Question

Hello,

I have currently begun having sex again after about a year. For the past 2 months I have had a UTI and the doctor has given me Macrobid and some other white pills. After 4 visits and 4 UTI diagnoses it finally went away. Well she gave me a 30-day prescription for macrobid and said to take a pill after having sex... and no more than 2 pills a day. She also said that the UTI was caused from having sex. She instructed me to urinate after intercourse and clean the area to insure sanitation. Well I did that and it’s been about 2 weeks later and I felt the burning sensation again. So I took the situation into my own hands (probably not a good idea) and I am taking the macrobid 2 times a day every 12 hours as I was once doing for treatment. I am only 17, and I have read the responses to the other teenagers and I understand that you all are not much on "underage sex" if you will. But its something that can never be stopped, so...Anyways... I was wondering... what can I do different? How do I get rid of this torture? Keep up the good work.

In Pain, VA.

Answer

Some ladies are susceptible to recurrent bladder infections their entire lives, often precipitated by sexual intercourse or menses. Factors that favor getting a new infection include dehydration (poor fluid drinking), constipation, trauma to the external genital skin (anything that will cause inflammation of the skin such as removing the pubic hair) or stress (physical or mental). Those ladies who have frequent infections often have urinary frequency, burning, pressure over the bladder, urgency, etc., just from the chronic inflammation and irritation of the bladder, and not from a new infection. Sometimes it is difficult for the person to know exactly what is going on.

The keys to success are keeping the urine dilute by good water drinking, eating a diet rich in fiber to avoid constipation, avoiding trauma to the skin of the labia, and exercising regularly to dissipate stress. For those that even this does not work I use a chronic program of lo-dose antibiotics for varying amounts of time, e.g., nitrofurantoin macrocrystals 50 mg each evening with dinner for 6-12 weeks. If a person STILL develops a "break-through" infection while on antibiotics I check out their kidneys with a renal ultrasound and sometimes look in their bladder.

Sex is God’s gift to married couples, no matter how old they are. “Underage sex” is illegal, but at any age, fornication (unmarrieds having sex) and adultery (a married person having sex with a non-spouse) have been inappropriate behavior for centuries since it is the misuse of God’s gift meant only for those who are married. Check out "Sex, Naturally" at: www.firstthings.com/ article.php3?id_article=3230&var_recherche=Sex+Naturally

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