Around Twenty percent of women develop a UTI during their lifetime as they are in general more prone to UTIs than men, this infection is the second most common infection in the human body.What most women do not realise is that UTIs are a serious health problem and millions of people are affected each year.

A very important component to maintaining human health is the kidneys and bladder which are located within the urinary system. Their main function is to remove any waste and all excess liquid from the blood and transform it into Urine.

It is very important that a stable balance of salts and minerals are maintained in the blood. This is achieved by a hormone that the kidneys produces.

Waste products are transported out of the human body with the aid of channels which are located both between the kidney and the bladder as well as to the outside.

Most of the time your urine is sterile and causes no infections. The exception to this is when bacteria get's into the urinary tract system because once they get in there they can rapidly multiply.

When bacteria multiply, an infection can occur. The infection can start in any of the different parts of the urinary system. An infection in the bladder is called bladder infection or cystitis.

The ureter and bladder of the urinary system are designed in such a way to fight or prevent the more severe infections. They do this by preventing urine from backing up into the kidneys and the urine flow from the bladder removes bacteria from the body.

Women should know that if they had three urinary tract infections, they are likely to have more, ninety percent of women get another one within 18 months. Should you have frequent urinary tract infections, you can ask your physician for low dosage antibiotics that can be taken up to half a year at a time.

You can also take a single dose of antibiotic after intercourse or take a short amount of antibiotics when symptoms occur, but only after talking to your physician about it.

To prevent running to your physician's office or just to have confirmation, there are dipstick available over the counter now. These dipsticks detect 90 percent of all urinary tract infections when used with the first urine sample after waking up.

Steps to prevent further UTIs or to reduce the risk of having another one within a short amount of time are also useful for woman. Such steps include drinking big amount of water every day. Urinate whenever you have the urge, do not hold it in for long periods of time.

To prevent bacteria from the anus area from entering the vaginal area always wipe from front to back after using the toilet. This will prevent any bacteria leading to an infection in the urinary tract system.

It is also recommended to shower instead of taking tub baths. Water in the tub stays to long around your urinary system and therefore can spread easily. Another womens health issues tip is a very important one and that is to cleanse the genital area before you have intercourse. This reduces the amount of bacteria entering your system.

Soaps and douches as well as other feminine hygiene products can irritate the urethra area and should therefore also be avoided or reduced.

A very important womens health issues tip is that urinary tract infections in a pregnant woman can lead to premature delivery of the baby and also high blood pressure. For this reason UTIs in pregnant women need to be treated instantly. During the pregnancy the treatment is a little harder than for a regular UTI, this is because not all antibiotics are safe to be used during pregnancy.