Healthcare professionals see 7 million office visits from people with a UTI every year.
A UTI isn’t just an uncomfortable annoyance to brush off. Ignoring your symptoms can compromise your health and drain your bank account. Urinary tract infections cost patients over a billion dollars annually on hospital bills.
Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections. But just because it is common doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it seriously.
Can a UTI go away on its own?
The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. Read the information below before you decide whether or not to see a doctor about your UTI.
How to Tell You Have a UTI
A UTI is caused by bacteria, most often E. coli, in your urinary tract. Women are more likely to get a UTI because of the way their bodies are built. At least 50% of women get at least one UTI in their lifetime.
The first symptom is pain while urinating. Other symptoms include:
- Lower abdominal pain
- Frequent urination
- Blood in the urine
- Always feeling like you need to urinate
If you have at least 3 of these symptoms, you may have a UTI. The only way to know for sure is for a doctor to test your urine.
Can a UTI Go Away on Its Own?
The urinary system is designed to flush itself out. When it fails to do so, you develop an infection.
Infections aren’t like a swollen knee. If you don’t do something to kill the bacteria causing the problem, it can spread through your body.
How can you increase your odds of recovering without going to a doctor? Drink a lot of fluids to flush out your system and take something for the pain.
Cranberry products are not a magical cure. You’re better off sticking to water.
If you develop these symptoms, visit a doctor as soon as possible:
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Intense bladder pain
Any suspected UTI that lasts more than two days should be treated with antibiotics.
What Happens if a UTI isn’t Treated?
Without antibiotics, the infection will spread through your entire urinary system. Once it hits your kidneys, it can be fatal.
Your kidneys are connected straight to your heart. Any untreated infection in the kidney will pass into the largest vein in your body.
Infections in the bloodstream cause sepsis. The immune response to sepsis damages major organs.
How to Get Rid of a Urinary Tract Infection
Can a UTI go away on its own? Unfortunately, no. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.
At the very least, you need to flush your system with fluids and control the pain. But that is not a guarantee that it will vanish.
The best way to get rid it is to talk to a doctor. Treating yourself for an infection can lead to unfortunate complications.
Are you concerned about a possible UTI? Visit Oxford Urgent Care. Our staff will help treat it.