We have some bad news about UTIs
When it comes to reproductive health, 2017 has announced loud and clear that we just can’t have nice things. (Like, you know, access to safe and affordable contraception and cancer screenings.) So, to top it off, we have some bad news about UTIs and, for once, this isn’t the kind of problem we can call politicians’ offices about. Sigh.
As anyone who has ever had a UTI knows, the description “miserable” is an understatement. As if needing to pee approximately fifteen times an hour isn’t bad enough, urination is painful every single time.
In the past, antibiotics have saved the day — but UTIs may become untreatable very soon.
According to PBS, a new list released by the World Health Organization suggests that E. coli, a leading cause of UTIs, is becoming resistant to some antibiotics.
"For UTIs in particular, intravenous injection of the antibiotic colistin is a last-ditch option — but resistance to colistin is emerging in India and China," PBS reports. "Scientists believe that colistin resistance might have developed because farmers are using the drug as a growth promoter in livestock."
Nearly 50 percent of women get a UTI at least once in their lives and they’re a common occurrence for people who have a predisposition to them.
When a UTI goes untreated, it can lead to kidney infections and sepsis, which is potentially fatal. So, the possibility that they’ll be difficult to treat going forward has serious implications that go beyond the misery of a longer-lasting UTI.
We sincerely hope that scientists and doctors are looking into other UTI treatment options — but, in the meantime, don’t forget to pee immediately after sex and drink plenty of water. A UTI is definitely brutal, but untreatable UTIs are truly the stuff of nightmares.
