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Short answer What a UTI feels like What to do today Why not just wait? What treatment looks like Habits that lower the chance of another one When to go to the ER Common questions from students Common questions Related questions SourcesIf you think you have a UTI, see student health or urgent care within a day or two for a urine test, because most UTIs need antibiotics to clear.
Drink water and take a pain reliever as directed, but do not wait it out for more than a day or two. Go to the ER for fever, back pain or vomiting.
What a UTI feels like
- Burning when you pee
- Needing to pee often, with little coming out
- Urgent, hard-to-hold feeling
- Cloudy or strong-smelling urine, or blood in it
- Pain low in your belly or above the pubic bone
Some other problems, including yeast infections and some infections you can get from sex, can feel similar. Tell the clinician if you may have been exposed, so you get the right test. See UTI or yeast infection.
What to do today
- Call or walk in to student health, or use urgent care or a telehealth visit
- Ask for a urine test, since symptoms alone are not always enough
- Drink water, and pee when you feel the urge instead of holding it
- Take a pain reliever as directed on the label
- Skip trying to wait it out for several days
Why not just wait?
A bladder infection that is not treated can move up to the kidneys. A kidney infection is more serious and can mean a hospital visit. Mild UTIs sometimes clear on their own, but it is hard to know which ones will, so it is safer to get tested.
What treatment looks like
A clinician usually prescribes a short course of antibiotics, often 3 to 5 days, depending on the drug. Symptoms often start to ease within a day or two. Finish the course. See how long a UTI lasts and whether an online doctor can prescribe.
Habits that lower the chance of another one
- Pee after sex
- Drink water through the day
- Do not hold your pee for hours
- Wipe front to back
- Skip irritating products near the urethra
When to go to the ER
Go to urgent care or the ER the same day for a fever or chills, back or side pain, vomiting, feeling very weak, or UTI symptoms with pregnancy. Call 911 for confusion or trouble breathing.
If you are not sure what you have, our AI doctor asks a few questions and sends you a care note you can bring to student health.
Common questions from students
Can men get a UTI? Yes, though it is less common. Anyone with UTI symptoms should be checked.
Can I get a UTI from a dorm bathroom? Not from the toilet seat. Most UTIs come from bacteria already near the body.
Is a UTI contagious? No. A UTI is not passed like a cold.
Does cranberry juice cure a UTI? It does not cure one. Antibiotics do.
Can I drink alcohol or coffee with a UTI? They can irritate the bladder and make symptoms feel worse. See coffee with a UTI.
Do I need to go to student health? It is often the cheapest route. Many student health centers include visits in fees.
Common questions
I think I have a UTI at college. What do I do?
If you think you have a UTI, see student health or urgent care within a day or two for a urine test, because most UTIs need antibiotics to clear. Drink water and take a pain reliever as directed, but do not wait it out for more than a day or two. Go to the ER for fever, back pain or vomiting.
Can men get a UTI?
Yes, though it is less common. Anyone with UTI symptoms should be checked.
Can I get a UTI from a dorm bathroom?
Not from the toilet seat. Most UTIs come from bacteria already near the body.
Is a UTI contagious?
No. A UTI is not passed like a cold.
Does cranberry juice cure a UTI?
It does not cure one. Antibiotics do.
Can I drink alcohol or coffee with a UTI?
They can irritate the bladder and make symptoms feel worse. See coffee with a UTI.
Do I need to go to student health?
It is often the cheapest route. Many student health centers include visits in fees.