TLDR. Changes in hormones impact the urinary tract & how it functions. It may be time for a new routine to prevent UTIs.
​Women who are in perimenopause and post menopause are diagnosed with more urinary tract infections (UTIs). The primary cause of increased bladder infections is thought to be caused by decreases in the estradiol level causing changes in the microbiome (the bacterial population that lives on the skin) of the bladder and urogenital region. The decreased estrogen environment reduces prevalence of healthy lactobacilli species and allows more disease-causing bacteria to grow more easily. (Sovran,et al, 2016) Recurrent urinary tract infections are part of the genitourinary syncrome of menopause, which affects almost half of women during menopause transition. Other symptoms of genitourinary syndrome can be pain with intercourse, urinary frequency without infection, worsening urinary incontinence, vaginal pain and dryness. It is important to make sure that symptoms experienced are actually due to a bacterial infection and not a manifestation of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause.
What is a UTI?
​UTIs (Urinary tract infections) are caused by bacterial infection of the urinary system, in which bacteria from the skin travels up into the bladder through the urethra, causing frequent and painful urination, occasional bloody or cloudy urine, lower abdominal pain, and sometimes sensation of incomplete emptying. There are many bacteria that can cause infection, and most often infections will respond well to antibiotic therapy. Your doctor likely will do a urine dipstick and may or may not run a urine culture. Symptoms should respond within 5 days of treatment, and further testing or change in antibiotic therapy is needed if you’re not feeling better. Untreated, bladder infections can occasionally travel higher into the body, affecting the kidneys (a condition called pyelonephritis), causing flank pain, vomiting and fever. Any symptoms of this severity need to be evaluated and treated promptly.
Ok... so how frequent is frequent...?
2 or more UTIs in 6 months or 3 or more UTIs in 12 months. Recurrent UTIs are most often reinfection rather than relapse of a prior infection.
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