Thread: This is SO annoying..advice?

Every time im PMSing i seem to get a really low grade UTI. It is the most annoying thing ever!!! It's not like i need to be medicated for it, but i dread going to the bathroom because after im uncomfortable for about 20 minutes. I feel like i still have to go, but i dont. It only happens when im PMSing. this has been going on for a while (both when i was off and on birth control)

I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem, and/or if anyone knows ways to prevent it (i drink alot of cranberry juice because i know thats good for it, and i drink alot of water in general)..Please let me know any tips you might have

I used to experience this much more frequently than I do now. Cranberry juice and plenty of water seems to have done the trick for me.

One thing to check, if you haven't been already, is the ingredient label on your cranberry juice. Getting one that's high in high-fructose corn syrup just about eliminates all of the benefits of drinking the cranberry juice in the first place. I know the Dole 100% juices are good and don't have HFCS, but there are several other good brands out there, too, that you should be able to find in a grocery store without going to a health-foods store. Cranberry-Pomegranate mixes generally don't contain HFCS, since the pomegranate is enough to sweeten. It's better to drink a mixture with different juices added than to drink the cranberry juice with lots of HFCS. Until I started paying more attention to this, I did have the problem lots more frequently.

Also, consider the type of feminine products you are using to take care of things. I haven't found a brand of pads yet that don't leave me with a "low-grade" UTI or yeast infection, and my preference is for tampons. However, as I'm fighting cysts more and more frequently these days, it's back to hunting through for the best fit for me with pads again.

Any other tips that you've found to be helpful would surely be great to hear for the rest of us!