Urinary tract infections are very common among women. Because they’re a common infection, it’s important to know how to identify them, treat them and prevent them.

Read on as our team at AFC Urgent Care Farragut provides some helpful info.

• How to know if you have one: Monitor your symptoms. If you experience things like a burning sensation when peeing, frequent urination, cloudy or dark urine, urine with a strong odor and a feeling of incomplete bladder emptying, contact a medical professional. Even if you plan to treat your UTI at home, it’s important to get the correct diagnosis first.
• What to do next: Drink lots of fluids. The less hydrated you are, the longer the infection will stick around. Staying hydrated makes you urinate more, which helps remove bacteria from the urinary tract.
• Another thing to consider: Increase your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C increases the acidity of your urine, which, in turn, can kill off infection-causing bacteria.
• Something else to try: Probiotics. Probiotics promote healthy digestion and immunity and can help level out bacteria. They’re available in supplement form or can be found in fermented foods, such as kefir, kimchi, kombucha and probiotic yogurt.
• Action steps to take: Practice some daily healthy habits to reduce your risk of a UTI. This means doing things like not holding your urine for too long and urinating after sexual intercourse. Not doing these things can lead to a build-up of bacteria, which can result in infection.
• Doctor recommendations: If none of these home remedies work, schedule a doctor’s appointment. Life we said earlier, UTIs are often effectively treated with antibiotics, which can be prescribed by your doctor.
• After you’re better: Stay vigilant with your newly implemented healthy habits. If you frequently get UTIs, staying hydrated and clean will go a long way in preventing future infections.
• A tried-and-true way to prevent future UTIs: Drink more unsweetened cranberry juice. Although studies are mixed on whether or not it can treat current UTIs, studies show that cranberry juice definitely helps prevent future UTIs. Cranberries work by preventing bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract, thus preventing infection.

We hope you have found this helpful! If you have any UTI-related questions or any other general health concerns, don’t hesitate to visit AFC Urgent Care Farragut today.