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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffSome people appear to be more likely than are others to develop urinary tract infections. Risk factors include:
- Being female. Half of all women will develop a urinary tract infection at some point during their lives, and many will experience more than one. A key reason is their anatomy. Women have a shorter urethra, which cuts down on the distance bacteria must travel to reach the bladder.
- Being sexually active. Women who are sexually active tend to have more urinary tract infections. Sexual intercourse can irritate the urethra, allowing germs to more easily travel through the urethra into the bladder.
- Using certain types of birth control. Women who use diaphragms for birth control also may be at higher risk, as are women who use spermicidal agents.
- Aging. After menopause, urinary tract infections may become more common because tissues of the vagina, urethra and the base of the bladder become thinner and more fragile due to loss of estrogen.
- Kidney stones or any other urinary obstruction.
- Diabetes and other chronic illnesses that may impair the immune system.
- Prolonged use of tubes (catheters) in the bladder.
Recurrent urinary tract infections
In women, the immune system may play a role in the risk of recurrent urinary tract infections. Bacteria can attach to cells in the urinary tract more easily in women lacking protective factors that normally allow the bladder to shed bacteria. More research is needed to determine the exact factors involved and how these factors can be manipulated to benefit women with frequent urinary tract infections.
