A urinary tract infection (UTI) occurs when bacteria spread along any part of the urinary tract, which includes the bladder, urethra, ureters, and kidneys. Though this can happen any time of year, studies show UTIs are more common in the summertime. Women, in particular, are at increased risk during the summer. A study published in the Journal of Urology<\/i> found that the rate of UTIs in women across the U.S. increased by 20% to 30% when temperatures were between 77 and 86 degrees the previous week.<\/p>\n
What is it about the warm, summer months that makes people more susceptible to UTIs? There are several reasons, including dehydration, travel, and exposure to extra moisture due to heat and humidity. Here\u2019s more on why your UTI risk is higher in the summer, plus how summer UTIs can be prevented and treated.<\/p>\n
UTIs are more common in the summer because of a combination of heat-related factors, according to Kecia Gaither<\/a>, MD, OB-GYN, Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, and Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cornell Weill Medicine.<\/p>\n The most common causes include:<\/p>\n It\u2019s much easier to become dehydrated in warm weather because your body loses a lot of fluid through sweating. If you\u2019re not actively staying on top of your water intake<\/a>, it\u2019s easy to fall behind. When you don\u2019t replace lost fluids, your urine becomes more concentrated, says Dr. Gaither, which promotes bacterial growth. You also stop emptying your bladder<\/a> as often, she says, reducing your body\u2019s ability to flush out this bacteria.<\/p>\n Do you always get a UTI when you\u2019re on your summer vacation? The change to your usual routine could be the reason. Summer travel is a common risk factor for increased UTIs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re on a road trip or catching flights, you tend to hold your urine longer than you normally would because you don\u2019t want to stop or use a public restroom, [but] unfortunately, your bladder isn\u2019t meant to store urine for hours at a time,\u201d explains Jason B. Carter<\/a>, MD, urologist and Medical Advisor at Aeroflow Urology.<\/p>\n Putting off voiding for long periods of time means you\u2019re not flushing out the bacteria that naturally grows in and around the urinary tract<\/a>. Dr. Carter says regularly emptying your bladder is one of the body\u2019s simplest defenses against infection.<\/p>\n Most people are exposed to higher levels of moisture in the summertime. The weather is hot, humid, and sweat-inducing, plus we spend more time swimming in pools, lakes, and oceans.<\/p>\n All that moisture can quickly lead to infection, however. Lounging around in a damp swimsuit or staying in sweaty clothes after a workout increases your exposure to moisture around your genital area, says Dr. Gaither. This moist environment encourages bacteria to thrive and ultimately increases your risk for UTI.<\/p>\n There are two main reasons why women are more likely to get UTIs than men, says Dr. Carter: their anatomy and hormones.<\/p>\n Women have shorter urethras than men. \u201cSo bacteria have a much shorter distance to travel before reaching the bladder,\u201d he says. \u201cThe urethra [the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body] is also located closer to the rectum, where the bacteria responsible for most UTIs naturally live.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Carter is referring to Escherichia coli<\/i> (E. coli), which is always present in the colon as a typically-beneficial bacteria<\/a> that aids in digestion and protection against illness. However, sometimes E. coli spreads to the urethra<\/a> and enters the urinary tract, where it can flourish and cause infection.<\/p>\n On top of a higher anatomical risk, women also have a hormonal risk. After menopause, estrogen levels decline; this changes the normal bacteria that help protect the urinary tract, increasing your risk of UTI as you reach your 50s, 60s, and beyond, says Dr. Carter.<\/p>\n1. Dehydration<\/h3>\n
2. Summer travel<\/h3>\n
3. Prolonged exposure to moisture<\/h3>\n
Why are women at higher risk for UTI?<\/h3>\n