Women's Health: Recurring UTIs? Here's What You're Doing Wrong And How To Make It Right

UTIs or urinary tract infections occurs when bacteria enters the parts of your urinary system, commonly being the bladder and sometimes the kidneys. Typical symptoms are burning when peeing, urgency, increased frequency, lower-belly pressure and sometimes blood in the urine. While fevers, chills and flank pain suggest the infection has reached the kidneys. Unfortunately, UTIs are very common in women. According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, UTIs occur 4 times more often in women as compared to men.

Clinically speaking, UTIs are considered recurrent if a person experiences two UTIs in six months or three in a year says NIH. Recurring UTIs can cause real harm as they lower quality of life due to pain, missed work and sexual disruption. Let's understand the causes behind recurring UTIs, what you could be doing wrong and how to make it right.

Why do UTIs recur?

Most uncomplicated UTIs are caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) that normally live in the gut but can travel to the urethra and bladder. Recurrent infection can arise in two ways: reinfection by a new strain or persistence because bacteria hide in reservoirs that survive short antibiotic courses and later flare up. Modern reviews call this a complex, sometimes stealthy process, which explains why simple fixes don't always work.

Here are some common reasons why they recur:

• Anatomical or functional problems like urine retention, stones, reflux, catheters.
• Medical conditions like diabetes, immunosuppression may cause UTIs.
• Life events like recent urinary procedures may raise risk.
• For healthy women, sexual activity like new sexual partners.
• Using spermicides or diaphragms can increase UTI risk.
• A history of childhood UTI may be a driving force.
• Post-menopausal oestrogen loss can lead to UTIs.
• Constipation and incontinence by changing bladder emptying and bacterial load.

For healthy women, sexual activity like new sexual partners can increase risk
Photo Credit: iStock

What are you doing wrong?

Here are some habits that are quietly increasing recurring of UTIs:

1. Putting off peeing or not emptying the bladder fully which lets bacteria multiply.
2. Wiping back-to-front, especially in women, this transfers gut bacteria to the urethra.
3. Using spermicides or diaphragms as these change vaginal ecology and raise UTI risk.
4. Douching or scented sprays that can disturb protective vaginal lactobacilli.
5. Repeated, unsupervised antibiotic use like self-treating with leftover pills. This may temporarily suppress systems but selects resistant bugs and can encourage recurrence.
6. Not treating constipation or ignoring urinary catheter care when applicable.

These aren't just bad habits, they are proven risk factors that can jeopardise your health so be mindful.

How can you manage them better?

Here are some factors to keep in mind when UTIs keep recurring:

1. Fix the basics

Stay hydrated, avoid delaying voiding, pee after sex, wipe front-to-back and wear breathable cotton underwear. Studies and guidelines support these low-risk measures.

2. Topical vaginal estrogen

Multiple trials and later meta-analyses show topical vaginal oestrogen in postmenopausal women reduces recurrence by restoring a protective vaginal flora. This is a first-line non-antibiotic option for many postmenopausal patients.

3. Cranberry products

Systematic reviews find cranberry can reduce symptomatic, culture-verified UTIs in women with recurrent infections and some other groups but results vary by product, dose and population so it is not one-size fits all.

Recurrent UTIs are common and troubling but not confusing (most times). The best first steps are behavioural changes and speaking with a professional. If UTIs keep coming back, get a culture and proper evaluation rather than repeatedly using leftover antibiotics.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

References

Urinary Tract Infection: Basics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2024.

Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections. National Institutes of Health (NIH). 2024.

Recurrent urinary tract infection: a mystery in search of better model systems. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 2021.

Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2023.

Antibiotics for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection: systematic review and meta-analysis. NCBI / academic review. 2022.

AUA / specialist guidance on management of recurrent uncomplicated UTIs in women. American Urological Association (clinical guideline summary). 2024–2025 (guideline pages).