Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See All Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See All News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet isĀ not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See All Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See All Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See All Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
    • Wellness Warriors
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
    • Health Reviews
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Sexual Health Chevron Right
  3. 9 Home Remedies for Preventing and Treating UTIs

9 Home Remedies for Preventing and Treating UTIs

By Karen Pallarito
Updated February 27, 2021
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: kieferpix/Getty Images
When symptoms are mild, consider trying these easy, at-home treatments before resorting to antibiotics.
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

How to get rid of a UTI

Maybe you’ve heard other people’s UTI nightmares: the friend who gets one almost every time she has sex; the 70-something aunt who struggles with recurring infections now that she’s older. Or maybe you’re dealing with symptoms seemingly out of the blue or after a weekend of hot tubbing.

When symptoms surface, the cause doesn’t exactly matter; all you want to know is how to get rid of your UTI.

Antibiotics are the main treatment, especially if you have a raging infection. But when symptoms are mild or vague, it may be worth giving natural remedies for a UTI a try before popping a prescription pill or while you’re waiting for your meds to kick in.

So what exactly is a UTI? A urinary tract infection, or UTI, is a general term for any infection along the urinary tract. Infections usually start in the lower urinary tract, where the urethra (the tube that allows urine to pass out of the body) and bladder (where urine is stored) are located.

Sometimes UTIs travel to the ureters (the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and kidneys (where urine is produced).

Anyone can get a UTI and at any age, including babies, toddlers, and men—but these infections are much more common in women. Doctors say it’s an anatomy thing: Women’s urethras are shorter than men’s and closer to the anus, so it’s easier for bacteria to enter the body and ascend the urinary tract.

Most UTIs are bladder infections (also called cystitis). Common symptoms include burning; lower abdominal pain; and a frequent or urgent need to urinate, even if you barely have a trickle of pee to pass.

If the infection travels from the bladder to one or both kidneys, more worrisome symptoms can develop. Kidney infections (also called pyelonephritis) are a type of UTI that can spike a fever and cause back pain; nausea; vomiting; and bloody, cloudy, or foul-smelling urine.

RELATED: 7 Things Every Woman Should Know About UTIs

Thomas Hooton, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami School of Medicine, tells patients with recurrent infections who have mild symptoms to “try to treat it naturally with increased fluid and some pain relief.” If UTI symptoms improve in a day or two, “well, then, you’ve saved yourself an antibiotic,” he says.

That’s important, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), because overuse of antibiotics can render these drugs ineffective against future bacterial infections, including recurrent UTIs.

If symptoms are bad or don’t improve, “by all means,” Dr. Hooton says, “call the doctor and get an antibiotic.”

Older, post-menopausal women experiencing repeated UTIs should speak with a doctor about a prescription for vaginal estrogen, adds Nazema Siddiqui, MD, assistant professor of urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery at Duke University Medical Center. Research shows it can help by building the body’s defense against bad bugs.

If your child has urinary symptoms (which can differ from your own), consult your pediatrician and seek immediate care if fever and other signs of illness last more than 24 hours. Young children are at greater risk of kidney damage from UTIs than older kids and adults, says the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

That said, there are times when it makes sense for UTI sufferers to go the home-remedy route because some things may actually help. Here’s how to treat a UTI at home.

RELATED: What Does It Mean if You're Peeing Blood? We Asked a Doctor

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Drink water

Are you drinking enough water each day? With these tips from Holley Grainger, RD, filling up on the recommended 13 to 16 cups is easier than you think. Watch this Cooking Light video to learn more.

2 of 10

3 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Urinate frequently

Credit: Getty Images

If you’ve got to go, go! Peeing may help flush out bacteria that cause UTIs, doctors say.

Studies involving female Taiwanese factory workers with a high rate of UTIs suggest an association between delayed bladder voiding and the infections. After an educational campaign on the importance of fluids and urination, workers’ water intake and bathroom breaks increased and UTI prevalence decreased.

Dr. Hooton says the findings make intuitive sense. The longer you hold it in, the more time you give bacteria “to stick to the bladder wall and cause infection.”

3 of 10

Advertisement

4 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Dose up on D-mannose

Credit: gemredding/Getty Images

D-mannose is a simple sugar with a potential UTI prevention superpower: It sticks to E. coli bacteria.

