5 Surprising Reasons Your UTI Might Keep Coming Back

"Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are among the most common bacterial infections worldwide - and they disproportionately affect women. In the U.S., approximately 50 to 60% of women will experience at least one UTI in their lifetime compared to just 12% of men."

"About 25% of women suffer from recurrent UTIs - defined as having two or more UTIs in a six-month period, or three or more within a year. Beyond being a literal pain in the pelvic floor, recurrent UTIs are a total lifestyle disruptor. We're talking about that constant I-need-to-go-right-now urgency, a burning sensation during urination, cloudy urine, and the kind of down-there discomfort that makes sitting still feel like an extreme sport."

"When severe, you can add fever and chills to the long list of unfavorable symptoms. So, why won't your bladder just let you live? We tapped OB-GYNs and women's health experts to break down the surprising reasons your UTIs keep coming back - along with actionable steps on how to recognize potential triggers, and stop infections in their tracks."

"Sometimes, the problem isn't that you're getting new infections, but that the old ones never actually went away. This is often due to antibiotic resistance, explains Dr. David Ghozland, a board-certified OB/GYN with over 15 years of clinical experience, founder of the Ghozland Institute in Santa Monica and attending physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Even after a full round of antibiotics, some bacteria remain"

Urinary tract infections are widespread bacterial infections that disproportionately affect women. In the U.S., about half to 60% of women experience at least one UTI in their lifetime, compared with about 12% of men. Around 25% of women develop recurrent UTIs, defined as two or more infections in six months or three or more in a year. Recurrent UTIs cause urgency, burning during urination, cloudy urine, pelvic discomfort, and sometimes fever and chills. One reason infections may keep returning is that bacteria may not be fully eliminated after antibiotics, including cases involving antibiotic resistance. Persistent bacteria can lead to symptoms that recur even when hygiene and hydration habits are followed.

Read at Bustle