Female urinary system infection
Release time : 03/08/2025 09:30:02
Summer is a peak season for urinary tract infections in women. This is because the high temperature and increased sweating during the summer months can cause prolonged moisture in the vaginal area, particularly if the underwear chosen is of poor quality. Bacteria can multiply rapidly in this moist environment, leading to urinary tract infections that result in symptoms such as painful urination, frequent urination, and swelling in the urethra.
This disease often brings great pain and discomfort to women.
Poor hygiene habits are just one cause of urinary tract infections. Additionally, improper sexual activities, as well as poor menstrual hygiene practices, can also lead to female urinary tract infections. This is because women have a relatively shorter, straighter, and thicker urethra. Consequently, the likelihood of developing a urinary tract infection in women is significantly higher than in men. Therefore, it is crucial for women to actively prevent urinary tract infections in their daily lives.
Symptoms of female urinary tract infections, the primary manifestations of urogenital infection are abnormal urination, abnormal urine and pain in the lower back.
Abnormal urination, characterized by frequent urination, urgency, pain, and incontinence, as well as urinary dribbling.
Abnormal urinalysis is common, including bacterial urine, pyuria, hematuria, and atonic urine.
Back pain, when the perirenal capsule, renal pelvis, and ureter are stimulated or tension increased, can cause a sensation of pain in the back.
Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection in Women: 1. Chronic Pyelonephritis: The symptoms of an acute episode of chronic pyelonephritis are similar to those of acute pyelonephritis, but usually much milder, and may not include fever, general malaise, or headache. There may be no significant symptoms of dysuria, urgency, or pain during urination. 2. Acute Pyelonephritis: The onset is sudden.
Fever, chills, and feverishness.
General malaise, headaches, fatigue; loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting.
Frequent urination, urgency to urinate, and painful urination.
Back pain, and discomfort in the kidney region.
Upper ureteral point tenderness.
Rib-lumbar point tenderness.
Percussion pain in the renal region, tenderness in the bladder area.
Female Urinary Tract Infection Symptom 2: 1. Redness and swelling of the external urethral orifice, with a sudden onset, usually without fever, accompanied by symptoms such as pain after urination, urgency, frequent urination, and cloudy urine.
The frequency of urination is once every few minutes, accompanied by a burning sensation and pain in the urethra during urination. Sometimes, the pain may radiate to the lower abdomen or perineum. The urine may occasionally contain blood, resulting in visible hematuria.
When there is concurrent upper urinary tract infection (pyelonephritis), symptoms may include chills, fever, lower back pain, and foul-smelling urine, sometimes accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms and systemic symptoms.
The clitoris is small and delicate, often covered by the clitoral hood. Since there is no natural lubrication in the surrounding area, it is not surprising that improper touch can cause pain.
During or shortly after sexual climax, the clitoris may become excessively sensitive and touch it will undoubtedly cause pain. Both situations are normal physiological phenomena and not pathological changes.
2. Pathological pain: Infection-induced vulvar pain is the most common, such as when genital herpes spreads near the vulva, which can lead to vulvar pain; vulvovaginitis is also a common cause of vulvar pain, such as gonorrhea, trichomonas, and chlamydia vaginitis that affect the entire vulva often result in vulvar pain. Other causes include paraurethral abscesses, condyloma acuminatum, etc., which can reflexively or collaterally cause pain during sexual intercourse or touch.
The cause of female urinary tract infection is generally related to poor sanitation. About 50% of women have at least one episode, and 20% have multiple infections - many women have one or two episodes a year, which is quite common.
Usually, these bacteria are not a problem when they are in the vagina. The problem starts when they enter the urethra.
Women with urinary tract infections often refer to pyelonephritis, cystitis, and urethritis as their primary systemic infections.
During pregnancy, due to the unique physiological environment, urinary tract infections are prone.
The causes of female urinary tract infection are: 1. During pregnancy, the kidneys filter more glucose, amino acids, and water-soluble vitamins, which increase in the urine, providing a nutrient environment for bacteria growth.
2. During pregnancy, the ureters become thicker, longer, and more coiled, leading to reduced peristalsis. After urination, there is still residual urine in the ureter, providing conditions for bacterial proliferation.
3. During urination, due to the contraction of the bladder, the intravesical pressure increases, which can cause some urine to backflow into the ureter and is difficult to return to the bladder, leading to ascending infection.
4. At the time of childbirth, due to the pressure of the fetal head, congestion and edema occur in the lower part of the thighs, which can easily lead to local injuries and infections.
5. During pregnancy, if a woman neglects to maintain hygiene in the sexual area, her secretions will increase. If she fails to clean the labia majora and vaginal fornix, she risks contamination of the urethral opening.