A small, randomized trial found women taking 2 grams of D-mannose powder in almost a cup of water daily for 6 months had significantly fewer recurrent UTIs than women taking an antibiotic for UTI prevention and women who didn't take anything. Scientists think it may prevent bacteria from clinging to the bladder and causing infection.

More research is needed to show how much to take or whether it’s well absorbed from the GI tract into the bladder, Dr. Hooton explains, but he suggests trying it because it shouldn’t hurt and could be helpful.

4 of 10

5 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Give cranberry a whirl

Credit: Burke/Triolo Productions/Getty Images

Some women swear by cranberry to stave off UTIs. But study results are decidedly mixed, and many involve older adults in long-term care.

“In younger, healthier women, there may be a role for it,” Dr. Siddiqui observes.

Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins, chemicals that prevent bacteria from sticking to cells lining the urinary tract, according to a 2009 report in the Journal of Medicinal Food.

If you’re going to try cranberry, pills may be more palatable than downing tart, 100% cranberry juice, Dr. Siddiqui says. If it works for you, stick with it–but if not, don’t waste your money. And of course, she adds, if your symptoms are really bad, “we do generally recommend treating with antibiotics.”

A few words of caution: If you’re on a blood thinner, talk to your doctor first because taking cranberry may increase your risk of bleeding, Dr. Siddiqui notes. Also, people with interstitial cystitis, a painful bladder condition, may want to avoid cranberry, she says, because its acidity may cause further irritation.

RELATED: The Best Over-the-Counter Fixes for UTIs, Yeast Infections, Allergies, and More

5 of 10

6 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Consider adding vitamin C

Credit: didecs/Getty Images

Urine that’s more acidic is less welcoming to bacteria, or so the thinking goes. And that’s why some women take vitamin C, which contains ascorbic acid, to ward off UTIs.

But Dr. Hooton isn’t convinced. “You can’t really change your [vaginal] pH very easily by taking vitamin C,” he says.

In a recent review of non-antibiotic UTI prevention strategies, researchers could not recommend vitamin C. They found only two trials, and those studies produced contradictory results.

However, if you are already taking D-mannose and cranberry and you’re otherwise healthy, adding C to your regimen likely won’t hurt. “Many bladder health supplements combine all three of these agents,” Dr. Siddiqui notes.

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Try probiotics

Eating foods rich in probiotics can boost the healthy bacteria in your digestive tract, which can help you fend off indigestion and other stomach troubles. Watch this video to learn about foods loaded with probiotics.

7 of 10

8 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Take an OTC pain med

Credit: Yuri_Arcurs/Getty Images

Over-the-counter products like AZO contain phenazopyridine, a pain reliever that eases urinary pain, burning, urgency, and frequency.

Phenazopyridine is also available in prescription strength under brand names like Pyridium.

When you’re really uncomfortable, phenazopyridine can “help soothe and calm the bladder while you’re waiting for the antibiotic to work,” Dr. Siddiqui says.

8 of 10

9 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Apply heat

Credit: OcusFocus/Getty Images

Heat can be an effective at-home remedy for UTI pain.

Place a heating pad or hot water bottle on your abdomen or back to ease the discomfort of a bladder or kidney infection, says the NIDDK.

That advice goes for kids with bladder infections, too.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Wear loose clothing

Credit: kieferpix/Getty Images

If you’re still getting UTIs, tight skinny jeans may not be your thing.

“We don’t really think that clothing causes infections or makes infections persist,” but it might “worsen irritation,” Dr. Siddiqui explains.

Wearing underwear with a cotton crotch and quickly changing out of damp workout clothes and wet bathing suits may also help, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health.

10 of 10

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Karen Pallarito

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 10 How to get rid of a UTI
2 of 10 Drink water
3 of 10 Urinate frequently
4 of 10 Dose up on D-mannose
5 of 10 Give cranberry a whirl
6 of 10 Consider adding vitamin C
7 of 10 Try probiotics
8 of 10 Take an OTC pain med
9 of 10 Apply heat
10 of 10 Wear loose clothing

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

9 Home Remedies for Preventing and Treating UTIs
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.