What are Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections?

It is common for women to get urinary infections, and even a quickly treated episode of cystitis can upset the bladder for a few weeks afterwards. More than two or three infections a year is viewed as ‘recurrent’ infections. If you are getting lots of infections then some simple tests can exclude any underlying abnormalities that are making them occur more often.

An ultrasound of your kidneys and full and empty bladder can look for kidney stones or a poorly emptying bladder. An xray of the abdomen and a telescope examination of the bladder are sometimes also needed. In many cases no abnormalities are found and attention can turn to strategies to prevent infections. These include lifestyle changes, and low dose or self start antibiotics.