Urinary tract infection

When  to get medical advice

It's a good idea to see your GP if you think you might have a UTI, particularly if:

you have symptoms of an upper UTI (see above)
the symptoms are severe or getting worse
the symptoms haven't started to improve after a few days
you get UTIs frequently

Your GP can rule out other possible causes of your symptoms by testing a sample of your urine and can prescribe antibiotics if you do have an infection.

Antibiotics are usually recommended because untreated UTIs can potentially cause serious problems if they're allowed to spread.

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for urinary tract infection

Introduction

Find out about urinary tract infections (UTIs), including what the symptoms are, when to get medical advice and how they're treated.

Symptoms  of UTIs

Infections of the bladder  (cystitis) or urethra (tube that carries urine out of the body) are known as lower UTIs. These can cause: a need to pee more often than usual pain or

When  to get medical advice

It's a good idea to see your GP if you think you might have a UTI, particularly if: you have symptoms of an upper UTI (see above) the symptoms are severe or getting worse the symptoms haven't

Treatment  for UTIs

UTIs are normally treated with a short course of antibiotics. Most women are given a three-day course of antibiotic capsules or tablets. Men, pregnant women and people with more serious sym

Causes  of UTIs

UTIs occur when the urinary tract becomes infected, usually by bacteria. In most cases, bacteria from the gut enter the urinary tract through the urethra. This may occur when wipi

Preventing  UTIs

If you get UTIs frequently, there are some things you can try that may stop it coming back. However, it's not clear how effective most of these measures are. These measures include: avoiding p

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