WOMEN: HINTS TO HELP PREVENT CYSTITIS AND URETHRAL SYNDROME
• See a specialist to find the cause of the problem.
• Always drink at least 2 liters per day.
• Make sure you empty your bladder completely when you urinate.
• Dab gently (instead of wiping) to dry your genitals after passing urine. After a bowel movement, wipe around your back passage from front to back.
• Plain water will clean your genitals. If you want to use soap, keep it simple and don’t use much. Glycerine soap is gentle and mild.
• If you suspect something you eat or drink as a culprit, write down everything you’ve swallowed (including medicines) during the 24 hours before symptoms started. You may discover a pattern that will tell you what to avoid.
• Avoid tampons if they irritate your urethra, though pads rubbing to and fro can help transfer bacteria forward from the anus and vagina, and can irritate the urethral opening.
• Last, it’s customary to advise women prone to cystitis to pass urine straight after sex to ‘flush germs out’ of their bladders. I’m wary of this advice, though it’s wise to empty your bladder before you go to sleep. But if your mind’s on how soon after sex you can get to the loo, you’re less likely to become well aroused and lubricated. And it disturbs enjoying that lovely relaxed afterglow with your partner. However, if your symptoms are always due to infection and not the urethral syndrome, ask your doctor about this one.
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