Hello, Thanks for writing to us,

Considering you to be in the middle aged woman, I would like to tell you that women experience the urinary tract infection very often owing to the short urethra. The irritable bladder and the irritable urethra can lean to this medical condition. The irritant could be any of the following:

• Infection by --Fecal contamination most commonly E.coli

--Bladder parasite

• Bladder stones
• Chemical irritant creams

--Flavored moisturizers

--talcum powder in people who use it in the perineal area

• In post-menopausal women estrogen deficiency
• Inner garment -fabric allergy
• Very rarely the bladder or urethral cancer (very unlikely)
• Or it could also be because of the very less intake of water.

Nitrofurantoin is a very good choice of antibiotic for urinary tract infection, provided that particular bacteria is sensitive to that drug.

A minimum of 5-6 litres of water is the normal daily requirement. More intake of water helps flushing out the irritant. It is advised not to take excess of over the counter medications.

In post-menopausal women, there are changes in the urethral cell lining due to the deficiency of estrogen. Those cells are estrogen sensitive and during deficiency the area gets atrophied (shrunken and dried), consequently gets more irritable. Also the diabetic status should be known.

It is advised to consult the physician, and upon referral get a complete urine examination, culture and sensitivity of the early morning mid-stream urine sample done for further management.

Hope this helps.