Reducing your Risk Factors for Developing Bladder Cystitis

If you have ever experienced any of these cystitis symptoms:

• Stinging or burning while urinating.
• Frequent urination (more frequently than your normal).
• Cloudy urine.
• Dark or foul smelling urine.
• Pain in the lower abdomen and back.
• Malaise or a general feeling of being unwell.

Then you have probably experienced bladder cystitis or what some refer to as urinary or bladder infection. Cystitis is a common inflammation of the bladder caused by infection or irritation. Bladder cystitis is not always the result of infection.There are some risk factors such as gender (women have cystitis symptoms much more than men) and health conditions such as diabetes; that you cannot change. You can reduce your incidence of cystitis symptoms by reducing or eliminating the risk factors that are within your control. Generally these involve lifestyle changes on your part. The following is a list of changes you can make to reduce your risk:

• Reduce or eliminate caffeine (causes urinary tract irritation).
• Reduce or eliminate spicy foods that can irritate the bladder.
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist about medications that can irritate the bladder or cause urinary retention. If alternatives are available, request the medication be changed.
• Stop smoking. Nicotine is excreted by the kidneys and a large source of bladder irritation.
• Do not use perfumes, soaps, powders or hygiene sprays.
• Change your personal hygiene methods. E.Coli is the primary source of infectious bladder cystitis symptoms. The bacteria are found in the bowels and frequently enter the urinary tract through contamination while performing personal hygiene. Women can help reduce contamination by cleaning from front to back after toileting.
• Your incidence of cystitis symptoms increases the more frequently you engage in sexual intercourse. Emptying your bladder before and after sexual intercourse can reduce this risk.
• Using a diaphragm or spermicidal condoms for contraception increases cystitis symptoms. If you are experiencing bladder cystitis frequently, consider another form of contraception if possible.
• A urinary catheter can introduce bacteria into the bladder and give a travel route for bacteria to the urethra (and then the bladder). If you need a urinary catheter make sure you and your caregivers use extra caution when caring for and cleaning the catheter.
• If you are diabetic; meticulous monitoring of your blood sugar will prevent sugar from being present in the urine and giving bacteria a medium to grow in. Cystitis symptoms are greatly reduced in the diabetic patient when blood sugar levels are kept normal.
• Conditions that do not allow you to completely empty your bladder such as pregnancy, kidney stones and an enlarged prostate in men can allow urine to sit in the bladder and give bacteria a place to grow and cause cystitis symptoms. Practice completely emptying your bladder by voiding once, waiting a few minutes and then trying to void again. This will better empty the bladder.
• Drink plenty of fluids (mostly water) to help flush bacteria and irritants out of the bladder.
• To reduce cystitis symptoms you can drink a glass of water with a half teaspoon of baking soda in it.  Bacteria do not like the urine this produces.
• Consult your doctor for cystitis symptoms that do not resolve.  You may require antibiotic therapy to completely treat bladder cystitis.

These changes can help reduce your incidence of painful cystitis symptoms.