UTI in 3yo uncirc'd boy

[jenveg618]

MY 3yo son, who is intact, was diagnosed with a UTI last week after a urinalysis and urine culture. He also has/had some redness and irritation at the tip of his penis (right around the hole, inside the foreskin; he had long ago been able to retract the foreskin himself). So, he's been using a topical antibiotic on his penis as well as an oral antibiotic for the UTI (along with tons of probiotics to offset this!).

The dr. in the ER mentioned that boys who are not circumcised can sometimes get local infections at the head of the penis, although there was no pressure on us that we should now get him circ'd. And his regular ped didn't mention anything about the UTI being due in part to him being intact. But I'm feeling a little paranoid that it may come up that he's more vulnerable to UTI's because he's intact, and I'm wondering if that may in fact be true. If it's not, I'd like to know the best response to give to protect my son against any suggestions of circumcision now or later in his life.

Anyone else with intact sons who have experienced UTI's? I'm hoping this is just a one-time thing, but curious to hear what others have experienced.

[kiara7]

Hopefully it's a one time thing for you guys. We haven't had to deal with this. However, if anyone ever suggests circ, ask them if they would suggest circ for a girl? (girls/women are much more prone to UTI's then boys/men, circ or intact).

It sounds like the ER doc was full of crap. Anyone can get an infection anywhere. Having foreskin is protecting the main organ from bacteria, etc.

[tennisdude23]

No. The pro-circ studies done in relation to UTIs showed a protective effect only in the first age of life and none after, and those studies were so poorly constructed that they were basically dismissed by the AAP when they were revamping their statement on circumcision in 1999. To put it simply, there is no connection between circumcision and UTIs. UTIs are an internal problem. They have nothing to do with the foreskin and like somebody else said, if your girl had UTIs nobody would suggest to cut off her labia. Antibiotics have much better results.

[Quirky]

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/UTI/

[latinalonestar]

First, No your son is not more prone to UTI b/c he is intact. I am on vacation so I don't have my normal list of links but I will get you a link that explains why that study is flawed and how the foreskin actually protects more against UTI if it is cared for properly. By cared for properly I mean, never forcibly retracted. Even if the doctor were refering to the study that said that intact boys are more prone to UTI, the study is specific to the FIRST year of life only. So either way the doc doesn't know what he/she is talking about.

Second, I assume you are starting a treatment of antibiotics. He might also give you and antibiotic ointment for the tip. I would be very careful b/c the antibiotics, as with women, may cause a secondary yeast infection. You might want to go easy on the ointment if he gives you one. I would just use it a couple days and then stop. Make sure you are giving your ds a good probiotic supplement (like what is in yogurt) Kiefer yogurt is a good brand that has lots of probiotics. Probiotics help maintain good bacteria to avoid yeast. If you see redness after the round of antibiotics and you suspect yeast, then you can apply monistat for 5-7 days.

Third, give him some cranberry juice to help with the UTI.

Finally, have peace of mind knowing that his foreskin has NOTHING to do with his UTI. Anyone that tells you otherwise is not familiar with the foreskin. Here is one article that you should read to protect your son from doctors. Read this and print it out for future reference.

http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...uncircson.html

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

: Any Dr. that says UTI happens more when the foreskin is present isnt up to date on the latest research.

[jenveg618]

Thanks for the responses and all the links/suggestions. Actually, the Dr. never suggested a connection, I just wanted to prepare myself for the possible event that someone might. The Dr. did say that they see more cases of intact boys with irritation at the head of the penis, as my son had.

I've always given him probiotics on a daily basis (he drinks kefir instead of regular milk), and ramped them up when we started the antibiotics. I actually ended the antibiotics early, and stopped using the ointment as well. Yesterday I started applying a liquid acidopholus to his penis and I swear it's already made a big difference!

[kiara7]

I actually ended the antibiotics early,

You're supposed to finish all the antibiotics prescribed.

[leerypolyp]

Oh my, yes, do finish out the course of antibiotics! Keep doing probiotics and all else, but from a general infection standpoint, stopping the antibiotics early can be VERY bad in the long run. (Think return of UTI, except with a resistant strain necessitating stronger antibiotics.)

Seriously.

[BugMacGee]

Just going to reiterate the finishing the course of abx. This is part what leads to resistant strains of nasty bugs.

[Mister Noodle]

Yep. Leave any alive, and you're just breeding 'em tough. Scorched earth, or nothing.

Also, UTIs happen from time to time regardless. It's nothing to do with being intact.

[Cheshire]

My 4 yo is getting over his first uti. He had to go through two rounds of antibiotics to clear it up. The first one prescribed did not do the job and they did a sensitivity culture the second time to find out which antibiotic to use.

He seems to be much better. Our doc did suggest an ultrasound to make sure there aren't any structural abnormalities and she said she recommends this for all preschoolers (boys and girls) with a uti. We decided to skip the ultrasound unless he gets another one. She said if he gets another one she would recommend testing for renal reflux (I think that's what she called it).

Our ped didn't say anything about circumcision but if we do run into it I plan to just say it isn't an option and what are the other treatment options. Also, the "how would you treat him if he were a girl?" question would be one I would use if necessary.

Sorry your little guy isn't feeling well. I also agree with completing the antibiotics. Once you start them don't stop - it could make his infection worse if the bacteria isn't wiped out.

