Seeing a Pharmacist

If you're a woman or girl aged 16 to 64, and not pregnant or breastfeeding, and think you have a UTI, a pharmacist can offer the same medicines a GP could prescribe, along with advice or a referral for further help if needed.

Standard Treatment

A pharmacist or GP may arrange a urine test if they suspect a UTI, though this isn't always necessary. A GP may offer self-care advice and a painkiller, prescribe a short course of antibiotics, or, in milder cases, suggest waiting 48 hours to see if symptoms clear up on their own before starting antibiotics. It's important to complete the full course of any antibiotics prescribed, even once you start to feel better.

Recurrent and Chronic UTIs

If a UTI keeps coming back — twice within 6 months, or three times within 12 — a GP may prescribe a different antibiotic, a low-dose antibiotic taken for up to 6 months, an oestrogen-based vaginal treatment if you're perimenopausal or postmenopausal, or medicine specifically aimed at preventing recurrence, and may refer you to a specialist for further tests.

Sometimes symptoms persist despite treatment, and standard urine tests don't always detect an infection in these cases — this may point to a long-term (chronic) UTI, caused by bacteria embedded in the bladder lining, which can be harder to diagnose and treat, sometimes needing a longer course of antibiotics. If you've been treated for a UTI but symptoms haven't gone away, it's worth asking your GP for a referral to a specialist.

Easing Symptoms Yourself

Taking paracetamol (or liquid paracetamol for children) up to four times a day can help with pain and fever, and resting while drinking enough fluids to pass pale urine regularly can help too. It's best to avoid drinks that can irritate the bladder, such as fruit juice, coffee and alcohol. Cystitis sachets or cranberry products are sometimes used to help prevent UTIs, though there's no good evidence they ease symptoms once an infection has already started.

How Infections Happen

UTIs are usually caused by bacteria from stools entering the urinary tract through the urethra — the tube that carries urine out of the body. Because women have a shorter urethra than men, bacteria can reach the bladder or kidneys more easily, which is why UTIs are more common in women.

Things that raise the risk of bacteria reaching the bladder include pregnancy, wiping from back to front after using the toilet, conditions that block the urinary tract such as kidney stones, conditions making it harder to fully empty the bladder such as an enlarged prostate or constipation in children, using a urinary catheter, having a weakened immune system, having been through menopause, using spermicide, and not drinking enough fluids.

Everyday Steps That Help

Wiping from front to back after using the toilet, keeping the genital area clean and dry, drinking plenty of fluids so you pee regularly and don't feel thirsty, washing around the vagina with water before and after sex, and peeing as soon as possible after sex can all help reduce the risk of a UTI. Changing nappies or incontinence pads promptly when soiled, and wearing cotton underwear, can help too.

It's best to avoid scented soap around the genital area, holding in urine when you need to go, rushing when you pee (aim to empty your bladder fully), tight underwear, too much alcohol, lots of sugary food or drinks, and condoms or diaphragms with spermicidal lube — a non-spermicidal lube or different contraception can be used instead.

If UTIs Keep Coming Back

For people who get recurrent bladder infections, there's some evidence that taking D-mannose (a sugar available as powder or tablets) or cranberry products daily may help. Speak to a doctor before taking either during pregnancy, be aware both can contain a fair amount of sugar, and avoid cranberry products if you're taking warfarin.