Hello doctor, I am a healthy 32 year old female with no past urologic complaints. Starting three months ago, I had some episodes of cloudy urine and I got a urinalysis and had 1 plus leukocyte esterase and occasional WBC and RBC. Urine culture came back with 100,000 colonies of Proteus. I took five days of Bactrim and within two months, it was back. I just finished a 10 day course of Cefuroxime 500 mg twice a day and got a repeat urinalysis two weeks after finishing antibiotics and again the same urinalysis with occasional WBC and 1 plus leukocyte esterase and 100,000 colonies of Proteus mirabilis. What could be causing this?
Hello. Relax and do not worry. The length of female urethra is only 4 cm. So naturally, females are more prone to urinary tract infections (UTI) than males. What are your symptoms at present? Do you have any urinary problems like a poor flow of urine, burning, etc.? UTI usually occurs after sexual intercourse. You are suffering from recurrent UTI. If you are asymptomatic, I want you to confirm urine culture at a different lab (not the same lab where you did the last culture). I also want you to get done ultrasound abdomen with postvoid residual urine. Meanwhile, continue cranberry extract. And follow proper hygiene techniques during washing of anal region after passing stools. Do not wash from back to forward, wash from forward to back so that it will not contaminate your periurethral region. If you are asymptomatic, avoid antibiotics now. And get the above tests done. For more information consult a urologist online -->