Uh-oh. When you go to pee, there’s an issue. Maybe it burns a little during urination. Perhaps you need to pee more urgently, more often. Or when you urinate, it has a strong, unpleasant odor that’s not normal, and what you see in the toilet before flushing may look cloudy.
There are other symptoms, but they generally point toward 1 conclusion: You may have a urinary tract infection (UTI).
ChristiMD Medical Group helps women and men every day in Katy, Houston, Sugarland, Cinco Rancho, and other surrounding communities face their UTI issues with confidence. Check out our guide on what a UTI involves, and how together we can achieve your improved health.
What constitutes a urinary tract infection?
UTIs involve an infection anywhere within the urinary tract system. In women, that means an infection affecting the kidneys, the bladder, and/or the urethra. For men, UTI’s could also occur in the prostate and/or testicles.
The Most Common UTI: Bladder Infections
At ChristiMD Medical Group, we most commonly treat UTI patients who have bladder infections. Symptoms of a bladder infection can include:
- Burning sensation during urination
- Sense of urinary urgency
- Increased frequency of urination
- Blood in the urine
- Cloudy/smelly urine
- Pressure/cramping in the lower abdomen/groin
Bladder infections mostly involve bacteria that overgrow in the bladder. That overpopulation irritates and inflames the bladder, leading to many of the symptoms above.
You know you have a recurrent UTI if an infection occurs more than 2 times every 6 months, or more than 3 times a year. This could be a single type of infection—such as a bladder infection—or infections in different areas of the urinary tract over this time.
This is very common with women and can be very distressing for daily life.
Consultation for Remediation
Your first step is to request a consultation at ChristiMD Medical Group. Talk with a caring team member or Dr. Christi openly and honestly about what’s going on. Don’t feel self-conscious about it; Dr. Christi’s expertise in comprehensive female urology and urogynecology covers 2+ decades. Our experienced team has heard it all, and we will put that breadth of experience to work discovering the cause(s) of your UTI issues.
During your consultation, Dr. Christi will also want a sample to send for lab work. This will rule out any issues that might require a larger scope of medical interaction.
Assessment includes a thorough examination of the pelvic area and a microscopic examination of urine samples. If you have more than 3 UTIs per year, Dr. Christi may recommend a CT scan to check for kidney stones and obstructions. A bladder scope may be done in-office to evaluate the bladder wall.
When all the necessary information is gathered and analyzed, Dr. Christi can then customize a bespoke treatment plan that addresses your recurrent UTIs.
Risk Factors for Recurrent UTIs
If you’re a victim of this cycle of infection, you should see if certain risk factors are increasing the likelihood of restarting a UTI. These include:
- Frequent sexual intercourse. This can introduce bacteria into the urethra.
- Using spermicide. It can change the ecosystem in your vagina, spreading unwanted bacterias to your urinary tract.
- Medicine-related urinary retention. Your prescription might have side effects that impact your urinary tract.
- Vaginal atrophy. Often postmenopausal and caused by decreased estrogen levels.
- Genetics. Heredity can affect your immune response to infections.
Initial Recurrent UTI Treatment in Katy
ChristiMD Medical Group will help with:
- UTIs & their possible causes
- Kidney stones
- Bladder wall issues
- Urinary stones/obstructions
- And more
Dr. Christi will look at your history of infections, including the type of infection and rate of recurrence.
If you’ve had several back to back, the first course of action usually involves antibiotics. You’ll also be put on herbal supplements that prevent urinary tract infections—such as D-mannose and cranberry supplements.
We only recommend herbal supplements that have been independently tested. This means the supplement has the appropriate amount of active ingredient to effectively help prevent UTIs.
Dr. Christi will also look at your overall health and wellness. Your body needs all the help it can get to be healthy enough to fight infections on its own. She’ll discern any areas of improvement, and she’ll make recommendations for treatments and/or lifestyle changes that will support your immune system.
We’ll do everything possible to break the recurrent UTI cycle and get you back to a normal, healthy life.
Uncomplicated vs Complicated UTIs
For UTI treatment in Katy, we must understand if the issue is a complicated or uncomplicated UTI. “Uncomplicated” means your urinary tract has no abnormalities. However, if testing shows that your urinary tract has an unusual problem or disease, that’s considered a “complicated” UTI.
A complicated UTI can include issues such as:
- Narrowing of the ureters
- Polyps in the bladder
- Narrowing in the urethra
- Kidney stone(s)
- An enlarged prostate (in men)
- Bladder diverticulum (a pouch protruding from the bladder wall)
- Urinary fistula (irregular opening between urinary tract organs)
Preventative UTI Treatment in Katy
For uncomplicated urinary tract infections, our UTI prevention tips are easy, simple, and can reduce your risk of infection.
