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 intercourse 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, relapsing.

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

Cystitis accounts for about 90% of urinary tract infections and most commonly affects sexually active women between the ages of 20 and 50.

In humans, cystitis is much rarer for anatomical reasons. The female urethra is in fact shorter than the male one 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 microtrauma that can occur during sexual intercourse or by the use of diaphragms or spermicides that contain substances that are 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 urinating, pain. The urine may also appear cloudy, foul-smelling, or have traces of blood or pus.

Read also Personal hygiene and prevention of cystitis in women >>

How to prevent recurrent cystitis

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

Bearberry contains in fact arbutin , a glycoside with antibacterial action. Arbutin is present in bearberry leaves in the form of glycoside consisting of a sugar and a non-sugar 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, under basic pH conditions, is hydrolyzed: the free hydroquinone exerts an antiseptic action .

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

Bearberry and American blueberry products can be taken as a preventative measure to avoid recurring episodes of cystitis.
In any case, it is preferable to seek the advice of your doctor, pharmacist or herbalist before starting treatment with natural remedies.