Use this flow chart (heh heh) to help diagnose common urinary woes!
Your Issue: STRESS INCONTINENCE
Er, did I just. . .? moments are common in women who have ever had a vaginal delivery. Plus, 30 percent of us have leaked while exercising, especially during activities that put repetitive pressure on the bladder.
Your Issue: OVERACTIVE BLADDER
Involuntary spasms can cause those “gotta go now” urges. Hints this is you: You pee eight-plus times a day, and frequent flushing keeps you from going out or leaves you finished after a night of Mother Nature’s wake-up calls.
Relief!
Build a strong pelvic floor with Kegels: Thirty times a day, squeeze your pee-stopping muscles, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Or try yoga (shown to reduce drips by up to 30 percent), cut out bladder irritants like caffeine and alcohol, or ask your doc about prescription meds.
Your Issue: UTI
Germs can travel from his junk or your back door to the urethra, causing inflammation. If untreated, the bacteria can spread to the kidneys. Signs that’s happened: Your upper back is killing you, you’re nauseated, and you’ve got a fever.
Relief!
Though UTIs are becoming resistant to antibiotics, they remain your best aid. Research on cranberry juice is conflicting – if it’s still very early stages, a highly concentrated cranberry supplement could help, but if it’s already bad, you’re going to need the big guns – go see your doc ASAP. To ward off a UTI, pee after sex to help flush out rogue microbes. Douching? Don’t. It can alter vaginal flora.
Your Issue: STI
An estimated 2.86 million cases of chlamydia and 820 000 cases of gonorrhea occur annually. The infections can spread to the uterus, where they can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.
Relief!
If you test positive (via a cervical swab or urine analysis), antibiotics will clean house. Avoid sex until the last dose, and to steer clear of reinfection, your guy should get tested even if he has zero signs; half of infected sufferers are symptom-free.
