Cystitis is a very common infection that affects the bladder and can be favored by sexual intercourse . Let's see what cystitis is, what is the relationship between cystitis and sexual relations and how we can prevent cystitis thanks to natural remedies.

Cystitis and sexual intercourse

Cystitis is one of the most common bacterial infections involving the lower urinary tract. The infection that causes cystitis is almost always ascending and can be acute or, in some cases, recurrent.

Recurrent forms are frequent in predisposed subjects and occur in 25% of cases: for 75% of cases cystitis is instead a sporadic infection.

Cystitis accounts for about 90% of urinary tract infections and more frequently affects women between sexually active 20 and 50 years.

In humans, cystitis is much rarer due to anatomical reasons. The female urethra is in fact shorter than the male urethra and the woman cannot count on the antibacterial action of prostatic secretions. These factors favor the penetration of bacteria that reach the bladder.

The incidence of infections is also increased by microtraumas that may occur during sexual intercourse or by the use of diaphragms or spermicides that contain substances toxic to the vaginal microflora. Sexual intercourse therefore does not cause cystitis but can facilitate infections since microtraumas and the use of spermicides weaken the natural immune defenses and favor the attack by pathogenic bacteria.

The most common symptoms of cystitis include an increased frequency of urination, difficulty in urinating, pain. Urine may also appear cloudy, smelly, or show traces of blood or pus.

How to prevent recurrent cystitis

In subjects predisposed to cystitis may be recurrent and the infection may therefore occur recurrently. To prevent cystitis episodes it may be useful to use bearberry or American blueberry, two effective natural remedies for the prevention of infections affecting the urinary tract.

Bearberry in fact contains arbutin, a glycoside with antibacterial action. Arbutin is present in bearberry leaves in the form of glycoside consisting of a sugary part and a non-sugary part.

When arbutin reaches the intestine it is hydrolyzed to hydroquinone by the microflora present in the intestine. Hydroquinone is absorbed and reaches the liver, where it is conjugated as gluconoride and sulfate. The conjugated hydroquinone reaches the bladder and here, in conditions of basic pH, it is hydrolyzed: the free hydroquinone exerts antiseptic action .

The American blueberry, on the other hand, has an antibacterial action at the level of the bladder, preventing bacteria from adhering to the moss of the bladder wall.

Products made from bearberry and American blueberry can be taken as a preventive measure to avoid recurrent episodes of cystitis.

It is in any case preferable to seek the advice of the doctor, pharmacist or herbalist before starting a treatment with natural remedies.