In case you didn’t think women have enough to deal with already, here’s another thing to add to the list.
If you’ve never experienced a urinary tract infection (UTI) before, consider yourself very lucky. Almost half of all women will get a UTI at least once in their lifetime and women are significantly more likely to experience a UTI over men according to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
So put down that cranberry juice, and put away those capsules because studies have shown that they don’t actually work. Usually best treated with antibiotics, generally these infections disappear rather quickly with the right dose. Well, that’s not always the case, anymore.
A new list released by the World Health Organization suggests the E. coli, a leading cause of UTIs is becoming resistant to some antibiotics.
“For UTIs in particular, intravenous injection of the antibiotic colistin is a last-ditch option — but resistance to colistin is emerging in India and China,” notes the PBS site. “Scientists believe that colistin resistance might have developed because farmers are using the drug as a growth promoter in livestock.”
Left untreated, complications from UTIs can include recurrent infections (women who suffer one infection generally get them again), kidney damage, pregnancy concerns and sepsis.
So what does work? The Mayo Clinic suggests using a heating pad, drinking lots of water to flush out the bacteria and avoid drinks that irritate your bladder including coffee and alcohol.