Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
A bladder infection—which is a type ofurinary tract infection(UTI)—occurs when bacteria multiply in the bladder. While prescription antibiotics are the only proven way to cure a UTI, there are important at-home strategies you should use to help clear your infection andease discomfort. Self-care can also helpprevent you from getting bladder infectionsin the future.
Bladder Infection Symptoms
The symptoms that typically accompany a bladder infection include:
Symptoms of a Urinary Tract Infection
When you have symptoms of a bladder infection, you should call your healthcare provider. While the majority of UTIs are not serious, they don’t resolve on their own and can cause complications, such as a kidney infection.A urine dipstick test, microscopy, and culture may be done to confirm you have a UTI.
If you arediagnosed with a UTI, your healthcare provider will probably prescribeantibiotic treatment.The patient information that comes with your antibiotic will be helpful. More specifically, there may be foods or drinks that you need to avoid, depending on the drug you are prescribed.
Also, be aware that some antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills.So, be sure to use other contraceptive methods if you need to.
For effective treatment of a UTI, you have to take your complete course of antibiotics.
Many people want to stop taking their medications once their symptoms resolve, but the full prescription is needed to ensure complete resolution of the infection, even if you are symptom-free. A urine test may be ordered about a week after completing treatment to confirm that the infection is gone.
Treatment for a UTI
Self-Care
Antibiotics are needed to eliminate the infection, but there are some things you should also do at home to help alleviate your symptoms, to make sure the infection resolves, and to prevent a relapse. While you are taking antibiotics, it is important to follow a routine of self-care.
You may be advised to take cranberry herbal supplements to prevent a bladder infection.
There are a number of things you can do to lower your chances of getting another bladder infection. If you are prone to recurrent UTIs, you should make thesepreventativestrategies a habit.
Urinary Tract Infection Prevention
A Word From Verywell
While you may not want to call your doctor when you feel the symptoms of a bladder infection, at-home methods cannot actually cure a bladder infection. Nevertheless, self-care methods are an important part of UTI prevention and treatment. If you are prone to recurrent UTIs, be sure to talk to your doctor. You may need a more thorough evaluation to see why you have this tendency.
Are Urinary Tract Infections Ruining Your Sex Life?
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rowe TA, Juthani-mehta M.Diagnosis and management of urinary tract infection in older adults.Infect Dis Clin North Am.2014;28(1):75-89. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2013.10.004Flores-mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ.Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options.Nat Rev Microbiol.2015;13(5):269-84. doi:10.1038/nrmicro3432Hoffmann K, George A, Heschl L, Leifheit AK, Maier M.Oral contraceptives and antibiotics. A cross-sectional study about patients' knowledge in general practice.Reprod Health.2015;12:43. doi:10.1186/s12978-015-0037-4Al-badr A, Al-shaikh G.Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Management in Women: A review.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2013;13(3):359-67.Welk B, Hickling D.Frequent urinary tract infections in a premenopausal woman.CMAJ. 2016;188(7):522-523. doi:10.1503/cmaj.150893Hickling DR, Nitti VW.Management of recurrent urinary tract infections in healthy adult women.Rev Urol.2013;15(2):41-8.Additional ReadingGhouri F, Hollywood A, Ryan K. Asystematic review of non-antibiotic measures for the prevention of urinary tract infections in pregnancy.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Apr 13;18(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-1732-2.Jensen HD, Struve C, Christensen SB, Krogfelt KA.Cranberry Juice and Combinations of Its Organic Acids Are Effective against Experimental Urinary Tract Infection. Front Microbiol. 2017 Apr 4;8:542. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00542. eCollection 2017.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rowe TA, Juthani-mehta M.Diagnosis and management of urinary tract infection in older adults.Infect Dis Clin North Am.2014;28(1):75-89. