While it is true that the majority of uncomplicated, acute urinary tract infections get better within days – often with a relatively short course of antibiotics, some do not respond to short courses and go on to cause constant, ongoing symptoms for patients.
There is a dangerous misconception that UTIs, while unpleasant, are always short-lived and easily treatable. Taking short courses of antibiotics that fail to completely get rid of an infection is one route by which an acute UTI can develop into a long-term problem. Women are often told their symptoms are caused by unexplained inflammation, psychosomatic pain, or stress rather than a bacterial infection. This can mean no effective treatment is given. If chronic UTIs are not treated they can cause kidney damage and lead to sepsis (bacteria in the blood) which can be life threatening.
UTIs become long-term, or chronic when bacteria in the urine embed themselves into the lining of the bladder wall where antibiotics and immune cells cannot easily reach them. They can cause constant inflammation in the bladder, but they do not always show in current urine tests. The bladder wall sheds approximately every 90 days and although the infection can seem to have gone away, it can flare up again days, weeks or even months later. Over time, changes to the tissue in the bladder wall make the infection even harder to treat.
Some bacteria which cause UTIs have become resistant to the first-choice antibiotics that are routinely prescribed. As antibiotic resistance around the world increases, the number of antibiotic resistant UTIs is likely to increase too and the problem of chronic UTI is likely to get worse.
Urinary tract infections accounts for 70 million primary care appointments every year. Even for simple infections, rates of recurrence are high:
IWI Chronic UTI Regimen: At the Intimate Wellness Institute we recognize the negative impact of chronic UTIs on women’s quality of life and the risks chronic UTIs pose to long-term health. We use the latest technology to acurately diagnose, treat, and prevent recurrence of chronic UTIs.
Biofilms are a collection of bacteria that can form a mucus like layer on the surface of tissue. There is growing evidence that biofilm formation is a significant cause or chronic bladder and vaginal infections. Biofilms are resistant to antibiotic treatment. IWI is the only practice in the region that has gentle resurfacing lasers and radiofrequency devices that can disrupt the biofilm to allow successful antibiotic treatment.
Up to 10% of adult women do not empty their bladder well. Retaining urine in the bladder will lead to chronic infections as the bacteria have time to grow. IWI has specialized treatment options including advanced physical therapy, Emsella, neuromodulation and advanced injections to improve bladder emptying.
"I think the thing that stood out most about the office is that I really felt like, Dr. Guerette understood what I was talking about when I started talking about some of the bladder issues I had. And number two,everybody just seemed really very caring. I really appreciated that."
"I would recommend Dr. G and Jennifer because they are the best. They listen, they're very patient and they really know their stuff! I would like to add that since I have, found Dr. G and Jennifer, I have learned a lot about myself and what I'm going through, that I'm not the only one and there's help so don't have to suffer in silence any longer."
"When I was here, I felt completely heard. I felt, seen and understood. You guys really helped me. You made me not feel, you made me feel like a human. You didn't make me feel like I was a patient."
"I have a much better idea of what's going on with my body and the things that I need to do to, help be more comfortable, have a better quality of life."