Female Urinary Tract Infections Require What Tests? Urinary tract infections are a common type of urinary system disease in women. Due to the complex reasons and varied symptoms of female urinary tract infections, it is particularly important to perform relevant examinations.
So, what tests are required for female urinary tract infections? Let's take a look together.
The examinations for female urinary tract infections mainly include the following aspects: 1. Blood routine examination of urinary tract infection: In patients with acute pyelonephritis, white blood cells may be mildly or moderately increased, and neutrophils may increase, accompanied by nuclear shift phenomenon.
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate can increase.
Chronic pyelonephritis may be associated with mild anaemia.
2. Urine Chemistry Testing: Chemical testing is simple and convenient. In the process of auxiliary diagnosis detection for urinary tract infection, although the positive rate is low, it rarely yields false positives.
Generally used for large-scale screening.
Due to a high rate of false negative results, its value is limited and it cannot replace the quantitative culture of urine bacteria.
Urine chemical examinations include: ① Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride (TTC) test;
2. Nitrite Test.
3. Urine routine examination: The urine of patients with acute pyelonephritis may appear cloudy and have a foul odor.
Microalbuminuria: ±-±. The above text remains the same in English, as it appears to be a medical term with a notation that does not require translation. If you need further clarification or context, feel free to ask!
The urinalysis shows that the red blood cells are slightly increased, with 2 to 10 per high-power field.
Only a small portion of patients exhibit significant hematuria, with less than 5% of patients presenting with gross hematuria. The white blood cell count is often significantly increased.
4. Urine sediment examination: white blood cells (WBC): pyuria refers to a significant increase of WBC in the urine sediment.
Pyuria has a significant diagnostic significance for diagnosing urinary tract infections.
Doctor often rely on the clinical manifestation and urinalysis for diagnosis.
How can women prevent urinary tract infections? The risks of urinary tract infections in women are numerous, so how can women prevent them? Women should pay attention, underwear should not be too small or tight, nor should it be made from synthetic fibers. The fabric of underwear should be cotton or linen that is both absorbent and breathable.
Personal hygiene should be observed by frequent bathing, changing underwear frequently, and wiping the buttocks with a tissue from front to back to prevent contamination of the urethra.
In other aspects, how should we be mindful of it? How can we prevent female urinary tract infections?
1. Pay attention to personal hygiene.
It is important to maintain personal hygiene to prevent bacterial infections.
Wear cotton underwear to keep you cool and avoid tight, breathable pants. Change your underwear regularly.
No, use public baths and basins, do not sit on toilets without disinfection, do not share towels with others.
2. Drink plenty of water.
The longer urine stays in the bladder, the more bacteria grow — 20 minutes later, that number doubles.
The more bacteria there are, the more uncomfortable it is.
So the best way to solve urinary tract pain is to drink plenty of fluids, which will flush out the bacteria that cause the inflammation.
If the urine is clear, it means that you have enough water.
If your urine is colored, it means you're not drinking enough water.
3. Avoid being rough with the action.
Before having sex, both partners should clean up their bodies, especially the husband must have love and avoid hurting his wife with rough movements.
4. "Before and after sex, going to the bathroom."
This can help flush out bacteria from the vagina—otherwise, the bacteria may be pushed into the bladder during sexual intercourse.
After sexual intercourse, it is advisable to visit the restroom again. The male external genitalia can introduce bacteria from the female urethral opening into the bladder. Therefore, urinating can effectively "cleanse" the bladder.
"Wipe the body with a shield." Please note that the original Chinese sentence "向盾擦拭身体" is somewhat ambiguous and could be interpreted in different ways depending on the context. If "盾" (shield) is meant to be a metaphor or part of a specific context, the translation might need to be adjusted accordingly. If you can provide more context, I can offer a more accurate translation.
Wiping from front to back after bowel movements can help prevent infections.
Improper wiping is one of the most common causes of infection and also leads to recurrence.
You certainly want to get rid of the bacteria, not inwardly into the vagina and urethra.
6. Take a hot bath.
This can help you with your pain. Hot baths are beneficial to the area of inflammation.
7. Using sanitary napkins.
Women are more susceptible to infection, which may be related to sexual intercourse, insertion of condoms and tampon use. Operations involving vaginal contact seem to increase the likelihood of infection.
It is recommended for patients with chronic infections during menstruation to use sanitary pads instead of tampon.
8. Don't over-clean.
Taking a bath in the palace's bathhouse is also not advisable.
Long-term flushing may introduce bacteria into the vagina, while removing the normal beneficial flora and leaving potentially infectious Escherichia coli to dominate.
Additionally, there is a possibility of experiencing discomfort in the urethra, feeling as if it's an infection.
The stimulating disinfectant soap may also result in the same effect - altering the vaginal flora and making one more susceptible to infection.
*The medical content mentioned in this text is for reference only.
In case of discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment should be based on an in-person consultation with a medical professional.