What can be done about recurring UTIs?

[UnitaBath]

Dd18 has had the odd urine infection over the years but nothing much. However, this year she’s had around 5 already. The pharmacies won’t prescribe the antibiotics now because of this and the last few times she’s had to go to the GP.

She had one about a month ago, GP prescribed Fosfomycin but within a 3 or 4 weeks she has developed another (or the original never fully went away?). GP prescribed Trimethoprim last week and she’s finished them now but says she feels as though it’s still there.

She says they seem to reoccur during or after every period. She suffers from very heavy periods and both my sister and I have endometriosis so I’m not sure if there is a connection there, although I’ve never had a uti myself so maybe not although my sister is prone to them at times.

Dd is due to get the Jayden’s coil soon so hopefully that’ll help the heavy periods.

Is this going to become a common thing for her? Is there a way to clear it and make sure it doesn’t return too frequently? Obviously she does all the correct things - drinks lots, drinks cranberry juice, wipes the correct way when going to the loo, says she’s careful during sex etc.

She will make a GP appointment this week but can anyone offer any suggestions in the meantime?

I suffered from the odd UTI in my 20's. Never had another until I hit perimenopausal, and they started up again. I saw the nurse and she said, UTI's can be common once you hit perimenopause. She did tell me that as soon as sex is over to have a wee, wash my girlie parts and to drink plenty of water. Apparently women's bladders are much shorter than men's, and it means bacteria can pass very easily. Obviously you don't want your daughter sharing her intimate details regarding her sex life with you, but it may be worth mentioning to her. Also as I found out in my 20's frequent sex, can increase the chances of a UTI!!!

Is she reacting to sanitary wear or period pants, so allergic reaction? I had a very large fibroid, which at the height of a period would cause symptoms very like a UTI, so worth considering, as the pressure caused irritation. Worth considering all options and don't let the GP fob you off without checking all avenues.

Ask to be referred to urogynaecology. Also get sample sent for culture and insist referred to microbiology for advice on approach antibiotics. Sorry this is really miserable and I hope she has effective treatment soon.

*appropriate antibiotics.

some have success with Mannose D either as preventative measure or to treat an infection but sadly never worked for me.

I had this in my early 20’s, generally brought on after sex. I found going for a wee Immediately (and I mean immediately) after sex helped but I often still got them. The only thing that cured me was an Urethral Dilation operation.

Also had a dilation in my 20s after a huge number of recurrences. Not really had cystitis since!

As soon as she finishes the course of antibiotics she needs to drop another sample in at the surgery to be checked. It’s most likely the same infection that hasn’t shifted. I had a recurrent UTI during my last pregnancy, 10 weeks and it finally went after a 4 week course of low dose antibiotics. I had to be referred to a urogynae in the end.

Oh, I didn’t think about that, I will ask her to look into that, thanks.

Thanks all. Apparently she put a sample in at the surgery on Friday so she will call them tomorrow and see what it comes up with.

See if the Gp will prescribe hiprex. Otherwise she might have to investigate whether she has an embedded uti. In my experience the nhs will not be much help with this by https://artemiscystitis.co.uk/cuti-explained/ is a good starting point.

Or is she sexually active.when I was younger i suffered constant uti’s when I had intercourse with my future husband.she will have to speak to dr and be put on medication to stop it that you take everyday or weekly I’m not sure

It sounds like she needs to push for a referral. They need to get to the bottom of what’s causing the recurrent UTIs, so she needs further tests.

also research embedded UTIs. You’ll likely need to get a private referral to investigate. Some labs offer PCR testing for bugs that don’t show on regular cultures, I’ve known a few people get diagnosed that way.

in the meantime, as suggested above try some D mannose. The pills are huuuuge, but you can cut them in half to make them easier to swallow!

My little one is just about to start Hiprex, he's had five confirmed UTIs since the end of June, we are hoping it will prevent the infection from growing in the first place. I would be encouraging her to seek a referral to a urologist too.

After years of taking daily antibiotics I cut sugar completely for 6 weeks on the advice of a nutritionist as she felt my body was overrun with yeast that the sugar increased. I immediately lost that awful ‘irritated’ urethra feeling and haven’t had one since! I eat a little sugar now but it is miraculous to me that I no longer have that constant worry. Worth a try!