Bladder infection

A bladder infection means you have an infection on the inside of your bladder. That infection is caused by bacteria. These remain on the inside of your bladder, causing it to become infected. These bacteria will often be the same bacteria as the bacteria which live in your intestines. There are a number of factors which will increase the risk of a bladder infection.

In women:

• Bladder complaints which stop you from completely emptying your bladder.
• After sex.
• The menopause. Women will have an increased risk of a bladder infection post-menopause.
• Kidney and bladder stones.
• A compromised immune system.
• Having a urinary catheter.
• Sex with a condom or diaphragm. That risk is further enhanced if you use a spermicidal lubricant.

In men:

• Kidney and bladder stones.
• A compromised immune system.
• Having a urinary catheter.

Women are more likely to suffer from bladder infections than men. This is for two reasons:

1. The woman’s urethra is shorter than the man’s.
2. The urethra’s exit is closer to the anus.

This causes the wrong bacteria to enter the woman’s bladder more easily.

The symptoms you can experience with a bladder infection include:

• The need to urinate frequently. Always just urinating small amounts.
• Pain or a burning sensation when urinating.
• A dull pain in your lower abdomen.
• Pain in your side or back.
• Cloudy urine and in some cases it may contain blood.
• Strong and/or bad smelling urine.
• A fever.
• Pain between scrotum and anus (men).

Do you suspect you have a bladder infection? Then we would recommend you:

• Test your urine. Self-tests are available from the chemist or pharmacy. These measure the nitrite and leukocyte values in your urine. This will determine whether or not you have a bladder infection.

You can also prevent a bladder infection by:

• Drinking plenty. The guideline for this is 2 to 3 litres of fluid per day.
• Go to the toilet as soon as you need to urinate.
• Empty your bladder completely.
• Don’t use a spermicidal lubricant during sex.
• Urinate immediately after having sex.
• Make sure you have healthy stools. Don’t hold your stool for too long, eat plenty of fibre, exercise enough and reduce stress.

A bladder infection will usually go away on its own within a week and you won’t need to see your GP. However, you should contact your GP if you have a bladder infection and if one or more of the following situations applies to you:

• The self-test shows you don’t have a bladder infection, but you do have symptoms which match the symptoms of a bladder infection. You will need to urinate in a sample bottle two hours before the visit to your GP, so your urine can be examined at the practice. You can buy a urine sample bottle at the pharmacy.
• You have a fever (38 degrees or higher).
• You have pain in your anus, scrotum or in your side.
• You have been taking antibiotics and haven’t noticed any improvement after two days.
• You feel (very) unwell.
• You are pregnant.
• You have diabetes.
• You suffer from kidney or bladder disease.

You could also have a kidney infection in addition to a bladder infection. These often go together. You should then immediately contact your GP.