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Urinary tract infections are extremely common (about 60% of women develop a UTI in their lifetime) and very uncomfortable. What's even more annoying is if you get UTIs frequently and have to experience symptoms like a frequent urge to pee, and lower abdominal pain over and over again.
Home remedies like drinking cranberry juice or chugging a bunch of water haven't gotten the job done. But have you ever thought about taking probiotics for UTIs? If you haven't, let's talk about why you should!
But first, some UTI basics. Here's a quick rundown on what UTIs even are, what causes them, symptoms to look out for, and tips for preventing them.
A urinary tract infection (UTI for short) occurs when there's a bacterial infection in your bladder or urethra (the two most common), but can also occur from a kidney infection in more serious cases. When left untreated, this can result in serious and even fatal repercussions.
So what causes a UTI? Your gut is made of trillions of different microorganisms, including yeast and bacteria. The good microbes work to keep the bad microbes under control and prevent them from multiplying. However, UTIs can happen more frequently when this dynamic gets thrown off.
Once that happens, bad bacteria like E. coli , for example, have the chance to make camp in your urinary tract and multiply, which leads to infection. This can either be a bladder infection, urethritis, or kidney infection in extreme cases.
Depending on the location of your infection, you can experience a wide range of different symptoms, which can include:
When it comes to preventing UTIs, there are plenty of tools you have at your disposal:
If you do happen to contract a UTI and it progresses to the kidneys (indicated by lower back pain), don't hesitate to head to Urgent Care and ask about some antibiotics. You can use probiotics to help repair after your antibiotic regimen is complete.
So, why should you consider taking probiotics for UTIs?
Like a lot of diseases and other health issues, your gut plays a central role. When it's balanced and healthy, bad bacteria like E. coli don't have the chance to thrive and multiply. This limits the opportunity for bad microbes to enter your urinary tract and cause havoc, with the end result being a UTI.
Research has found a key link between what the gut looks like in healthy people and what it looks like in those who are more susceptible to getting UTIs. Lactobacillus , which is considered a “good” bacteria strain, has been found to be widely prevalent in the gut of healthy people when compared to those who more easily contract UTIs. So, when it comes to the best probiotics for UTI prevention and treatment, you want to focus on strains from the Lactobacilli family.
As we mentioned before, women have a 60% chance of getting at least one UTI in their lifetime. Probiotics are not only good for preventing UTIs but have a multitude of other benefits for women's health.
Your gut health depends on several factors, a lot of which are in your control—the foods you eat, your activity level, how effectively you manage stress, etc. Any one of those can throw your gut off balance and give way to the reproduction of bad bacteria, negatively impacting your urinary health and leading to UTIS and yeast infections.
In order to prevent UTIs, here are some points to keep in mind:
Our personalized probiotics program crafts a one-of-a-kind formula tailored to your specific gut profile to help with conditions like UTIs, SIBO, leaky, gut, and more!
About the Author
Chad Richardson is a freelance writer from Cincinnati, OH who also enjoys going to the gym and doing his best Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation, scrolling through Netflix trying to find a new binge-worthy show, and catching a game to root on his hometown sports teams.
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