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2013.10.004Flores-mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ.Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options.Nat Rev Microbiol.2015;13(5):269-84. doi:10.1038/nrmicro3432Hoffmann K, George A, Heschl L, Leifheit AK, Maier M.Oral contraceptives and antibiotics. A cross-sectional study about patients' knowledge in general practice.Reprod Health.2015;12:43. doi:10.1186/s12978-015-0037-4Al-badr A, Al-shaikh G.Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Management in Women: A review.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2013;13(3):359-67.Welk B, Hickling D.Frequent urinary tract infections in a premenopausal woman.CMAJ. 2016;188(7):522-523. doi:10.1503/cmaj.150893Hickling DR, Nitti VW.Management of recurrent urinary tract infections in healthy adult women.Rev Urol.2013;15(2):41-8.Additional ReadingGhouri F, Hollywood A, Ryan K. Asystematic review of non-antibiotic measures for the prevention of urinary tract infections in pregnancy.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Apr 13;18(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-1732-2.Jensen HD, Struve C, Christensen SB, Krogfelt KA.Cranberry Juice and Combinations of Its Organic Acids Are Effective against Experimental Urinary Tract Infection. Front Microbiol. 2017 Apr 4;8:542. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00542. eCollection 2017.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Rowe TA, Juthani-mehta M.Diagnosis and management of urinary tract infection in older adults.Infect Dis Clin North Am.2014;28(1):75-89. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2013.10.004Flores-mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ.Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options.Nat Rev Microbiol.2015;13(5):269-84. doi:10.1038/nrmicro3432Hoffmann K, George A, Heschl L, Leifheit AK, Maier M.Oral contraceptives and antibiotics. A cross-sectional study about patients' knowledge in general practice.Reprod Health.2015;12:43. doi:10.1186/s12978-015-0037-4Al-badr A, Al-shaikh G.Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Management in Women: A review.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2013;13(3):359-67.Welk B, Hickling D.Frequent urinary tract infections in a premenopausal woman.CMAJ. 2016;188(7):522-523. doi:10.1503/cmaj.150893Hickling DR, Nitti VW.Management of recurrent urinary tract infections in healthy adult women.Rev Urol.2013;15(2):41-8.
Rowe TA, Juthani-mehta M.Diagnosis and management of urinary tract infection in older adults.Infect Dis Clin North Am.2014;28(1):75-89. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2013.10.004
Flores-mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ.Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options.Nat Rev Microbiol.2015;13(5):269-84. doi:10.1038/nrmicro3432
Hoffmann K, George A, Heschl L, Leifheit AK, Maier M.Oral contraceptives and antibiotics. A cross-sectional study about patients' knowledge in general practice.Reprod Health.2015;12:43. doi:10.1186/s12978-015-0037-4
Al-badr A, Al-shaikh G.Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Management in Women: A review.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2013;13(3):359-67.
Welk B, Hickling D.Frequent urinary tract infections in a premenopausal woman.CMAJ. 2016;188(7):522-523. doi:10.1503/cmaj.150893
Hickling DR, Nitti VW.Management of recurrent urinary tract infections in healthy adult women.Rev Urol.2013;15(2):41-8.
Ghouri F, Hollywood A, Ryan K. Asystematic review of non-antibiotic measures for the prevention of urinary tract infections in pregnancy.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Apr 13;18(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-1732-2.Jensen HD, Struve C, Christensen SB, Krogfelt KA.Cranberry Juice and Combinations of Its Organic Acids Are Effective against Experimental Urinary Tract Infection. Front Microbiol. 2017 Apr 4;8:542. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00542. eCollection 2017.
Ghouri F, Hollywood A, Ryan K. Asystematic review of non-antibiotic measures for the prevention of urinary tract infections in pregnancy.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Apr 13;18(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-1732-2.
Jensen HD, Struve C, Christensen SB, Krogfelt KA.Cranberry Juice and Combinations of Its Organic Acids Are Effective against Experimental Urinary Tract Infection. Front Microbiol. 2017 Apr 4;8:542. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00542. eCollection 2017.
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