Good evening ladies,
So I never really had problems with UTIs until last year in about October time . Since then I have had 4 more ( the last 3 being pretty much straight after eachother) I don’t really feel poorly with it but literally am needing to go to the toilet every half an hour ( very annoying ). I was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem ?
Thanks !!
Lucy 
xx
Hi Lucy, sorry to hear you’re having this issue. Unfortunately there is a very strong link between women having endometriosis and something called interstitial cystitis which feels like a UTI but sometimes there is no bacteria present.
Are you testing positive for an infection every time and taking antibiotics? Additionally could you have endometriosis on your bladder as this could be contributing to the symptoms you’re describing.
Have you heard of D-Mannose? Often people who get recurrent UTIs find this to be helpful. It’s a naturally occurring sugar in blueberries and cranberries which research has found to bind the e-Coli bacteria which can help flush and maintain urinary tract health. It really may be worth looking into but make sure if you do get some that you pay for quality stuff. It also won’t be helpful if the bacteria which is causing your UTIs isn’t e-Coli.
Another natural/ herbal option is marshmallow root. This you can buy online or from herbal shops or on Amazon there is a great brand called ‘Nature’s Way’. It’s very soothing and helpful for the whole urinary tract with lots of women giving rave reviews on amazon who have IC.
Another idea might be to invest in a probiotic (especially if you’ve been taking antibiotics) but also target the vagina and urinary tract to replenish good colonies of bacteria. There’s a brand I know of called Optibac that have a range for women and do just this.
Have you noticed if you eat or drink anything in particular this flares your symptoms? For example if you were to avoid ‘trigger’ foods on the IC diet I wonder if this may help. Trigger foods tend to be anything acidic, coffee, alcohol, sugar etc as these can flare the bladder.
Sorry I don’t mean to go on and on but I’m currently experiencing a really troubling time with my bladder so have picked up a few tips! My next thought would be that it may be useful to see a specialist women’s pelvic floor physiotherapist. Often women with endo or other correlating conditions have a dysfunctional pelvic floor which can irritate the bladder and bowel and induce feelings of frequency and UTI. I see a private physio (I’m based in brighton) and have been learning so much about how everything interrelates particularly if there is any sort of inflammation going on. If this is a route you wanted to pursue make sure you see someone who has experience dealing with women with dysfunctional pelvic floor, endometriosis, adenomyosis, Interstitial Cystitis etc.
Lastly I’m going to message you the name of a specialist UTI professor based in London who treats chronic urinary tract infections (if I put the name here my comment will be deleted by the moderators). He tests the wee very differently to the NHS and in his work argues that the NHS method of testing urine is inadequate and misses infection 50% of the time. His work proposes that the bacteria gets embedded into the biofilm of the bladder thus making short courses of antibiotics redundant.
Anyway I hope some of that is helpful to you! I’ll send that message now 😊 xxx
THANKYOU SO MUCH! Honestly you’ve been so helpful. It’s interesting because I’ve only actually tested with bacteria half the time . The last two times they have treated it as an infection with antibiotics but without bacteria actually being present !
All of your tips are really helpful and I will defo be doing some research into it , as well as the details which you have sent me !
It’s just such a nightmare !
I hope you begin to feel better soon xxxxx
Aww I’m really pleased I could be of some help. There is a book I highly recommend called ‘Along The Healing Path’ written by Catherine M. Simone which is all about how she healed her interstitial cystitis through an alternative approach. Her illness was extreme but I have picked up a lot of knowledge and ideas to try through reading it xxx
Hi,
I had UTI’s for over 10 years from just over 40 years of age. I had at least one a month, I had many tests and was prescribed antibiotics to take when symptoms came on. I rarely tested positive with bacteria but was treated for it because the consultant said to do so.
Roll on till 2017, I had some biopsies due to bleeding constantly. During my op I had the mirena coil put in. After this I noticed an improvement in bladder issues and I stopped suffering with uti’s constantly. I later had estrogen patches and again an improvement in bladder issues. I also stopped taking medicine for the bladder as it was no longer required.
Last year I had an op to remove cysts, tubes and ovaries and yes they discovered endo.
Please ask to get your hormones checked, my issues it seems were menopausal related even though I had no other symptoms and was only just 40 when it started.
Since 2017 I had symptoms for a uti a couple of times but it’s only needed the cystitis drink from the chemist to sort out nothing like the pain I used to suffer.
I hope it helps
Thankyou so much , that’s really interesting as my hormone levels have not actually been tested .
I hope you’re feeling better xx
Hi there, so sorry you have recurring UTIs. It sucks. But inserting Florajen (probiotic) vaginally, as suggested by my gynecologist, has been a game changer! I hope your symptoms improve soon
Which kind of Florajen...I looked & didn't see a vaginal so thinking you mean just the regular one. I keep getting uti's & I think I have one now. Would you mind sharing your age..I'm 67 & they think it's because of low estrogen but when I use it vaginally I get bad side affects. Thank you for your help!!
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