Dear Readers,

As you all know, Saturdays are reserved for posts to do with the education of sex and health. I’m not big on Saturday posts so I’ll keep this short and concise.

Because sex is such a taboo subject right here in our mildly conservative little nation, it can’t be helped that there is not a lot of awareness about the area in between the knees and navel. However, within your friends (in tones that do not offend), it actually does not hurt to talk about the area “down-there”. There are a lot of myths and crazy ideas going around rampant which has been passed down for generations and widely accepted “truths” which rightfully, should be put under the category of “stupid”.

Now, the coming paragraphs are actually written for girls/women/females. If you are a member of the opposite sex, you have been warned. 🙂 Though it doesn’t hurt to know. You might have sisters. Hehe.

Now, I’d like to introduce to you all about a very common occurence called UTI. UTI stands for Urinary Tract Infection. Millions of people, in fact 1 in 5 of women is affected by it and it feels very very very uncomfortable.

Do you think you’ve been affected by UTI? Well here are the symptoms or signs:

1. Frequent urge to urinate
2. But very little urine (a trickle or two)
3. Painful, burning sensation in the area where the pee comes out (this area is called the urethra)
4. Uncomfortable pressure above the pelvic bone (area near the hip)
5. Cloudy, milky or reddish urine

The topmost three are the most common signs, and the most obvious of all the three. People with UTI, always feel tired, shaky, and washed out because it is soooo uncomfortable.

Anyway, basically UTI is caused by bacteria attaching themselves inside the urinary system or tract (also called the ureters). The bacteria usually comes from your colon (large intestine). It is useful to note that sexually active females are more prone to getting it than those who aren’t. Again, know the risks and responsibilities involved when you make that decision.
It is treatable, thankfully. Bring it to your doctor, and he/she will prescribe for you some quick and painless antibiotics. Within a few days it will clear.

There are also home remedies such as drinking a large amount of unsweetened cranberry juice. They contain tannin which may aid clearing the urinary tract of any bacteria. Cranberry juice tastes sour, and most of the ones sold in stores have a high percentage of sugar in it. Therefore, be selective when choosing which to buy. Choose the one which has the highest concentrate of cranberry and lowest sugar. Careful not to buy the sweet ones, because sugar may aggravate the infection even more.

However, it is best to bring it to a doctor.

Prevention is always still better than cure. There are ways to avoid it and they’re very easy.

• Drink a lot of water each day (4-5 glasses at least), and drink more if you have consumed a lot of sweet foods
• Do not hold your pee in until the last minute.
• Take proper care of the vaginal area. Wash it properly after, erm, use and remember to wipe it from front to back. Wiping from back to front may transfer yucky bacteria.
• Take showers instead of baths (bath water contains a LOT of bacteria from our own bodies)
• Avoid using chemicals such as feminine sprays or powder on your vagina because it might get ITCHY. *shudder*
• Make drinking cranberry juice a habit.
• Pee after having sex to flush out bacteria (and then clean it properly of course), for the sexually active ones.

If you would like like learn more about it, please click here, or here, or here, or here, or here or here.