How to Stop Recurrent UTIs From Coming Back
Bladder Health Mini Series
Part One:
Part Two:
Part Three: How to Stop Recurrent UTIs From Coming Back
Part Four: How to Pee Correctly (Yes, There's a Right Way!)
The constant bathroom trips and burning when you pee. The nagging pelvic pain that makes you wonder - is it another UTI? You've been through this cycle before.
Despite multiple rounds of antibiotics, the symptoms keep returning. Sometimes tests show an infection, sometimes they don't. You've tried everything - cranberry pills, D-mannose, probiotics, apple cider vinegar. Still, that familiar burning sensation returns.
The cycle of UTIs affects your sleep, exercise, and intimate relationships. You're tired of living in fear of the next infection. Recurring UTIs often signal deeper issues with your core and pelvic floor muscle function that antibiotics alone can't fix. Let’s look at the root causes of your recurrent UTIs and what you can do to finally get rid of them for good.
What Causes Recurrent UTIs?
The "Typical" UTI
UTI's typically occur when bacteria gets trapped in the urethra. This leads to inflammation and pain. An isolated incidence of a UTI can come from wiping back to front, from sex, from swimming in dirty water, or wearing a wet bathing suit or wet yoga clothes for too long. Once the infection is treated, and the cause is stopped as well, you are good to go and the infection doesn't come back.
The "Recurrent UTI"
However, many women struggle with recurrent UTIs. When UTIs continue to come back despite treatment, this is a sign there is a bigger underlying problem. Some women struggle with recurrent UTIs even when they have great hygiene and wipe properly, pee and bathe after sex, are not exposed to bacteria from dirty water, and do not stay in wet clothes for too long. They continue to go to the doctor, get treated with antibiotics, yet the UTIs keep coming back. They try drinking more water, gallons of cranberry juice, taking probiotics, and nothing seems to help. Here's the missing link:
The root cause of Recurrent UTI's is actually not exposure to bacteria, it's the health of your pelvic floor muscles and the position of your organs!
Your pelvic floor muscles play a critical role in bringing blood, lymph and nerve flow to your urethra. When your pelvic floor muscles are not healthy—too tense or dysfunctional—this will deprive your urethra of the necessary blood and lymph flow it needs to have a healthy immune response, and you start to get UTIs from "normal" bacteria that would not usually lead to an infection. Heal the pelvic floor muscles, and UTIs resolve because the immune function in the pelvis is restored.
In addition to pelvic floor muscle health, the position of your organs is another big factor in determining how well your body can ward off infection. If your organs are too low and compressed, this also negatively impacts their blood, lymph and nerve flow and their immune function can go down. In my experience, low and compressed pelvic organs are the leading cause of recurrent UTIs. When the organs are lifted and centered again, and the blood, lymph and nerve flow returns - UTIs disappear.
The "Ghost" UTI
Some women experience the exact same symptoms of a UTI—pain, urgency and burning with urination—yet when they are tested for a UTI, it comes back negative. These women fall into the same category of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. Their tense pelvic floor muscles are depriving their urethra and bladder of the necessary blood and lymph flow it needs, and this makes them feel like they have a UTI even when they don't.
How Bladder Hygiene Can Impact Recurrent UTIs
While tight pelvic floor muscles and low pelvic organs are the root cause of recurrent UTIs, they can also be impacted by poor bladder hygiene.
Dehydration can contribute to recurrent UTIs. Not drinking enough water leads to more concentrated urine and makes it harder for your bladder and urethra to eliminate bacteria properly. Lack of adequate water also will contribute to pelvic floor muscle tension and make the recurrent UTI cycle even worse.
Incomplete bladder emptying can also contribute to recurrent UTIs. Many women rush through their time on the toilet, because they have kids demanding their attention or simply feel like they don't have time to sit and relax while they pee. "Rushing it" on the toilet can lead to incomplete bladder emptying. When the bladder is not properly emptied, too much urine and bacteria remains in it, leading to increased risk of infection. Hovering over public toilets also creates a pattern of incomplete voiding because the pelvic floor can't fully relax to allow the bladder to completely empty.
Dehydration and incomplete emptying will worsen pelvic floor muscle tension and contribute to lowering of the pelvic organs. Both of which will impact how well the bladder empties. When too much urine remains in your bladder after you pee, bacteria have more opportunity to grow.
If any of this sounds like you, don't worry. There are simple things you can do to end this vicious cycle!
How to Get Rid of Recurrent UTIs
Tired of endless antibiotics and doctor visits? There are simple daily practices that help restore proper organ position and pelvic floor muscle health simultaneously so that you can put an end to your UTIs for good. These strategies address the root causes of recurring infections, not just the symptoms.
Hydration
I always start here with every patient, whether they have recurrent UTIs or not. Proper hydration will ensure you are giving your pelvic floor muscles, bladder and urethra a healthy environment that is conducive to healing and protective from infection. Without proper hydration, bacteria is more prevalent, the bladder will be more irritable and the pelvic floor muscles will be more prone to tension. I recommend drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces of water per day.
Proper Voiding Technique
I know this sounds weird, but when you are peeing, just relax and think about peeing. Don't rush, don't think about your to-do list. Think about relaxing completely and pee coming out of your bladder. Breathe slowly and deeply into your belly and allow your pelvic floor to fully relax. No rushing or hovering over the toilet. This will ensure your bladder completely empties.
Bladder Massage
Daily self-massage helps release tight muscles around your bladder. Focus on the lower abdomen from your pubic bone to your belly button. Perform upward strokes from your pubic bone to your belly button to improve blood and lymph flow, reduce muscle tension, lift your bladder and decompress your urethra.
Hypopressive Training
Hypopressive Training is a breathing and postural exercise technique that re-trains your core muscles to automatically lift and center your organs, maximizing their blood, lymph and nerve flow. It also heals pelvic floor muscle tension and dysfunction, while it restores optimal function of your entire core muscle unit. This technique is absolutely key for resolving recurrent UTIs.
Recurring UTIs aren't a life sentence.
Otherwise healthy women who struggle with frequent infections is something I commonly see in my practice. These women wonder if this is what the rest of their life is going to be like. Although they come to me confused and worried, once they begin my protocol, they quickly see for themselves that recurrent UTIs are NOT a life sentence! You can heal your bladder for good once you retrain your core muscles to function properly, and support your bladder, urethra, and urinary system how they are supposed to!
Ready to break free from the cycle of antibiotics and constant infections? The Core Recovery Method® teaches you how to restore optimal core muscle function, without complicated exercises or endless doctor visits. This proven online program guides you through the exact process I use with my private clients to end recurrent UTIs for good.
The Core Recovery Method® is perfect for those who want straightforward, effective solutions they can implement on their own from the comfort of their home.
You'll learn:
- How to achieve ideal bladder hygiene to ensure you are creating an environment in your body that is protective from UTIs and conducive to healing
- How improve bladder emptying through voiding position, breathing and pelvic floor rehabilitation.
- Simple and easy-to-implement techniques that get rid of pelvic floor muscle tension
- Self massage to calm your bladder, lift your organs, and restore optimal blood, lymph and nerve flow to your pelvis.
- Hypopressive training to re-train your core muscles to lift and center your bladder with every breath you take, so that you can say goodbye to UTIs once and for all.
- Daily practices that prevent infections, designed to fit into your busy schedule.
