[trmpetplaya]

I keep getting UTIs, especially since getting pregnant... and most people I know would blame it on the fact that dh isn't circ'd. I don't, but I have heard (as with the yeast infections - which is the thread I just read) that partners can pass UTIs back and forth and that sometimes the man doesn't have any symptoms of it - dh doesn't have any symptoms at all. I actually don't have any symptoms either, but every month since I got pregnant I've been tested (since I've had quite a few in the past and not just when I was around dh... we went to college 2,000 miles apart and I still got them) and the results were positive every time. In my experience, when I take antibiotics, the infection comes right back until I drink tons of water and take cranberry pills and such, though since being pregnant I wasn't able to shake one and so I took the antibiotics and of course it came right back

:

Before I just take the antibiotics again I wanted to know if what I heard about guys getting non-symptomatic UTIs was true and if perhaps dh should be tested for one.

I've heard tons of advice for me, but none for dh so lay it on me!

love and peace.

 

[Daisyuk]

It sounds to me very much like me and my yeast infection. It sounds like you're not really completely clearing it each time it flares up, and when you have antibiotics knocking out your beneficial bacteria, the UTI organisms get to grow unchecked. It also sounds like you are getting exactly the wrong treatment, antibiotics are supposed to cure infections, not make them worse! I'd ask exactly what bacterium is causing it, and then ask for an antibiotic as specific as possible to that (assuming that it is a bacterium). Make sure it's not an antibiotic that's failed before.

I doubt very much whether it's anything to do with your dh actually passing anything to you, I've heard that the pressure of having sex can drive bacteria into a woman's urethra (which would happen no matter what the man's status) and cause UTIs, but not that they can get passed backwards and forwards like a vaginal infection.

 

[A&A]

Pee right before sex and............

Pee right after sex.

Take cranberry tablets every day.......NOT just to get rid of the UTI.

My dh is circ'd and I am VERY prone to UTIs!!

 

[shaylahc]

I get recurrent UTIs when pregnant and my DH is circ'ed. I don't think the two are related. In fact, it's common to get UTIs during pregnancy because the weight of your uterus puts pressure on your bladder which makes it hard for it to empty completely, and the stagnant urine left behind can create a breeding ground for bacteria. The only "cure" is delivery :LOL

I agree about peeing before and after sex. You may also want to consider going on a low dose antibiotic during your pregnancy to ward off any full blown infections which can put you at risk for premature labor.

I hope you feel better soon!

 

[Trishy]

In addition to peeing before and after sex you should also try to pee no less than every 2 hours. The urine flushes some of the bacteria out. Also, when taking antibiotics make sure that they are culturing the urine so they are getting the right antibiotic for the bacteria that is causing the infection. It also sounds to me that the infection is not completely going away. I would go for a follow up visit right before or as soon as you finish the antibiotics for a repeat culture to be sure it is truly gone.

 

[A&A]

Also, cut sugar out of your diet as much as possible.

 

[Quirky]

Just to make it absolutely clear, it's nothing to do with your dh's penis (except insofar as sex without peeing before and after may lead to a UTI).

I would not only take cranberry capsules every day but also drink cranberry juice (with as much cranberry in it and as little sugar as possible) and blueberry juice which may be even more effective against UTIs than cranberries.

You definitely should take the UTI during pregnancy thing very seriously as you can have a UTI without even knowing it and it can cause preterm labor. ITA with the above advice to have your urine cultured and get a type-specific antibiotic.

 

[A&A]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quirky I would not only take cranberry capsules every day but also drink cranberry juice (with as much cranberry in it and as little sugar as possible) and blueberry juice which may be even more effective against UTIs than cranberries.

The capsules are much more concentrated and don't contain sugar. You can't have cranberry juice with low sugar, because it would taste too bitter.

 

[Quirky]

Knudsen's makes a cranberry juice concentrate that is unsweetened. Yes, it's strong, but if you mix it with sparkling water it's drinkable. I think it's more important to get cranberry/blueberry into the body than to worry about sugar, which I have never heard of as linked to UTIs (yeast yes, but never heard it WRT UTIs). Unsweetened blueberry juice is also drinkable although strong. Trader Joe's carries both in my neck of the woods.

