Urinary Tract Infection Prevention
Drink plenty of water to flush your kidneys and keep your body hydrated.
When you feel the need to urinate.......do it! Suppressing your need to urinate may give any bacteria present a chance to develop into a full-fledged UTI.
Wipe from front to back after bowel movements. This is important to prevent bacteria from the anus from entering the vagina or urethra.
Taking showers instead of tub baths helps to prevent bacteria from entering the urethra and causing a UTI.
Always wash your genital area both before and after sexual intercourse to help prevent bacteria from transfer to the urethra or vaginal area and creating a breeding ground that can cause a urinary tract infection. Urinating after sex is helpful as well.
Feminine hygiene sprays and douches, particularly scented douches, can irritate the urethra and possibly begin a case of UTI.
Drinking cranberry juice is a fairly well known and natural way to both help prevent UTIs, as well as help speed the recovery process when UTI develops. Be sure it is 100% cranberry juice. Just drinking 2-4oz. glasses of cranberry juice daily will increase the acidity of the urine and prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder.
Vitamin C supplements taken on a regular basis may help prevent UTI. Vitamin C increases the acidity level of urine similar to cranberry juice; thus decreasing the number of harmful bacteria present in the urinary tract system.
Always wear panties with a cotton crotch. White cotton panties are even better. Cotton fabric lets moisture escape while other fabrics can trap moisture, creating a potential breeding ground for bacteria.
If you are one of a large number of women who suffers from frequent, recurrent UTIs, a change in your position during sexual intercourse may help reduce the number of UTIs that you experience. Changing positions may reduce friction on your urethra and reduce your risk of recurrent UTI. Women who suffer from extremely frequent urinary tract infections may be prescribed an antibiotic to take immediately after sex to help prevent the likelihood of urinary tract infection occurrence.
taken from www.womenshealth.about.com
