UTI prevention: 6 ways to stay on your bike and off antibiotics
Sometimes you’re doing everything right, and you’re still getting slammed with UTI after UTI. That was my experience, anyway.
In 2014, I had 8 UTIs. I’ve always been susceptible to UTIs, but I had averaged 2 per year up until this point. This was a new record. My physicians couldn’t explain the sudden onslaught of UTIs, nor could they craft a better preventive regime than daily antibiotics. Although antibiotics did work for prevention, with antibiotics came yeast infections and other pesky side effects. Plus, the risk of antibiotic resistance with long-term use, which is a risk I refused to take.
As a result of my UTI apocalypse, I co-founded Uqora, a company focused on UTI prevention. At Uqora, we partnered with top urologists and physicians to develop our pink lemonade with a purpose. You can mix Uqora with a glass of water to flush UTI-causing bacteria after sex, after bike rides or other exercise, or daily for rolling defense.
Uqora has been a game changer for me and our customers, but it’s important to cover all your bases. Below I’ve outlined the habits that are key to avoiding urinary tract infections day in and day out.
1. Treat your water bottle like your phone — don’t leave your house without it.
“Fluid helps move things through the urinary tract, but it also dilutes the urine so bacteria can’t grow”, states Kimberly Cooper, MD, a urologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Get serious about staying hydrated. Make hydration your job.
2. Wipe from front to back.
Bacteria in your urethra comes from two main places: your rectum and your vagina. The main reason rectal bacteria makes its way to the urethra and the vagina in from improper wiping after a bowel movement. Make sure to wipe from front to back to keep fecal matter away from your vagina and urethra.
3. Urinate after riding our bike and drink some Uqora.
Hopefully you’ve been paying mind to the #1 rule of UTI prevention and are hydrated enough to squeeze out some pee when you know you’re at risk (AKA after a long bike ride). That will help flush out any bacteria that may have migrated from the vagina to the urethra while riding. If you can’t go right away, stay hydrated and go as soon as possible. Immediately after your ride, prepare yourself a glass of Uqora. Peeing on its own is better than nothing, but Uqora’s ingredients have shown more than 75% reduction in UTI incident. Plus, it tastes like pink lemonade. It’s basically treating yourself immediately after treating yourself.
4. Let her breathe!
Wet bathing suits, tight pants, and sweaty gym clothes trap moisture which harbors bacteria. If you are prone to UTIs, change right after your bike ride. If you had to let it all marinade for too long, slip into something cotton (or go commando) as soon as you get home.
5. Ditch the douche.
As if there aren’t enough reasons to keep douches far away from your vagina, they also kill the good bacteria (lactobacillus) you need to combat a UTI. Best to wash with water and simple pH balancing washes than to squirt harmful antiseptic water up your vagina.
6. Avoid holding your pee for prolonged amounts of time.
Holding your urine for a long time allows bacteria to multiply within the urinary tract, resulting in a bladder infection or UTI. It isn’t always a good idea to go when you feel the slightest urge — over time that weakens your pelvic floor and decreases the size of your bladder. But don’t wait until it’s an emergency.
What about antibiotics?
Although antibiotics are likely to be effective in the short term, continuing to use them can have a serious, long-term impact on your health. If you suffer from recurrent UTIs you may build a tolerance to antibiotics. Also consider the short-term side effects like nausea, diarrhea or opportunistic infections like yeast infections. You can talk to your doctor about preventative (prophylactic) antibiotic use — but do consider the long-term implications first.
Despite your best efforts, some people are just more prone to UTIs. This can be a result of hormonal changes, anatomy, pregnancy, or conditions like diabetes. Work Uqora into your routine to stay ahead.
— Jenna Ryan, CEO and co-founder of Uqora
