Frequently Asked
Questions For The Urologist
Here are some common answers to questions asked by individuals
visiting the urologist:
-
How many glasses of water per day
should I drink?
In general,
people drink too much water. If you don’t have bladder problems, you
can drink as much as you want. If you go to the bathroom too often
to suit you, or if you can’t control your urine, you may want to reduce
your fluids as a first line of treatment.
A good rule of thumb is to
drink when you are thirsty. If you are not thirsty, you are getting
enough fluid. Fruits, vegetables, and grains have a lot of liquid,
so a well balanced diet will offer a good deal of fluid just in your
food. Soda and juice are empty calories at best, and full of harmful
artificial products. If you exercise regularly, you may not need as
much water as you think. Again, listen to your body: If you feel thirsty,
then drink water.
back to top
- Will drinking a lot of water help
me lose weight?
No. Fat is not water soluble. Weight loss occurs when calories are
reduced and the metabolism is boosted through exercise. Water will
only perpetuate the oral fixation that leads to weight gain. Water
will not fill you up either—it expands your stomach and makes you
feel hungry. If you are on a diet, you should drink when you are
thirsty, just as you would if you were not on a diet.
back to top
- What color should my urine be?
Your urine should be yellow. If you have clear urine on a regular basis,
then you are drinking more water than you need. There is nothing
wrong with clear urine, unless you have problems with your bladder.
If you go to the bathroom frequently and it annoys you, or you can’t
control your urine, reduce your fluids. Yellow urine is healthy.
back to top
- Can you get urinary tract infections (UTIs) from sex?
Yes and no. UTIs are not sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia
or gonorrhea, but they are more common in sexually active women.
Sex acts as a mechanical process through which bacteria that are native
to your vaginal canal and genital skin are moved toward the urethra,
through which they can travel up into the bladder. The bacteria do
not come from your partner. They come from you. If you get recurrent
urinary tract infections, do not send your partner to the urologist
to be checked. They are not his fault. And, do not accuse of bad behavior!!
back to top
- Can you get urinary tract infections from public toilets?
No. Bacteria that cause UTIs cannot live on inanimate objects. They
thrive in warm moist temperatures and need nutrients from the human
body to survive. As unappealing as public toilets are, you cannot get
any bladder conditions from them. I would still advise covering the
toilet with paper or squatting anyway, but they are not as harmful
as they appear.
back to top
- Why do I get UTIs and how can I prevent them?
More than 85% of women will have at least one UTI in their lifetime,
so most women are prone to them. No one knows why certain women get
urinary tract infections and other women do not. No matter how many
specialists you see or how many tests are performed, you will not
find the answers that you are looking for. The only time that we suspect
a curable cause is if you have a history of childhood infections,
or fevers with infections. Since we don’t know what causes them, we
don’t know how to prevent them. What we can offer is better management.
If you get a UTI or suspect that you have one, see your physician.
back to top
- If I have pain in my pelvis, is it always a UTI?
No. Bacteria are one cause of inflammation in the bladder that can lead
to pain, burning, frequency, urgency, and even leakage of urine. It
is not the only cause. Viral infections, environmental irritants, and
pelvic muscle spasms can also cause these symptoms.
If you do not have bacteria in the
bladder, do not take antibiotics. The best way to know if you need antibiotics
is to do a urine culture, which is performed at a lab or through a physician’s
office. If you suspect an infection, or have pain in the pelvis, consult
a physician.
back to top
- Will cranberry juice or pills prevent urinary tract infections?
Probably not. However, lots of effort has gone into proving or disproving
their effectiveness.
Before we had antibiotics, the only way to manage
infections was through natural methods. Cranberry juice is a diuretic,
so it will flush fluid through the kidneys and bladder. However, it is
a weak diuretic. The juice is full of sugar, even the natural brands,
because fruit contains fructose, which is a sugar. I have no idea what
the pills contain that would prevent infections. My advice is to eat
well, exercise, and sleep. These will all boost the immune system. If
you get an infection in spite of these efforts, at least we have antibiotics
to treat it.
back to top
- If my mother has bladder control problems will I develop them
too?
No. Although bladder control issues, also known as urinary incontinence,
do have a genetic component, other factors contribute as well. Age,
pregnancy history, chronic constipation, and chronic coughing will
affect the urinary tract. Immobility, mental deterioration, medications,
and neurological problems, such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease,
can impact on the bladder, as well. Fortunately, we now have specialists
to consult and options for treatment that were not available to .prior
generations of women.
back to top
- Is it bad to hold your urine?
No. If you delay emptying your bladder when you have an urge, you will
not poison your body, nor will you disturb the bladder. If you have
the urge to urinate and you delay it enough that you begin to leak,
you may want to respond more quickly so you don’t have an embarrassing
situation. In general, you can not hurt yourself by holding it in.
back to top
- If I can’t get to the bathroom when I get the urge,
is it my fault?
No. Women always say, “I must be doing something wrong because I lose
it before I make it to the toilet.” Urinary urge incontinence, which
is the inability to hold it with an urge, occurs when the bladder muscle
spasms and urine comes out. It may be a few drops of leakage or a whole
gush. Either way, the force of the bladder spasm is out of conscious
control. It is an involuntary action that you cannot control by will.
The most common scenario is when you put the key in the door and the
urine begins to flow. Clearly, there is process through which the brain
and bladder register signals, but they are not communicating well.
That is not your fault. You may need some help from a specialist to
gain the control you need.
back to top
- Is wetting your pants an inevitable result of aging?
No. As we age, the bladder goes through changes. Just as the eyes and
hearing deteriorate, so does the bladder. The first manifestations
of the aging bladder are urgency and frequency. In many women, these
symptoms progress to uncontrollable leakage accompanied by the urge
to urinate. Although this may be a natural part of aging, no one has
to live with any of these symptoms. All of them can be controlled with
various interventions.
back to top
- If I wear a pad, will that cause me to leak more?
No. Just because you wear a pad, your bladder will not get lazy and empty
without you controlling it. Wearing a pad may protect your clothes,
your bed sheets, and your self-esteem. If you need to wear a pad because
you leak, wear one until you can seek the treatment you need to stop
wearing it with confidence.
back to top
|
|
