Many women have UTIs, but know little

ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 19 (UPI) -- Fifty-eight percent of U.S. women have suffered a urinary tract infection at least once, but many know little about UTIs, a survey found.

"A UTI is a common affliction, yet in my practice, I was constantly surprised at how little women know about UTIs," Larrian Gillespie, a retired urologist and author of the book, "You Don't Have to Live with Cystitis," said in a statement.

Fifty-three percent who had experienced a UTI said they set up a doctor's appointment when they suspected they had one, while 23 percent called a doctor immediately for advice, according to the survey by Harris Interactive. "It's important to get a urine culture so that the proper course of antibiotic therapy may be prescribed."

Most respondents attributed a UTI to "often waiting too long to urinate," "wiping back to front," "a yeast infection," pregnancy," "an increased amount of sexual intercourse" or "drinking too many alcoholic or caffeinated beverages." However, none of these external factors is a direct cause of UTIs; it's something inhibiting normal urination -- bacteria trapped inside the urinary tract that clings to the walls, according to Gillespie.