Urethritis is usually considered a male disease, but it is not. The disease can also affect the fairer sex. Fortunately, inflammation of the urethra in women is not life-threatening for the patient, and with timely treatment, it will not cause complications. But still, the disease can cause a lot of inconvenience, which means that it is very important to diagnose the problem in a timely manner and get rid of it.
Let's consider what is inflammation of the urethra in women, symptoms, treatment (with pills and other methods) of pathology, its causes and methods of prevention.
General information
Before considering the symptoms of inflammation of the urethra in women, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic information about the structure of the genitourinary system of the fairer sex. The urethra is an organ that is a narrow tube through which urine is excreted from the body.
Inflammation of the urethra in women in medical practice is called urethritis. In most cases, the problem occurs in the presence of infectious or inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system, although there are other causes, which we will discuss below.
The incubation period of the disease can last up to 30-60 days.
In the absence of timely treatment, inflammation of the external opening of the urethra in women develops into cystitis, which is much more difficult to cure. In order to prevent such complications, you must carefully monitor your he alth and seek help from specialists in a timely manner.
In the photo, inflammation of the urethra in women can be depicted as follows.
What else is known about the disease in question? Some believe that inflammation of the urethra and a cyst in women are one and the same. Despite the similarity of some of the factors that provoke the appearance of pathologies, these are completely different diseases, and you should not confuse them with each other.
Causes of disease
Inflammation of the urethral mucosa in women can result from many factors. To begin with, it is worth noting that there are two main groups of the disease:
- Non-infectious urethritis.
- Infectious urethritis.
Non-infectious inflammation of the urethra can occur due to:
- allergic reactions;
- injuries received during medical or diagnostic procedures;
- anatomical features of the structure of organsgenitourinary system.
Infectious urethritis has its own additional classification. It is divided into:
- Specific.
- Non-specific.
The reason for the development of the first type of infectious urethritis is infection with STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). In this case, the pathogens can be:
- chlamydia;
- mycoplasma;
- Trichomonas;
- gonococci;
- ureaplasma;
- other microorganisms that cause the development of various sexually transmitted diseases.
Non-specific urethritis can make itself felt with the active reproduction of opportunistic microflora (fungi, E. coli, streptococci, staphylococci, and so on) in the urethra.
It is not uncommon for non-infectious urethritis to be complicated by the addition of an infection and turn into an infectious one.
Risk factors
The risk of developing inflammation of the urethra in women increases significantly against the background of:
- Local or general hypothermia. Under the influence of cold, the vessels narrow, and stagnation occurs in the pelvis, which contribute to the accumulation of pathogens.
- Various gynecological and genitourinary pathologies. These include, for example, cystitis, pyelonephritis, vaginitis and other diseases. In their presence, a decrease in local immunity is observed, which leads to accelerated reproduction of harmful microflora. Since the urethra is very close to other organs of the genitourinary system, infections in a short time canpenetrate her too.
- Decrease in immunity and weakening of the general state of he alth. As a result of stress, overwork, childbirth, breastfeeding, illness, menstruation, hormonal failure may occur, against which infection may develop.
- Improper nutrition. Fried, spicy, sour and s alty foods can change the quality of urine. The latter will irritate the urethra and provoke the development of inflammation in it.
Contributes to the manifestation of the disease and earlier onset of sexual activity. In particular, this applies to cases where barrier contraception (condoms) and promiscuity were not used.
Symptoms
In women, the symptoms of inflammation of the urethra can be almost invisible or completely absent. According to official statistics, a similar picture is observed in 50% of patients. In all other cases, some specific symptoms may appear, including:
- discomfort during urination;
- appearance of unusual discharge from the urethra;
- frequent urge to urinate;
- unpleasant pain in the pubic area;
- itching in the vulva and vagina, which usually worsens before the onset of menstruation;
- redness of the urethra and surrounding tissues;
- feeling like your bladder hasn't emptied completely;
- pain during intercourse.
In some cases, inflammation of the urethra may be accompanied by the appearance ofblood impurities in the urine. As a rule, such a picture indicates an advanced form of pathology or the development of complications.
It is worth noting that it is not necessary to have all the signs of the disease at once. Usually there is an alternation of only a few pieces. And the chronic stage of the pathology in most cases is asymptomatic.
Diagnosis
Inflammation of the urethra in women with its symptoms is similar to other diseases of the genitourinary system (cystitis, pyelonephritis and others). Therefore, during the diagnosis, the specialist must take into account not only the patient's complaints, but also the results of various additional studies. In most cases, a woman is prescribed:
- urological examination;
- swabbing urethra;
- general urinalysis and glass samples;
- complete blood count;
- sowing a smear to detect pathogenic microorganisms in it and determine their sensitivity to antibiotics;
- PCR study;
- Ultrasound of the pelvic organs;
- urethrography and ureteroscopy (in the acute course of the disease, these types of studies may be prohibited).
After the final diagnosis, the specialist will tell you how to treat inflammation of the urethra for a woman, prescribe the necessary drugs and procedures.
Medicated treatment
When symptoms of inflammation of the urethra are detected, women can be treated at home. The specialist will prescribe the patient several groups of medicines at once.
Treatment of inflammation of the urethra in women with drugs begins withthe use of broad-spectrum antibiotics that can affect most pathogens of the disease. Most commonly used:
- Norfloxacin;
- Nolicin
- Pefloxacin;
- "Amoxiclav";
- Azithromycin;
- "Doxycycline";
- Ciprofloxacin.
