Always Pee After Sex
by Audrey Ference
Ok everyone, this is not technically a question someone has written in to ask me, but I was in the office ladies' room yesterday and two chicks were having a very loud, very detailed conversation about the fact that one of them keeps getting UTIs. I felt like it would be weird to offer unsolicited advice from the next stall over, but this woman needed help. So even though I know we've talked about this in the past, for the sake of this chick (hi! hopefully you read this! or not if that's creepy!) and others like her I thought it best to revisit the basics of UTI prevention. Because for those of us prone to them, it's a real quality of life issue: that shit SERIOUSLY sucks.
1. Finish your antibiotics. Pretty pretty please. This goes for all antibiotics, not just UTI ones. Take all of the pills in the bottle, how hard is that? Not hard. Oh and also, if you are on birth control pills, please note that antibiotics might decrease their effectiveness. I've been skeptical of this warning in the past because I've seen some studies where they found no interference. But then on a plane I was watching an I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant where the woman was on the pill and then went on antibiotics and got pregs but didn't know and then gave birth in a toilet because she thought she was just constipated (?), which has scared me straight forever re: antibiotics and the pill, because gross gross toilet baby. Better safe than sorry.
2. Pee after every time you have sex. Every single time, no exceptions, and do it right away. This pushes the bacteria back out of your pee hole, and it is key.
3. Use plenty of lube. The smoother everything goes down, the less likely you are to get a UTI, in my experience.
4. If you start to feel iffy, get some cranberry pills and take four a day until the bottle is gone. Girls who have this problem, you know what I mean by iffy. Or I guess you could drink cranberry juice if you prefer, but ick, cranberry juice.
5. Ask your doctor for Macrobid or a similar low-dose antibiotic. This goes against the always finish your antibiotics rule, I guess. I don't really fully understand how it works, but you take one after you have sex or when you feel iffy and it is a magic wonderful pill that keeps UTIs away forever. After a couple of years of using this stuff on an as-needed basis, I have now gone off them and (knock wood!) not had a UTI in years.
So there you go, bathroom girl. Don't listen to your friend, listen to me. You're welcome.
Dear Audrey,
When my son was born a few years ago, my husband and I started sleeping in separate rooms. Whichever of us was on baby duty slept on a little cot in the nursery. Now he's older but we've kept sleeping separately because both of us sleep better that way. We still have sex and everything. But my mother found out and now she's upset and convinced we're in a loveless marriage. Am I weird that I like to sleep in my own bed?
Your marriage is your business. Do what works for you. Tell your mother to fuck off. Or don't swear at her but you know, tell her to butt out.
for questions and comments, the natural redhead can be reached at sex@thelmagazine.com
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