Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Prevention
Prevention of a UTI depends on keeping the urine moving through your system and avoiding bacterial contamination of the urethra. Recommendations include:

• Drink plenty of water every day to flush out your urinary system
• Urinate as you need to, don’t hold urine in for extended periods of time
• After a bowel movement wipe yourself from front to back to keep faeces bacteria away from the urethra
• Avoid irritants to the urethra if you are prone to recurrent UTIs – avoid bubble baths, take showers instead of baths, and rinse soap off thoroughly
• Urinate after sexual intercourse, this may help rinse out any bacteria that may have come in contact with the urethra
• Avoid tight clothing and wear cotton underwear – it breathes and won’t trap moisture like some synthetic fibres
• Drink cranberry juice – some doctors recommend this to their patients. It may help prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urethra.