Question

I am a 33 yr old women with continual bladder infections. They happen all the time, and time and time again and the doctor gives me antibiotics. There is frequently occurring blood in my urine, and I feel most uncomfortable with the pain. How can I help to prevent these Urinary Tract Infections? or is it possible I could be getting or have bladder cancer?

Answer

We can appreciate your concerns, and it is good that you are taking responsibility yourself in trying to prevent further infections. However, you would need to discuss these concerns with your treating doctor who can investigate fully. What we can do is help you understand what a urinary tract ( which the bladder is part of ) infection or UTI is, what the causes and symptoms are, and what you can do yourself to help prevent such frequent infections occurring.
 

Although most urinary tract infections or UTIs are not serious, they can be painful. Not everyone with a UTI has symptoms, but most people get at least some symptoms. You are obviously concerned about the blood in your urine ( haematuria), but this is a symptom of a UTI, which has been diagnosed as you are treated with antibiotics indicated for infections. The most common symptom of cancer of the bladder is blood in the urine (haematuria). This usually occurs suddenly and is generally not painful. The blood may be there one day and disappear the next, but eventually it does come back. So you need to be reassured by your doctor that your haematuria or hematuria is from your UTI.
 

The most common cause of UTIs are bacteria from the bowel that live on the skin near the rectum or in the vagina which can spread and enter the urinary tract through the urethra. Women who change sexual partners or begin having sexual intercourse more frequently may experience bladder or urinary tract infections more often than women in monogomus relationships. Although it is rare, some women get a urinary tract infection every time they have sex. Another cause of bladder infections or UTI is waiting too long to urinate. The bladder is a muscle that stretches to hold urine and contracts when the urine is released. Waiting very long past the time you first feel the need to urinate causes the bladder to stretch beyond its capacity which over time can weaken the bladder muscle. When the bladder is weakened it may not empty completely and some urine is left in the bladder which may increase the risk of urinary tract infection or bladder infection.
 

Not everyone with a UTI has symptoms, but most people get at least some symptoms. These may include a frequent urge to urinate and a painful, burning feeling in the area of the bladder or urethra during urination. It is not unusual to feel bad all over-tired, shaky, washed out-and to feel pain even when not urinating. Often women feel an uncomfortable pressure above the pubic bone, and some men experience a fullness in the rectum. It is common for a person with a urinary infection to complain that, despite the urge to urinate, only a small amount of urine is passed. The urine itself may look milky or cloudy, even reddish if blood is present. Normally, a UTI does not cause fever if it is in the bladder or urethra. A fever may mean that the infection has reached the kidneys. Other symptoms of a kidney infection include pain in the back or side below the ribs, nausea, or vomiting.
 

Several antibiotics and other drugs are used to treat UTIs. Drinking Cranberry juice can help prevent UTIs as well as help speed the recovery process when UTI develops. In a recent letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers revealed that cranberries prevent urinary tract infection because they contain specific compounds that make it difficult for the most common infecting organism, E. coli, to stick to the bladder and urinary tract walls. One of the compounds is fructose, which is present in all fruits, but the other compound - a polymer - is found only in cranberry and blueberry juices.
 

Here are some things you can do yourself to help prevent further infections: -1 Make sure you drink an adequate amount of plain water everyday to help flush out your urinary tract.- 2 When you feel the need to urinate, do so as soon as possible instead of suppressing your need to urinate when you feel the urge. - 3 You've probably heard that you should wipe from front to back after a bowl movement. This is especially important to help prevent bacteria from the anus from entering the vagina or urethra.- 4 Taking showers instead of tub baths helps to prevent bacteria from entering the urethra and causing a UTI.-5 Always wash your genital area both before and after sexual intercourse to help prevent bacteria from transfer to the urethra or vaginal area and creating a breeding ground that can cause an urinary tract infection. - 6 Just drinking two 4 ounce glasses of cranberry juice daily is often enough to both prevent UTI and speed recovery when an infection does develop.- 7 Vitamin C supplements taken on a regular basis can also help. Vitamin C increases the acidity level of urine which in turn helps decrease the number of harmful bacteria that may be present in your urinary tract system.- 8 Always wear panties with a cotton crotch. White cotton panties are even better. Cotton fabric lets moisture escape while other fabrics can trap moisture, creating a potential breeding ground for bacteria. - 9 If you are one of a large number of women who suffers from frequent, recurrent urinary tract infections, a change in your position during sexual intercourse may help reduce the number of UTIs that you experience. Changing sexual positions may reduce friction on your urethra and reduce your risk of recurrent UTI. Women who suffer from extremely frequent urinary tract infections may be prescribed an antibiotic to take immediately after sex to help prevent the likelihood of urinary tract infection occurrence. - 10 Feminine hygiene sprays and douches, particularly scented douches, can irritate the urethra and possibly begin a case of UTI. So, be safe and learn to say 'No' to feminine hygiene sprays and douches and you'll be helping yourself prevent not only urinary tract infections, but also other infections and irritations that these products may cause in your reproductive system.
 

The links below may be helpful to you, and hopefully, by doing what you now know can help prevent UTIs , you will in the future, experience less of them, or perhaps very few.
 

Related Links
What I need to know about Urinary Tract Infections or UTIs
UTIs in Women