Recurring UTIs - 2 or more in 6 months or 3 in a year - usually have a structural or hormonal driver, not a hygiene failure.
The common culprits: a short urethra near gut bacteria, sex pushing bacteria upward, spermicides disrupting protective vaginal flora, menopause thinning urinary tissue, and incomplete bladder emptying from stones or an enlarged prostate. Sometimes a resistant strain was never fully cleared. Fixes that actually help: enough water, not holding urine, peeing after sex, dropping spermicide, vaginal estrogen after menopause, and for some people a daily low-dose or post-sex antibiotic. A workup with urine culture - and sometimes imaging - is worth it. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you document your pattern before that visit.
What to do
Common questions
Why do I keep getting UTIs?
Recurrent UTIs - two or more in six months, or three in a year - usually have a structural or hormonal driver, not a hygiene failure. The common culprits: female anatomy (a short urethra sits close to the gut bacteria that cause most UTIs), sex, which pushes bacteria upward, spermicides and diaphragms, which disrupt protective vaginal bacteria, menopause, because falling estrogen thins urinary tract tissue, and anything that keeps the bladder from emptying fully, like stones or an enlarged prostate. Some people also carry a resistant strain that was never fully cleared. What actually helps: drinking enough water, not holding urine, urinating after sex, switching away from spermicide, vaginal estrogen after menopause (ask a clinician), and for some people, a daily low-dose preventive antibiotic or post-sex single dose. Recurrent UTIs deserve a real workup, sometimes with a urine culture and imaging. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you map your pattern before that appointment.