Most women are well-acquainted with the painful symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Dealing with a UTI can be beyond frustrating, but not as much as finding out the infection has returned. Unfortunately, 25% to 30% of women have to deal with the dreaded reoccurrence of a UTI within six months of first suffering from it.
If you’re a part of this unfortunate statistic, you might be wondering why you keep getting a UTI. Keep reading to find out one possible yet surprising cause of persistent UTIs.
The Cure Becomes the Cause
If you had to deal with his grueling process, you probably already know that antibiotics are the typical course of action when treating a UTI. You probably didn’t know that these medications can actually cause another UTI.
Namely, a UTI frequently requires another dosage of antibiotics soon after finishing the first one. While the first round of antibiotics deals with bacteria from the bladder, it fails to address the bacteria in the intestines. As a result, the remaining microbiomes spread from the gut to the bladder, triggering another UTI.
Essentially, your gut health may be behind the continuous cycle of UTIs, according to a recent study by the Washington University School of Medicine. By keeping the microbiomes in a disrupted state, antibiotics make a UTI reoccurrence more likely.
Take Care of Your Gut Health
These findings highlight how important it is to find alternatives to antibiotics for treating UTIs.
While waiting for a better solution to break this vicious cycle, make sure to take care of your gut health. Drinking a lot of water, getting enough sleep, and eating a balanced diet can go a long way toward a healthy gut. Also, consider adding a probiotic supplement to your diet, but only after consulting with your healthcare provider.
