Women are told that they must pee after having sexual intercourse. Otherwise, you can get gnarly urinary tract infection. But is this really true? Can peeing after sex make a difference for the prevention of UTIs? Visit your provider at the private sexual health screening and know about the need to pee after intercourse. Let us know whether or not peeing after sex can make much difference when it is about preventing UTIs.
What do you understand by sex?
There arises an important question, “What do you mean by “pee after sex?” In simple words, sex is any kind of activity that may possibly increase the risk of getting an UTI with exposure to bacteria.
This will include:
- Penetrative sex with penis or toy
- Receiving oral sex
- Masturbating with toys or your hands
- Anal sex
- Genital contact with or without penetration
- Manual stimulation “fingering”
Can peeing after sexual intercourse prevent urinary tract infections?
Despite how you have intercourse, there can possibly be a lot of friction and foreign objects around which can increase the risk of bacteria from spreading to your urethra from where you pee.
Bacteria which are usually found in different areas of your body may turn into an infection when they reach your urethra and travel further up to urinary tract, bladder and possibly kidneys.
UTIs seem to be more common in women as the urethra is closer to anus than for people with penises. This means there is shorter distance bacteria have to travel to reach urethra and cause an infection.
This is where the idea of peeing after sex arises. Peeing can be a power washer to clear out any bacteria and germs that have made it into the urethra before they get the chance to develop into an infection.
Most gynecologists will back up the idea of peeing after intercourse and many peope having vulvas say it works. According to researchers, peeing after sex may not always prevent from getting sexually transmitted infections.
How you can prevent urinary tract infections
Though studies do not show any back up about peeing after sex, it can help when you are prone to urinary tract infections. According to health care professionals, it is necessary to urinate within 30 minutes of having sex and prevent the infection. But peeing is not the only way to avoid post-sex UTIs.
Here are some tips how you can avoid UTIs:
- Drink lots of fluids before and after having intercourse
- Eat probiotic-rich food like fermented vegetables and yogurt and take probiotics
- Clean and sanitize your sex toys thoroughly
- Wipe from the front to the back at the time of peeing
- Do not switch from anus to vagina/vulva whether it is penis or toy
- Ask your provider when birth control may lead to frequent UTIs
What you should do when having urinary tract infection
Sometimes UTIs can be unavoidable and common symptoms are the following:
- Burning at the time of urinating
- Cloudy urination
- Continuous urge to pee
When you have a UTI, it can sometimes be treated at home by taking probiotics and supplements.
If the symptoms continue or become worse, you experience pain in your lower back or fever, then it is necessary to seek medical care without delay as these can be signs of serious infection. The infections related to kidney may develop and cause serious complications and so, it is necessary to seek medical care soon when you have any of these symptoms.
In the case you recently enjoyed sex with your partner and are experiencing burning at the time of urination, it might not necessarily be an UTI. The irritation of vulva and inside the vagina can take place when you have sensitivity to condoms lubricant or spermicide you use. There can be a chance that it might be an STI and so, you may need to get tested.
Use protection during intercourse
It is a good idea to discuss about having safer sex with your partner in a friendly way. UTIs aren’t the only thing to keep on your radar when having sex. Practicing safer sex means taking steps to avoid the transmission of sexually transmitted infections or STIs.
You can practice the habit of safer sex by the following ways:
- Conduct tests before and after enjoying sex with your new partner
- Sanitize toys between partners or use condoms with them
- Communicate if one of you already has an STI
- Use barrier protection such as dental dams or condoms
If you already have an STI, then it is probably not a big deal. Most sexually transmitted diseases can be treated by taking antibiotics and typically the stigma is worse than the condition itself.
What you should remember when peeing after intercourse
Everyone has to pee sooner or later after sex. Sometimes you may fall asleep before you get a chance to and when you do not seem to get UTIs, you will possibly be fine.
Peeing after intercourse is not proven to prevent UTIs though many people find it useful and there are other things to avoid them. When you suffer from recurrent UTIs, it is important to visit a healthcare provider as they may probably cause serious complications whether or not you pee after intercourse.
You may book your GP appointment and know about urinary tract infections as well as peeing after having sexual intercourse.