Cystitis after sex. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. The sudden tingling feeling down there, the urgent need to pee, the sensation of trying to pass a needle through your urethra…a urinary tract infection has to be one of the most uncomfortable, distressing and painful things you can ever experience.
I should know. I’ve had many of them. At one point I suffered from UTIs pretty much for an entire year while I was at university. It was hell. I have memories of myself curled up on the bathroom floor in agony, being in and out of the doctors, and having to skip lectures because of it.
And the annoying thing is it tends to come on after sex. I was in and out of the doctors and it got to the point that I just didn’t want to have sex with my boyfriend ever again.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about then you’re very, very lucky. If you’re sitting there reading this thinking “Why did I have sex las night? I’m in agony!”, then don’t worry because I have some tips for how to get rid of a UTI fast:
When you get cystitis after sex
Drink lots of water and hold it in as long as you can
Once you feel the cystitis coming on you’re probably going to feel a bit panicky. Find a water bottle and drink as much as you can. Keep drinking, because this is how you’ll flush the bacteria out. You’ll probably feel like you want to wee every 2 seconds, but try to hold it in for as long as you can. It usually starts to feel a bit better when your bladder is full.
Pee really really hard
Once you’ve held all your wee in and you can’t keep it in any longer, run to the loo and let it all out. Pee hard and fast, pushing everything out of your bladder. By peeing really hard it feels like you’re opening up your urethra and pushing that bacteria out. Of course, it may feel like you still need to pee afterwards, even if you don’t. Try to get up off the loo and repeat the process of drinking water and holding it in again.
Buy electrolytes or gatorade
If you head to any pharmacy you can usually buy Dioralyte electrolyte sachets , which are used to treat diarrhoea and dehydration. I swear by these. Just pour the sachet into some water, drink it and your pee won’t burn so much next time you wee. Gatorade or Powerade also contains electrolytes, so this will do as an alternative. Chug as much Gatorade as physically possible.
Get antibiotics straight away
As soon as you feel the cystitis coming on that’s when you should call the doctor straight away to get antibiotics. Some people say that a UTI can go away on its own but in my case, they only ever get worse and worse. If you can’t get a doctors appointment fast enough, some pharmacies, like Lloyds Pharmacy, will let you get a prescription online. There’s also a great new app called Push Doctor that will let you get a video appointment with a doctor in minutes. The faster you nip it in the bud, the better. The doctor will usually prescribe you a course of antibiotics, such as Trimethoprim, Bactrim, Nitrofurantoin or Cyprofloxacin.
Rest, don’t do anything
Running around is going to make you feel more uncomfortable and you don’t want to be worried about peeing yourself in public. Rest, stay at home, sit on the loo all day if you have to and wait till everything subsides!
How to prevent a UTI
Have regular sex
One thing I’ve noticed is that cystitis seems to happen when you’re not having regular sex. If you’re in the honeymoon period of your relationship, or you’re dating different guys with periods of no sex in between, that’s when the problems seem to arise. Once you’ve been with your partner for a while and you’re having sex on a daily basis, it’s like your vagina gets used to having a penis thrust into it and everything settles down. Of course, getting regular sex is easier said than done. Lots of us would like to have a relationship and get the D on a regular basis, but locking a man down can be a tricky business. Hang on in there.
Don’t have sex when you’re drunk or hungover
Drinking leads to sex. Unfortunately drinking also leads to a hangover which makes you dehydrated and dry up down there. That means you’re less lubricated and there’s more friction for that bacteria to get in. Plus if you’re drunk you tend to forget to pee straight after sex, which means your wee is stored up overnight. Yay! I found that most of my cystitis problems occurred when having drunk/hungover sex, so in the end I just stopped binge drinking altogether. Now I have a glass of wine here and there.
Use lube and pee after sex
Make sure you pee straight after sex to empty your bladder. I know, it can be annoying trying to walk around a stranger’s house naked looking for the bathroom, but you’ll be glad you did when you’re cystitis-free the next day. Using lube like KY jelly can also help make your vagina more lubricated and sex more comfortable.
Take an antibiotic after sex
This can be a tricky one because not all doctors are willing to prescribe antibiotics these days due to fears about resistance. But if you’re prone to cystitis and it’s making your life hell, you need to be taking an antibiotic straight after sex for prevention.
Avoid tea, coffee, alcohol – keep hydrated
The best way to avoid getting a UTI is by staying hydrated. Drink lots of water to flush those bacteria out and keep your urine nice and clear. Water is obviously the best for you, while tea and coffee should be avoided because they are diuretics. When it comes to cystitis, alcohol is your enemy. Some people say cranberry juice works but some of them have high sugar content, so try to find one without.
Try Waterfall D Mannose
Some people say this works. I personally tried it and didn’t feel it made any difference. Waterfall D Mannose is basically an naturally occurring simple sugar that provides an alternative for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). It comes in tablet form and you can take them as often as you need.
Wear cotton underwear and avoid tight clothing
In order to stop bacteria from multiplying down there, it’s best to skip the G-strings, wear cotton underwear and avoid the tight jeans. Honestly, if I wear tight jeans after I’ve had sex it’s a recipe for a UTI. Go naked in bed, stick to dresses and let your vagina breathe.
Do you have any tips for what to do if you get cystitis after sex? Leave your comments below!