Most often it is enough to use only one type of antibiotic. Only in rare cases does it become necessary to combine drugs of two or more groups at once (macrolides, cephalosporins, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones).
As a rule, antibiotic therapy is prescribed to treat a non-specific type of disease. To get rid of specific urethritis, in most cases other medicines are used, which will differ depending on the type of pathogenic microorganisms. For example, if the appearance of pathology was caused by the causative agent of gonorrhea, the patient may be prescribed:
- Erythromycin;
- "Oletetrin";
- Cefuroxime;
- "Cefakor";
- "Spectinomycin";
- Rifampicin;
- Cefriaxone.
When infected with Trichomonas, drugs such as:
- suppositories "Iodovidone";
- "Imorazol";
- "Metronidazole";
- "Ornidazole";
- "Chlorhexidine";
- "Benzydamine".
If the appearance of the disease is associated with the reproduction of the Candida fungus, it becomes necessary to use means to destroy it:
- "Nystatin";
- "Levorin";
- "Amphoglucamine";
- "Natamycin";
- Clotrimazole.
Get rid of the symptoms of viral urethritis will help:
- "Aciclovir";
- Penciclovir;
- Ganciclovir;
- Ribavirin;
- Famciclovir.
Inflammation of the urethra, which was caused by chlamydia and mycoplasma, is treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, which have already been discussed above.
By the way, antibacterial drugs are prescribed to absolutely all patients at the beginning of treatment. This allows you to prevent the development of the disease into a chronic form. Only after receiving the test results, the doctor, if necessary, will correct the previously prescribed therapy.
In order to restore the normal intestinal microflora and increase the body's resistance to various infections, the patient is prescribed immunostimulants. These can be means such as:
- Timalin;
- "Cycloferon";
- Gepon;
- Ribomunil;
- "Phlogenzim".
Alternatively, PP and B vitamins and various antioxidants are also used.
If there are signs of allergy, antihistamines are prescribed (Tavegil, Loratadin, Suprastin).
Topical treatment
Treatment of inflammation of the urethra in women does not end with the use of pills. It is equally important to conduct local therapy, for example, sitz baths. To achieve a greater effect, use variousantiseptics (potassium permanganate "Chlorhexidine") or decoctions of medicinal plants (chamomile, calendula, yarrow)
It is also possible to use tampons with ointments (Clotrimazole, Synthomycin, Econazole) or inhalation of solutions into the urethra (Miramistin, Collargol, Protargol, Chlorhexidine).
Other recommendations
For successful treatment, the patient will need to adhere to some more general recommendations:
- Observe the rules of intimate hygiene and sexual rest for the entire period of treatment.
- Avoid hypothermia.
- Stay on a special diet. The latter implies the minimization or complete exclusion from the diet of too fatty, spicy, sour and s alty foods, alcohol.
- Drink at least 1.5 liters of pure water (per day). This will help flush out bacteria from the urinary tract.
Treatment of chronic urethritis
In the absence of timely and proper treatment, the acute stage of the disease quickly becomes chronic. In this case, the signs of the disease can become almost invisible or completely disappear. Meanwhile, pathogenic bacteria continue to actively multiply in the body and provoke the development of complications.
The main treatment of chronic inflammation of the urethra in women is the same as during the acute stage of the pathology. The difference will be only in the time spent. Treatment of the chronic form of the disease usually lasts several weeks. In this case, in addition to following the general treatment regimen, it may be necessary to useadditional methods:
- physiotherapy;
- laser therapy;
- magnetic therapy;
- ultrasound;
- electrophoresis.
At the same time, it is important to exclude all factors that can reduce immunity, and normalize the regime of rest and work.
After the end of treatment, it is necessary to retake all tests to make sure that there are no pathogenic bacteria in the body.
Complications
It was already mentioned earlier that with the timely start of treatment, inflammation of the urethra does not pose a great danger to a woman. But if the patient was in no hurry to seek help from a specialist and decided that the disease would “go away on its own”, this threatens to develop more serious and dangerous complications, including:
- cystitis;
- vulvovaginitis;
- colpitis;
- adnexitis;
- endometritis;
- pyelonephritis;
- ectopic pregnancy, blocked fallopian tubes, infertility, frequent pelvic pain (after chlamydial urethritis).
Prevention
Avoiding inflammation in the urethra is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Just follow simple preventive measures:
- Avoid severe stress and nervous breakdowns.
- Pay due attention to the quality and duration of sleep.
- Avoid hypothermia (dress for the weather, do not sit in the cold).
- Observe the rules of intimate hygiene.
- Pay special attention to "women's" he alth during socalled hormonal bursts. The latter are observed during pregnancy, lactation, menstruation, menopause, after an abortion or withdrawal of hormonal drugs, and so on.
- Check your diet. It should contain as little as possible (and ideally, completely absent) products with GMOs or other chemical additives and preservatives. Do not abuse flour, sweet, spicy, sour, s alty.
- For sexual life, it is best to have one permanent partner.
- Don't forget about the various ways to strengthen overall immunity.
It is important for women to remember the consequences of untreated diseases of the genitourinary system. It is important to carefully monitor your he alth and not refuse preventive examinations at the gynecologist twice a year.
