Ive heard condoms are a big culprit in addition to the ones you already mentioned.

Shew. I had a heinous one during a terrible snowstorm in college. I couldn't get off my hill to get to the doctor for a couple of days. Everyone said "drink beer - it will make you pee." So when I finally got to the doctor I was plastered.

I also suggest that you eat yogurt so as to avoid that other nasty problem that can affect women after being on strong antibiotics....

Haha, luckily my doctor prescribed Uristat to me when I got my first UTI several years ago and told me to make sure I wiped really well since it could stain my underwear and to consider wearing a pantyliner or pad because of the color my urine would be while on this medication.

Here's some TMI for you: don't ever just take the Uristat and wait to go see the doc for your antibiotics. Twice I have wet the bed because I guess my muscles got too relaxed from the pain meds and it caused incontinence. And of course, since my pee was bright orange it stained my new mattress two years ago! :eek::(

Sage, I always make a point to urinate after intercourse because I know that's supposed to help prevent them but it doesn't always do the job for me I guess... I also never take baths, as I hear they can cause a UTI also.

Last year I had a really bad UTI following the use of a condom with spermicidal lubricant - not fun. I have since switched to regular but will be very happy to do away with them all together once I'm married next year! :D Maybe condom use IS my problem after all.....

Knock on wood, I have never had a yeast infection, though I hear they are common after antibiotic use. Good point though!

If you have recurring UTI/kidney infections, it might be best to consult a urologist rather than your general practitioner. I struggled with infections for about 4 years. I would take a round of antibiotics, have a week or so of "health", then the infection would come right back, full blown.

I was at my doctor's office having a routine blood test because of a "black box" warning on a drug I was taking. They called and told me that due to my test results, I needed to come right back to the office. I was referred to a urologist that day, and less than a week later, I was having kidney surgery.

I had struvite kidney stones, which fill up the kidney. They're not as common as the other kinds, but much more damaging. They basically cut my kidney, cleaned it out, and put in a temporary drain and some stents in my urinary tract. After I had recovered from that surgery (about 8 weeks), I had another surgery to remove my other kidney, which was damaged beyond repair. I had borderline function in the one kidney for nearly 3 years, but due to another major infection, my kidney function fell below the acceptable level, and I am now on hemodialysis and on a transplant list.

I don't want to be an alarmist, but don't take your health for granted. If you continue to have problems, either find out why or find out what can alleviate the problem.

I know this has been a loooong post, so if you made it to the end, thanks for reading.

P.S. Please consider designating yourself as an organ donor on your state driver's license next time you renew.:)

Wow, I had now idea you were struggling with such a serious disorder! I know UTIs seem simple but you're very right, they are nothing to joke about or put off treating. Lukcily, I've never had them come back so soon, I'm usually good for about 3-4 months or so before another flare-up, but I think it will be awhile until my next one since J will be gone for a while ;) And Fawn, I am definitely an organ donor :)

Did they prescribe any kind of pain reliever to ease the symptoms, like Tylenol or whatever doesn't interact with Cipro. Cipro is not a joke drug, so like Daemon said, you are going to have grin and bear it with water, juice et al...

Please follow your physician's guidelines.

Taking baths in and of itself doesn't cause UTIs. Its mostly the additives (i.e. bubble bath) that can irritate the UT itself.

Wash your va-jay-jay with plain water and a very gentle cleanser if you feel like you need to, per my midwife. She said to use Purpose cleanser or Dove sensitive skin. She told me to stay away from douching altogether if I could help it. And go commando at night whenever possible, she needs to breathe.

I NEVER douche and I always try to sleep with just loose pajama pants on, no undies. Baths don't cause UTIs, you're right, but they allow bacteria to flow more freely into the urethra and that can cause a UTI, baths can indirectly contribute to an infection.

And I love that you used va-jay-jay :D

I'm anal about cleaning my tub before and after a bath, so maybe that's just me, lol.

That's my favorite name for Vagina! :D Thanks, Grey's writers!!! lol

I hate UTIs!!

And, no, the orange pills never work. You should feel better within about 3 days or so.

I had my first one about a month ago and I was in pain, but not too much so that I was prescribed pain meds.
Good thing is that all of my sister's empathized with me when i had to cut our convos short to run to the restroom :p

Besides the reasons already mentioned, my dr told me some women just have shorter urethra than other women (and women have shorter ones then men) and so they get more UTIs. Thankfully, I've only had a handful of minor ones. But they were terrible. :(

I've had a few minor UTIs, but I had one horrible one. I was at work at the TV station a few years ago, and we were 1 1/2 hours into the morning show. I started getting nauseous, with chills and sweats. I finally had to run out during the weather and get someone to cover for me. Everyone said I turned white, and I puked for the next half hour. Turns out I had a horrible bladder/kidney infection. The drugs helped, though, and I felt a million times better the next day.

I take the cranberry pills daily now. Two per day usually, but you can take up to 6 if you need to. They've helped.