Why do I keep getting UTIs?

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One UTI is bad luck; a repeating pattern is a medical question with its own name. The NHS defines recurrent UTI as one that comes back after treatment, or 2 infections in 6 months, or 3 within 12 months - and at that point you should see a GP rather than self-managing another round. Why they recur: anatomy stacks the odds (women get UTIs about four times as often as men, per MedlinePlus, because the urethra is short and close to bacteria sources), sex introduces bacteria toward the bladder, and some bodies simply form a pattern. Diabetes, catheters, and spinal cord injury raise risk further. Half-treated infections also boomerang, which is why the NHS stresses finishing every prescribed antibiotic even when you feel better. What a GP can do for true recurrence: prescribe a different antibiotic, a low-dose antibiotic to take for a while, or a single dose after sex if that is your trigger, plus tests to look for an underlying cause. The prevention list that actually helps, per the NHS: wipe front to back, drink plenty of water so you pee regularly, pee as soon as possible after sex, wash the skin around the vagina with water before and after sex, wear cotton underwear, skip scented soaps down there, and never hold in pee. Cranberry products may help prevent UTIs but do nothing once infection starts. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you track the pattern.

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