Drink Water
You may think that you’ve had enough soda, tea, coffee, and/or smoothies to keep you hydrated. The fact is, your body needs water—plain and simple.
Water helps your body re-balance systems that have gotten off track. That includes keeping the right balance of salts and sugars in your system, while also having enough hydration to flush toxins and wastes out through your urinary system.
Don’t Hold It In
When you need to pee, do it. Empty your bladder often so that urine doesn’t sit in your bladder for an extended period. Bacterias enjoy warm and wet environments. Emptying your bladder removes the living conditions conducive to bacterial growth.
Pee After Sex
Intercourse can cause bacteria to come in contact with the urethra or urethral opening. From there it can get to your bladder, increasing the risk of a UTI. Emptying your bladder shortly after sex flushes out much of that bacteria before it can cause issues.
Front to Back, Ladies
Our moms taught us, and we need to make sure we heed that lesson. For hygiene purposes after urinating or having a bowel movement, always wipe front to back to help prevent the spread of unwanted, infectious bacterias.
Treatments to Support Urinary Tract Health
ChristiMD Medical Group offers treatments for women that can not only support your sexual health, but have benefits that extend to urinary tract health and performance.
MonaLisa Touch for UTI Treatment in Katy
MonaLisa Touch treatment applies laser energy inside the vagina to gently remove targeted tissue. This laser energy from the MonaLisa Touch application wand also stimulates the remaining tissues to self-rejuvenate. This awakens dormant cells in the vaginal wall, addressing vaginal issues such as:
- Laxity
- Dryness
- Atrophy
- pH levels
By correcting the pH balance in your vagina, MonaLisa Touch creates a healthier internal environment. This lessens the possibility of infection caused by personal hygiene practices or intercourse.
ChristiMD Medical Group recommends at least 3 UTI treatments in Katy, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart, to fully address most patients’ needs. Yearly touch-up treatments will help maintain your positive results.
EMSella Chair Treatments
Our EMSella chair does amazing things for your pelvic floor strength! Imagine sitting comfortably for 30 minutes, maybe reading a magazine or watching our in-room television, while your pelvic floor does around 11,000 Kegels.
That’s some kind of workout for these kinds of results. EMSella treatments usually address:
- Overactive bladder
- Urge incontinence
- Stress incontinence
- Leaky bladder
Your strengthened pelvic floor muscles provide better urinary control. This means fewer accidents, less need to “hold in” urine, and no need for adult diapers that press urine and bacteria against your urethral opening and vagina for longer periods.
The renewed strength of your pelvic floor also means you can more completely eliminate urine from your bladder. This helps remove the growth habitat for bacteria.
Kidney Stone Treatment
Your kidneys are part of your urinary tract. If a kidney stone blocks the ureter that exits the kidney and drains into the bladder, waste products can’t pass. This can contribute to a build-up of bacteria, creating a urinary tract infection.
An extraordinarily painful condition, kidney stones happen when urine contains hard mineral deposits that stick together. Undiluted urine—usually caused by lack of proper hydration—can result in these hard deposits passing through your ureter, bladder, and urethra.
As if that isn’t painful enough, a kidney stone often exhibits as back pain—which can cause you to misdiagnose the issue without proper examination from a professional. Because kidney stones are sometimes associated with complicated and recurrent UTIs, you may need treatment for both concerns.
Kidney Stone Treatment at ChristiMD
Our facilities offer 3 different procedures to address kidney stone issues.
Laser Stone Removal Surgery
A fiber introduces laser energy on the stone, breaking it up. A small basket removes the fragments.
Shock Wave Therapy
A lithotripter machine breaks up the stone with powerful, directed shock waves. Your body evacuates the stone dust through natural urinary tract processes.
Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy
Dr. Christi only performs this surgery on large stones. During the procedure, Dr. Christi inserts a scope directly into the kidney, lasering the stone and carefully removing the fragments.
Related topic: uti prevention tips.
Reasons to Have UTI Treatment at ChristiMD
Having treatments for your urinary tract infection(s) at ChristiMD Medical Group delivers the following benefits:
- Stop infection from spreading to kidneys
- No more UTI-based pain/burning
- Lessens/eliminates urinary urgency
- Lessens/eliminates UTI-based cramping
- Stops UTI-based fatigue/malaise
Start Feeling Better—Starting Today
Contact us at ChristiMD today, and let’s set up your consultation. Through talking with a compassionate ChristiMD team member, we can create a plan that addresses your UTI symptoms and the underlying cause(s).
Both women and men come to ChristiMD Medical Group for UTI treatment in Katy. Let us help you today.
Get Care From Caring Professionals
At ChristiMD Medical Group, we speak fluent “woman.” You will always have a safe, welcoming, judgment-free experience with us.
Operating inside Methodist Medical Office Building 2, ChristiMD Medical Group offers the most highly advanced medical treatments available under one roof in Houston. Request a consultation today.