I’ve been pumped full of antibiotics to treat UTIs a vaccine would be a game-changer – The Telegraph

I often had to call out-of-hours doctors, and in 2015 while on my honeymoon in the United States, I ended up paying $600 to see a doctor who prescribed me antibiotics. The combination of being a newlywed, being in and out of the pool, and drinking alcohol had left me doubled over with cramps and nausea. Ive had to do the same (call out of hours doctors) on more recent holidays with our son, who is five, when Ive had another bout. Its a big expense and it stops you enjoying your holiday when you just want to be playing in the pool with your family, and having a few drinks, but its hard when youre worried about it leading to another UTI. I started to become so stressed over holidays I simply preferred not to go away at all.

Over the years Ive learnt through trial and error what helps me. Meditation and breathing exercises have really helped, mostly because they help regulate the nervous system and reduce stress, she says. For that I also take Bach Remedies [a natural flower remedy which claims to calm nerves and reduce anxiety]. Diet-wise, anything acidic isnt great for me, so I tend to avoid things like tomatoes, coffee and alcohol, especially white wine. Ive tried aloe vera supplements, which helps, and drinking cranberry juice, which helps a little, but drinking plenty of water is the main thing. Peeing before and after sex also helps prevent a recurrence, as does showering after sex.

Davina says her UTIs have finally calmed down now shes in her 40s, which she says could be due to hormonal changes. However, if youre having regular UTIs then this new vaccine could potentially help so many people. For a long time I felt like my pain and suffering were just being dismissed as just one of those things women have to put up with.

A UTI is a bacterial infection caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract.

Symptoms include a burning pain when you urinate, an urgent and frequent need to urinate, feeling like you need to even when your bladder is empty, pain in the lower abdomen and back, a general feeling of being unwell and fatigue; and in older people a UTI can cause a dementia-like condition called delirium.

UTIs can lead to cramps and nausea and can also carry a small risk of sepsis. Both men and women can get UTIs, although women are overwhelmingly affected (getting UTIs up to 30 times more than men) and they get them more often, largely because a womans urethra, which is the tube that goes from the bladder to where urine comes out of the body, is shorter than a mans so bacteria is more likely to enter it.

Antibiotics are often used to treat UTIs, but they can become less effective over time because the bacteria can become resistant to them.

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I've been pumped full of antibiotics to treat UTIs a vaccine would be a game-changer - The Telegraph