 

[wendy1221]

All pregnant women are prone to UTI's. Another thing to consider is that you are having yeast problems. I tested low positive for leucocytes and protein in my urine last month and my mw told me I probably had a yeast infection. I dodn't feel like I had one then, but it hit me about a week later. You should be taking a probiotic anyway, even w/out taking antibiotics. I started taking probiotics every day at the beginning of this regnancy and it's the first pregnancy where I didn't get a yeast infection every few months, have a yeast rash around my breasts (I was told it was prickly heat in the past, but it was really a yeast rash, I realized this after my ds had one on his butt! Very pimply looking and feeling.), and no UTI's so far, either. I also second taking cranberry capsules and drinking cranberryand or blueberry juice. Good luck!

 

[feebeeglee]

It's difficult to empty the bladder completely when pg cuz of that big ole baby sitting on it. That doesn't help UTIs either.

Also repeating what PPs have said - I got endless (like 6) UTIs when I was pregnant with my first and had probably had about 4 before that - and I have never been with an intact man.

The presence or absence of a foreskin neither causes nor prevents this charming little problem.

Hope you get it cleared up! I think blueberries have the same nonstick effect as cranberries, as well.

 

[A&A]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quirky I think it's more important to get cranberry/blueberry into the body than to worry about sugar, which I have never heard of as linked to UTIs (yeast yes, but never heard it WRT UTIs).

Sugar affects the entire body, including the immune system.

 

[trmpetplaya]

Thank you! I have cranberry, blueberry, uva ursi (natural antibiotic) pills that didn't knock one out before, but I didn't start taking them till I tested positive and stopped taking them regularly after I took the antibiotics. I guess I'll just start taking them all the time now! I pee after sex, but hadn't been peeing before... so I'll start doing that

Though I've been so tired... that we haven't really been going at it that much lately :LOL It's good to know that it's definitely not foreskin related because I didn't think it was, but if anyone asks me if it's because of dh's circ (or lack of) status I know what to tell them for sure now!

I've never ever gotten a kidney infection from a UTI so I'm probably not as worried about that as I should be, but I'll do the antibiotics and dh will make some kefir for me that will be ready by the time I'm done taking the pills. I've been eating kefir every day for at least a month - with strawberries. I don't like knocking out all my good bacterias... It really makes me nervous

I don't eat much sugar, but I'm currently quite addicted to fruits. Berries and melons especially! If I cut them out though I don't think I would eat nearly as much so... I'll just be extra vigilant about the other not so natural sugars.

I've never had a yeast infection to my knowledge, but I'll talk to my midwife about it tomorrow (I'll be halfway done! 20 weeks tomorrow!).

love and peace.

 

[A&A]

I was talking about artificial/processed sugar, not fruit sugars.

 

[TigerTail]

and bilberry & elderberry! i have unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate, the capsules... i am prone to them, & this is what my world class urologists had to offer. take them, always.

suse

 

[trmpetplaya]

Yay! Fruit sugar's okay!

love and peace.

 

[bell bottom blues]

There are a couple brands of organic pure unsweetened cranberry juice in the health food stores. I put about a couple ounces of the cranberry juice in a 12-ounce bottle, fill it up with water, and then add a packet of stevia to sweeten it. It makes a great drink to carry with me when I want something more interesting than bottled water.

Also, of course you should also be on probiotics!!!! Theralac is an awesome brand.

 

[bell bottom blues]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaylahc You may also want to consider going on a low dose antibiotic during your pregnancy to ward off any full blown infections which can put you at risk for premature labor.

I would see a naturopathic doctor to see what can be done without going on antibiotics. It just seems to me that if you're on antibiotics, you're really setting your baby up for problems like eczema, ADHD, etc.

The baby depends on your natural flora thriving in your vagina during delivery, to populate your baby's gastrointestinal tract, so that he/she doesn't get a yeast overgrowth, which will in turn lead to leaky gut, tons of allergies, etc.

If you can handle the problem by increasing the beneficial flora and letting it crowd out any bad bacteria which might be causing the UTI, instead of depending on antibiotics, which will kill everything good and bad, it might be a stronger solution.

If you do end up on antibiotics, please be sure to use lots of probiotics for both yourself and your baby - and please don't vaccinate. Yeast overgrowths predispose children to damage from vaccines.

Dr. Bill Shaw, of Great Plains Laboratories, studied a pair twins - one of whom became autistic after vaccines. The only difference in their health histories prior to that was that the one who became autistic had had antibiotics. He assumed that the antibiotics set up a yeast overgrowth.

Just my thoughts,