[thepeach80]

Finish the abx and be sure to see your DR in 2 wks (from the start of the abx) to do another ua. Evan had his only UTI right before his 3rd birthday as well. We did not know about going back at 2 wks (no one told us) and it turns out the abx didn't clear the UTI and he ended up needing another round of something else. He's never had any problems since then and he just turned 4. He is more sensitive than his brother and we have to limit bubble baths and hair washing etc and finish by retracting as far as HE can and rinsing to keep his insides comfy.

[latinalonestar]

I should have been more clear. YES DO FINISH THE ORAL ANTIBIOTICS!!!! I meant to say that if the doc gives you and ointment, stop the ointment antibiotic after a few days b/c it really isn't necessary for a UTI. The oral antibiotics will treat everything just fine.

[robertandenith]

Originally Posted by jenveg618

Yesterday I started applying a liquid acidopholus to his penis and I swear it's already made a big difference!

This is such a great idea, keep doing that!


I honestly have had horrible experiences with abx and will never give them again to my kids, but since we have never experienced UTI I dunno what I would do...

The main thing right now, is to help his immune system. Get him some chewable vitamin C and give him 1,000 mg every 4 hours for 2 - 3 days. Vitamin C helps with infections and also will strengthens the immune system. OR just give him TONS of fruits to munch on...

[suburbanrebel]

I was also told that my 4 yr old, intact son had a UTI. He had been saying it hurt when he peed, and we went to urgent care where they did the UA and gave him antibitocs, then the culture came back positive. 2 months later he had the same symptoms, and again he was given antibitocis, but the culture came back negative (we finished the antibiotics anyway, even though we really didn't want to!). We recently took my son to a pediatric urologist to make sure there isn't an abnormality. The ultrasound was normal. We obtained lab reports from the urgent care, and when the urologist saw them, he said he didn't think my son had ever had a UTI at all! He said the bacteria count was too low to signify a UTI, and the bacteria found was very common, and that because my son is intact, it's impossible to get a "clean catch" specimin, therefore the bacteria on the tip of his foreskin created the false positive result in the UA and culture. He said often intact boys get yeast infections in the tip of their foreskin, which causes irritation, and to just use OTC anti-fungal cream on it (our naturopath suggested applying yogurt instead). We have done this with success several times, and also we give him probiotics daily. So, it's possible that your son didn't even have a UTI but the only way to find that out would be to take the lab results to a urologist. I am really glad I went to the urologist because it was worrying to think he was getting UTI's. From what I have read, it is not normal for boys to get UTI's and they should always be evaluated by a urologist if they have had one.
In my son's case, the urologist wanted us to use a steroid cream on his foreskin because the doctor thought the skin was too tight and
scarred" from the yeast infections. We resisted this for a long time but for the last several months my son has been saying he has to pee, but nothing happens, several times a day (he is still able to pee normally at other times). He says the feeling ohaving to pee is in the tip of his penis, not his bladder. So after trying the yogurt for 2 weeks, and now that we know he isn't getting UTI's and doesn't hav an abnormality, we were able to make an informed descision to start using the steriod cream. This might not be relevant to your sitation at all, but I wanted to just share what happened with us too.
Hope everything turns out ok for you and your son!

[latinalonestar]

Originally Posted by suburbanrebel

I was also told that my 4 yr old, intact son had a UTI. He had been saying it hurt when he peed, and we went to urgent care where they did the UA and gave him antibitocs, then the culture came back positive. 2 months later he had the same symptoms, and again he was given antibitocis, but the culture came back negative (we finished the antibiotics anyway, even though we really didn't want to!). We recently took my son to a pediatric urologist to make sure there isn't an abnormality. The ultrasound was normal. We obtained lab reports from the urgent care, and when the urologist saw them, he said he didn't think my son had ever had a UTI at all! He said the bacteria count was too low to signify a UTI, and the bacteria found was very common, and that because my son is intact, it's impossible to get a "clean catch" specimin, therefore the bacteria on the tip of his foreskin created the false positive result in the UA and culture. He said often intact boys get yeast infections in the tip of their foreskin, which causes irritation, and to just use OTC anti-fungal cream on it (our naturopath suggested applying yogurt instead). We have done this with success several times, and also we give him probiotics daily. So, it's possible that your son didn't even have a UTI but the only way to find that out would be to take the lab results to a urologist. I am really glad I went to the urologist because it was worrying to think he was getting UTI's. From what I have read, it is not normal for boys to get UTI's and they should always be evaluated by a urologist if they have had one.
In my son's case, the urologist wanted us to use a steroid cream on his foreskin because the doctor thought the skin was too tight and
scarred" from the yeast infections. We resisted this for a long time but for the last several months my son has been saying he has to pee, but nothing happens, several times a day (he is still able to pee normally at other times). He says the feeling ohaving to pee is in the tip of his penis, not his bladder. So after trying the yogurt for 2 weeks, and now that we know he isn't getting UTI's and doesn't hav an abnormality, we were able to make an informed descision to start using the steriod cream. This might not be relevant to your sitation at all, but I wanted to just share what happened with us too.
Hope everything turns out ok for you and your son!

Steroidal cream should not be used in pre-pubescent children for the purpose of widening the opening. This is b/c it causes thinning of the foreskin. However, you can use it for a short period (7 days) if the penis seems swollen to reduce swelling. If you try to use steroidal cream to widen the opening it will just get narrow again after you discontinue use. This is b/c the opening should be narrow for protection purposes. If yeast is suspected you should use monistate cream, not yogurt. Yogurt is a preventative measure for yeast but not a treatment. If yeast is present you need to use monistat for 7 days.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

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