The Uti Issue

You’re being punished for sex. At least that’s what it feels like. That lightning bolt of agony straight to the crotch — it's practically a rite of passage for young women these days, and it's one we suffer in semi-shamed silence.

At least half of all women contract a urinary tract infection at some point in their lifetime, and at least one in three women will have a UTI that needs antibiotics before she's 24.

But despite how common these infections are, there's still a ton of misinformation floating around about how to prevent and treat them. Women commonly report feeling like their doctors brushed them aside, didn't listen to their symptoms, or didn't seem interested in getting to the bottom of a UTI that just won't go away.

Oh and then there's the fact that drowning your sorrows in cranberry juice might not actually work, and antibiotics are so over-prescribed that they're starting to fail you too.

If men were afflicted with urinary tract infections as often as women are, and if a male sexual-health concern cost the United States as much as UTIs do (an estimated $5.3 billion a year in treatment and missed work), you bet we'd talk a lot more openly and aggressively about UTIs. There would be parades about UTI awareness.

Cranberry Juice May Not Help Your UTI After All

Of course the head scientist for Ocean Spray has never had a urinary tract infection. With all that cranberry nectar at her disposal, Christina Khoo, the head of research science at thenewly launched Ocean Spray Cranberry Health Institute, should have the most sparkly-clean urinary tract in the world.

The Symptom-Googler's Guide to Actually Getting Rid of a UTI

If you've ever felt pain when you peed and then immediately googled, "Am I dying?" you've probably had a urinary tract infection. While it's always best to consult a real-life doctor before self-diagnosing a UTI, there's no harm in reading up on what you're worried about — and you might as well land on the real, myth-busted info when you do.

Five UTI Horror Stories Every Woman Should Read

Rebekah, 23, says she did everything right: She used a condom and peed after sex. But within a week, she was in so much pain she couldn't leave her apartment.

"I went home with a stranger at the beginning of the semester. He wore a condom and I figured it was fine. The next day, I felt more pain than normal after sex, and it started to burn when I went to the bathroom. The burning escalated exponentially within 24 hours — it just hurt so bad.

My friend told me I probably had a UTI and to get AZO. But it only got worse, so I went to the doctor after about a week, was diagnosed with a UTI, and was given antibiotics. But my UTI didn't respond to the antibiotics, so it only got worse. I became sicker, peeing became excruciating, and I felt pulsating in my lower back. I had a fever and chills and genuinely wondered if I was going to die.