Mumsnet users share their tips for treating UTIs with Ocean Spray

[EllieMumsnet]

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If you have experienced a urinary tract infection (UTI) then you’ll know how uncomfortable and painful they can be. There can be quite a few different causes of UTIs, as well as ways to treat and/or prevent them, which is why Ocean Spray would love you to share your methods for treating or preventing them.

Here’s what Ocean Spray have to say: “One in every two women will suffer from a UTI at some point in their lifetime. Many GPs and other health professionals advise women (as well as men) to drink cranberry juice for UTI resistance. Independent research has found drinking a glass of cranberry juice every day could help reduce the likelihood of a UTI by 40 percent, potentially cutting down on antibiotics use in the process. Which is good news particularly when experts claim antibiotic resistance is on track to kill more people than cancer.

Ocean Spray’s research into the health benefits of cranberries and cranberry juice is ongoing. And it’s always good to hear from people about their own experiences of drinking cranberry juice for health – and of course taste – reasons.”

Do you use a hot water bottle to comfort the stomach or back pain you may get? Perhaps you try to always wear breathable clothing around your lady parts to try prevent a UTI from occuring? Maybe you swear by the home remedy of drinking lots of cranberry juice? Or have you found the perfect no-perfume body wash that helps keep everything balanced?

Whatever your tips and methods are, share them on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Drinking a lot of water.

Drinking plenty of water and make sure you pee after dtd. This seems to prevent as havent had in years. Touches wood and crosses fingers

For me it's not just about drinking water (although that sure does help), it's also about not wearing knickers underneath pyjamas. I know people are of one opinion or the other, but personally I've always worn undies underneath pyjamas just because I've been used to it.

Another important thing I've found is not wearing g-strings. A lot of people do and I've read that it can increase likelihood of UTI.

Keeping well hydrated.
Increasing water consumption if UTI symptoms are experienced.
GP for antibiotics if no improvement.

I've always thought a wee after DTD helped to prevent these? Not sure if there's any truth in that but I do the wee and have never - touches wood - had a UTI

Drink. Drink. Drink. I live the fact you can get Ocean Spray Cranberry juice in the small cartons, I always keep a pack of those in the fridge just in case.

Cotton underwear when an attack flares and otherwise I swear by cranberry juice. It’s always eased symptoms for me.

@EllieMumsnet - could you ask Ocean Spray to link to any recent studies correlating Cranberry Juice with effective prevention or relief of UTIs? Because it seems disingenuous to simply say HCPs and GPS recommend’ - why?

At 74 I have had my first experience of 2 UTIs with burning sensation which started during the sweaty heatwave. 3 day courses of ABs x 2 and the last days the urgency has returned early evening.
I am now in low-crotch Harem pants sitting with my legs as wide open as I can practising the HOIST excercises as I was-diagnosed-with-bladder-prolapse causing it.
Sitting on loo is the only relief from the-stinging and-lying down.

Nurse and-receptionists-suggested-I-do head-stands and walk home on my hands

Water. And lots of it!!
I used to find cranberry juice helped, but only the non-sweetened stuff.

And for comfort I'd go for a lie down on my favourite sofa with a comfortable blanket and my purring cat for company!!

lots of cranberry juice and water

My mum once told me to drink lemon & barley squash. That's worked for me as has cranberry, but a couple of times I've had to go to the doctors when nothing has seemed to work.

Although the recent 'evidence' suggests cranberry juice doesn't work on UTI's, I 100% believe it does work. Whenever I have had a wee infection I always try the cranberry juice before the GP, and so far, touch wood, it has worked every time.

Drink loads of water to try and flush it out.

Urinate after sex
If something feels odd, drink plenty of water
Go to doctors straight away if uti

I've had intravenous antibiotics (age 9 onwards) a few times for this but finally on top of it now

Lots of water, cranberry juice and a doctor's visit.

Cranberry sachets. Wee in the bath. Drink anything, honestly anything. I’ve bought urine dipsticks now so I can check myself if I have a UTI (I’m a healthcare professional) because it saves a GP trip and my GP always wanted to see me to do it himself which was so frustrating

I used to get terrible cystitis & even now, after having given birth, there's no pain like it!
The best tips I found were..

• Drinking a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda mixed with water, it sounds disgusting & it is - but it really helps with the stinging!
• This one is pretty gross.. but it helped immensely when in the grip of a particularly painful bout of cystitis! Lie in a warm bath & if you need to wee, do it in the bath - it's a only a bit of wee & you can shower off after! It really does help with then pain when passing urine - I promise!

As a noughties teen in low slung jeans I learned the hard way that well wrapped kidneys and lower back are vital to prevent in the winter months, with cranberry capsules for good measure.

Once succumbed - clear fluids, plenty of warmth and usually an inevitable course of antibiotics.

A good friend swears by a pint of beer; never tested 😕

Don't wait for a UTI. Drink plenty of water and cranberry juice as part of your daily routine. I used to get them when I was younger but look after myself better now so only get them when I'm really run down.

It was an out of hours doctor who told me years ago to drink cranberry juice for a suspected UTI, while we waited on test results to come back. Admittedly, I wasn't convinced but it works and I have used it along with bicarbonate of soda at the first sign of infection since then and it works every single time so I never get to the stage where I need hot water bottles etc

Wee in an (unscented) bath, cranberry sachets and up your water intake. If no improvement, off to GP.

Water, water, water, no fruit juice, cotton pants, loose trousers, staying sitting down as much as possible.

That's very interesting about cranberry juice. I haven't had a UTI in years, I must just be lucky!

A proper course of antibiotics, it’s a bacterial infection. It pees me off that women are often fobbed off with self-help tips when what they often need is a course of antibiotics. Especially when they have repeated attacks of cystitis. Yet another “women’s problem” that is often under-treated.

Anyway, for prevention tips- no tight trousers, no soap or showergel on your vulva, wee after sex. When you have an attack, loose clothing and copious amounts of water, warm bath helps too. Cranberry juice does nothing for me but it’s excellent in cocktails!

As much water as you can handle