to your soaps - laundry, shampoo, body washes, if youve changed anything in the past few weeks go back to the old ones, also find out if your partner has changed any soaps lately - the residue on him/her can be causing your issues.cranberry juice is unproven whether or not it helps with uti's but i believe that it does , just make sure its the unsweetened kind, and you have to drink alot of it, you can get cranberry tablets from the health food store, but im not sure how well they workkeep up with the antibiotics there are many different bacteria that cause uti's and sometimes its trial and error to get the right one that will fight the bacteria causing the problemsgood luck


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