Bladder infection should i go to the doctor

The drug prescribed by your doctor and length of UTI treatment depend on your health and the kind of bacteria identified in your urine.

One of the following common antibiotics is used to treat simple. Symptoms usually disappear within a few days of starting treatment. However, you must continue the prescribed course of antibiotics—usually for a week or longer. However, depending upon your health and level of infection, you may only need treatment for three days or less.

For a more extreme UTI, in-hospital treatment using intravenous antibiotics may be necessary. If you have an ongoing chronic kidney infection, your doctor may refer you to a urologist a specialist in urinary disorders , or a Nephrologist a kidney disorder specialist for evaluation. Research is continuing to study the possibility for cranberry juice to help prevent UTIs.

However, research results are not yet conclusive. For more information about urinary tract infection, or to see a Little Rock OBGYN, contact us by calling to schedule an appointment.

Submissions are viewed by non-medical personnel for scheduling purposes. It is tested to see if it has germs that cause bladder infections. If you have infections often, you may need extra testing to find out why. Antibiotics prescribed by your doctor will usually cure a bladder infection.

It may help to drink lots of water and other fluids and to urinate often, emptying your bladder each time. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, take the pills exactly as you are told. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to finish taking them all so that you do not get sick again.

You may be able to help prevent these infections. Bacteria that enter the urethra and travel up the urinary tract are the usual cause of urinary tract infections UTIs. Bacteria that normally live in the large intestine and are present in feces stool are the most common source of infection.

Sexual intercourse may move bacteria into the urinary tract, especially in women. Catheters , which are small, flexible tubes inserted into the bladder to allow urine to drain, are a common source of bacterial infection in people who are in hospitals or who live in long-term care facilities.

Sometimes bacteria travelling through the blood or lymph system cause kidney or bladder infections. Kidney stones , an enlarged prostate in men, and structural problems in the urinary tract can contribute to UTIs by limiting the body's ability to eliminate urine completely. Women who have repeated UTIs may have inherited genes that make them more likely to get these infections. Symptoms of a urinary tract infection UTI may include:. Some people have bacteria in their urinary tract without having any symptoms.

This is called asymptomatic bacteriuria. Asymptomatic bacteriuria may lead to infections that cause symptoms, but in many cases it does not. It usually goes away without treatment.

Several other conditions, such as vaginal infections or irritable bladder, cause symptoms similar to those of a UTI. Your doctor may evaluate your health for one or more of these if you have urinary symptoms, depending on your medical history and how well you respond to treatment for a UTI.

Urinary tract infections UTIs typically occur when bacteria from the rectal area enter through the urethra and travel up the urinary tract to the bladder or kidneys. Typically, UTIs cause urinary symptoms, such as pain or burning during urination.

Some mild bladder infections may go away on their own within a couple of days. Most UTIs clear up quickly with antibiotics. The amount of time required to cure the infection and the need for urine tests will vary with the location bladder or kidneys , frequency, and seriousness of the infection. Kidney infections and UTIs that are complicated by other factors require longer treatment. Complications of UTIs are not common but do occur. Serious complications can include permanent kidney damage and widespread infection sepsis , which can be life-threatening.

The risk is greater if the infection is not treated or if the infection does not respond to antibiotics. Some people have many UTIs.

They are often new infections recurrent UTIs , but they can also be the same infection coming back a relapse. A rapid relapse usually means that treatment failed or there is another problem affecting the urinary tract not just the infection.

UTIs are most common in young to middle-aged women. They occur more often in women than in men because:. Some women have an ongoing problem with UTIs. If a woman has more than two bladder infections in 6 months or more than three infections in a year, she is said to have recurrent UTIs. Recurrent UTIs usually get better with extended antibiotic treatment.

But infection may recur as soon as the woman stops taking antibiotics. For this reason, doctors usually recommend preventive antibiotics. Most urinary tract infections in men are caused by bacteria. UTIs in older men are more often related to prostate problems. This can make them more difficult to treat.

Having an enlarged prostate , which is common in older men, can limit the body's ability to pass urine. Repeated UTIs may indicate prostatitis , epididymitis , or another urinary tract problem. Urinary tract infections UTIs are most common in young to middle-aged sexually active women. Things that increase a woman's risk of getting UTIs include:. Things that increase a man's risk of UTIs include:. Certain risk factors apply to both women and men.

These include:. Call your doctor immediately if painful urination or other symptoms of a urinary tract infection UTI occur with:. Call your doctor immediately if you are pregnant and have symptoms of a UTI listed above. Watchful waiting is a wait-and-see approach. If you get better on your own, you won't need treatment. If you get worse, you and your doctor will decide what to do next. In adults, home treatment often resolves symptoms.

Home treatment includes drinking plenty of water and urinating often, emptying the bladder each time. Your family doctor , general practitioner , or nurse practitioner can diagnose and treat urinary tract infections.

You may be referred to a specialist, such as a urologist or gynecologist. If you have symptoms of a urinary tract infection UTI , your first evaluation by a doctor will likely include:.

Your doctor may order a urine culture to confirm the diagnosis of a suspected UTI. But if your doctor thinks you have a UTI, he or she may have you start taking antibiotics right away without waiting for the results of your test. If the infection does not respond to treatment with antibiotics or recurs rapidly, if the infection may be complicated by other factors , or, in some cases, if the kidneys are infected, your doctor may order other tests to:.

If you get UTIs often, your doctor may write you a standing prescription for antibiotics that you can fill without a doctor's appointment. Then when you first have symptoms of a UTI, you can start taking medicine right away. Antibiotics can treat most urinary tract infections UTIs successfully.

The goals of treatment for UTIs are to relieve symptoms, eliminate the infection and prevent recurrence, and prevent unlikely but serious complications such as kidney damage and sepsis.

In pregnant women, treatment protects the woman and the fetus. Treatment for bladder infections is usually a combination of antibiotics and home treatment. Home treatment includes drinking a lot of water and fluids and urinating frequently, emptying your bladder each time, and avoiding the use of spermicides.

More testing is not needed if your symptoms improve. Oral antibiotics usually can treat kidney infections pyelonephritis. But you may need a brief hospital stay and a short course of intravenous IV antibiotics if you are too ill or nauseated to take medicine by mouth oral medicine.

Kidney infections tend to make people more severely ill than bladder infections. You may need more tests before and after treatment if you:. If you have a severe kidney infection, or if a bladder or kidney infection is complicated by other factors , you may need hospital care.

If your urinary tract infection UTI does not improve after treatment with antibiotics, you will need further evaluation and additional antibiotic treatment. If the infection spreads and affects your kidney function or causes widespread infection sepsis , you will need hospital care. These complications are not common. And they rarely occur in people who are otherwise healthy. A new infection, rather than a relapse of the same infection, usually is the cause of a UTI that keeps coming back recurs.

You can take steps to prevent new or relapsing urinary tract infections UTIs. What is a UTI? What causes UTIs? Does cranberry juice cure UTIs? The pain has become unbearable. What can you do? How to prevent UTIs Empty your bladder frequently as soon as you feel the urge to go and empty it completely. Wipe from front to back. Always pee before and after sex. Wear cotton underwear only and loose-fitting clothing as much as possible. Avoid tight jeans and nylon underwear as they can trap moisture and create an environment that breeds bacteria.

Never stay in a wet swimsuit for too long.