UTI...Boys don't get them?!?!?

[MeAndVee]

Recently my DH was having pain and difficulties urinating. I told him Uh Oh sounds like a UTI. So off he goes to his doctor's office to get it checked out. And the doctor said it couldn't be a UTI as guys can't get them due to the length and curving nature of the penis. By the time infection can get up in there the guy pees and flushes it all out. Girls on the other hand its a short straight shot in for infection. SO why do people use UTI as a reason to circumsise babies? Has anyone else heard this? I know doctor's vary in their opinions on certain topics. My son BTW has never had a UTI nor any irritation or inflamation. Nothing but healthy boy bits!

[MyBoysBlue]

It's much more rare in guys then girls but they can get them. My DH had his first and only ever UTI when he 30. My boys never have.

[laohaire]

Well, that's news to me. My mom was a urologic nurse for about 8 years. Yes, UTIs are not nearly as common in males as females, but they can and do happen. Apparently your doctor slept through medical school.

[laohaire]

Just want to mention though - you didn't mention passing blood during urination, but if your DH is passing blood when urinating that is a major concern and warrants an ER visit. Just mentioning because it's not so much of a concern for women, but for men it is.

[MeAndVee]

No...no blood. We are a weird doctor magnet I guess because DS doctor told me there is no such thing as teething pain! Which can't be true because I had pain with my wisdom teeth. And the doctor is not really sure what was going on with DH. They gave him antibiotics and he is better now. I am not too thrilled with the "we don't know whats wrong with you so HERE have some antibiotics!" cure.

[shishkeberry]

Originally Posted by MeAndVee

We are a weird doctor magnet I guess because DS doctor told me there is no such thing as teething pain! Which can't be true because I had pain with my wisdom teeth.

Weird. I know you already know it from growing them yourself, but I'm getting all four of my wisdom teeth right now and I'd like to see a doctor that would tell me it doesn't hurt! Hell yea it does!

[lunamegn]

Men can get UTI's.

[blessedwithboys]

could your dh have a prostate issue?

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by MeAndVee

No...no blood. We are a weird doctor magnet I guess because DS doctor told me there is no such thing as teething pain! Which can't be true because I had pain with my wisdom teeth. And the doctor is not really sure what was going on with DH. They gave him antibiotics and he is better now. I am not too thrilled with the "we don't know whats wrong with you so HERE have some antibiotics!" cure.

Are you sure you're seeing *medical* doctors? Not like, doctors in the romance languages or something? That must be seriously frustrating! I wonder how antibiotics helped his lack of infection?

[mommajb]

Originally Posted by TiredX2

Are you sure you're seeing *medical* doctors? Not like, doctors in the romance languages or something? That must be seriously frustrating! I wonder how antibiotics helped his lack of infection?

As a wife of a dr of latin (PhD in classics) this made me He has been heard to say that despite his OB/midwife experience he is not an MD.

[eepster]

Of course men can get UTIs. However, it is pretty rare. Sometimes when men get UTIs it is an indication of some kind of problem with the urinary tract, such as reflux in younger males or enlarged prostate in older males.

There was a study done in the late 1970s-early 1980s that did show a correlation between intactness and UTIs in infants during the first 6 month of life. The study was not even vaguely randomized though, so it is very possible that the actual cause in the increased rate was the fact that most of intact boys in the study were probably premature but most of the circumcised boys were full term. There have been other studies that link UTI to being recently circumcised outside hospital settings.

[MeAndVee]

OMG prostrate! He is only 35 could he really be having prosrtate problems? Its really hard to trust any doctor and none of them seem to be on the same page. MY doctor so far seems to be alright...but I have only seen her twice so time can only tell. The doctor told him after the culture came back that it was bacterial. Isn't that still an infection? I'm not a doctor...I really have no clue as to what makes a UTI a UTI. All I know is if I feel one coming on a drown myself in cranberry juice until I feel better.

[hakunangovi]

Yes, men can get UTIs. Even circumcised men, contrary to what some doctors may tell you!

[serendipity22]

And it may be that circed adult men get more UTIs than intact men (albeit rarely in both cases)

http://www.circumstitions.com/Utis.html#cause

The claim that circ reduces UTIs only applied to infants under 12 months (which contradicts studies in Israel that found the opposite). Unfortunately its likely that many people who have heard the mantra "circ reduces UTIs" assume it applies to all males. Also its likely some people assume UTIs are much more common than they are.

[2boyzmama]

Of course men can get UTIs! It's less common than in women because their urethras are longer and larger, but it can and does happen.

Let me get this straight though...he had pain when urinating. The dr did a culture, and there was bacteria. But the dr said that it WASN'T a UTI??? UTI means Urinary Tract Infection, and if there was bacteria in the sample (assuming it was collected correctly without contamination) then it was indeed a UTI.

Many things could cause a UTI. Sex, for one thing. Any other infection in the body (bacterial or viral) that could throw off the balance of bacteria in the body (e. coli is one of the most common UTI bacterias, it is naturally occuring in the digestive tract, but if it grows more than it should, it could potentially get into the urinary tract causing an infection. This is uncommon in an adult male since their urethral opening is not close to their anus like it is for women). Urinary reflux can cause an infection, as can an enlarged prostate. Diabetes and blood pressure problems can sometimes cause or exacerbate prostate issues, so it might be worth looking into those.

[tommynomad]

Quack, quack.

I am a very healthy, circ'd 41-year-old male (no tobacco, no alcohol, no car, no junk food, 10+ hours of fitness/week). I've had 4-5 UTIs in the last 10 years. They suck if for no other reason than they've put me off cranberry juice, which I used to love but now perceive as medicine.

[mamadelbosque]

yeah, men and boys can definetly get uti's. My Ds2 had a uti at 2wks old. So, its definetly possible and definetly DOES happen!!

[2xy]

DS1 had a UTI when he was 4yo. He's intact, but the doctor never suggested blaming the foreskin for it....he blamed the bubble bath.

(Poor kid also had an ear infection at the same time!)

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

Let me get this straight though...he had pain when urinating. The dr did a culture, and there was bacteria. But the dr said that it WASN'T a UTI??? UTI means Urinary Tract Infection, and if there was bacteria in the sample (assuming it was collected correctly without contamination) then it was indeed a UTI.

This...

Your husband has a Urinary Tract...and there was an Infection...uhm, I'm no doctor but that sounds pretty cut and dry to me.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by MeAndVee

We are a weird doctor magnet I guess because DS doctor told me there is no such thing as teething pain!

I don't think that makes you a weird doctor magnet. Doctors are really big on telling people that things that hurt don't hurt.