Urethritis is usually considered a male disease, but it is not. The illness can strike and the fairer sex. Fortunately, inflammation of the urethra in women is not life threatening to the patient, and with timely treatment started, it will not cause complications. But still, the disease can deliver a lot of inconvenience, which means that it is very important to diagnose the problem in a timely manner and get rid of it.
Consider what is inflammation of the urethra in women, symptoms, treatment (tablets and other methods) of the pathology, the causes of its occurrence and methods of prevention.
general information
Before proceeding to the consideration of the symptoms of urethral inflammation in women, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic information about the structure of the urogenital system of the fairer sex. The urethra is an organ, which is a narrow tube through which urine is excreted from the body.
Urethral inflammation in women is called urethritis in medical practice. In most cases, the problem occurs in the presence of infectious or inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system, although there are other reasons, 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 health and seek professional help in a timely manner.
In the photo, inflammation of the urethra in women can be represented approximately as follows.
What else is known about the disease in question? Some believe that inflammation of the urethra and cyst in women are one and the same thing. Despite the similarity of some factors provoking the appearance of pathologies, these are completely different diseases, and you should not confuse them with each other.
Causes of the disease
Inflammation of the urethral mucosa in women can occur as a result of exposure to 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 may occur due to:
- allergic reactions;
- injuries received during medical or diagnostic procedures;
- anatomical features of the structure of the urogenital system.
Infectious urethritis has its own additional classification. It is divided into:
- Specific.
- Nonspecific.
The reason for the development of the first type of infectious urethritis is infection with STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). In this case, pathogens can be:
- chlamydia
- mycoplasma;
- Trichomonas;
- gonococci;
- ureaplasma;
- other microorganisms that cause the development of various sexually transmitted diseases.
Nonspecific urethritis can be felt when active propagation of opportunistic microflora (fungi, Escherichia coli, streptococci, staphylococci and so on) in the urethra.
There are frequent cases when non-infectious urethritis was complicated by the attachment of an infection and turned into an infectious one.
Risk factors
The risk of developing urethral inflammation 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 urogenital pathologies. This includes, for example, cystitis, pyelonephritis, vaginitis and other diseases. If they are present, 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 can also enter it in a short time.
- Decreased immunity and weakened general health. As a result of stress, overwork, childbirth, breastfeeding, diseases, menstruation, hormonal failure can occur, against which the development of infection is possible.
- Malnutrition. Fried, spicy, sour and salty 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 the onset of sexual activity. In particular, this applies to cases where barrier contraceptives (condoms) and promiscuity have not been 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, among which:
- discomfort during urination;
- the appearance of unusual discharge from the urethra;
- frequent urination;
- unpleasant pain in the pubic area;
- itching in the external genitalia and vagina, which usually worsens before the onset of menstruation;
- redness of the urethra and surrounding tissues;
- feeling that the bladder is not completely empty;
- pain during intercourse.
In some cases, inflammation of the urethra may be accompanied by the appearance of blood impurities in the urine. As a rule, such a picture indicates a neglected 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.
Diagnostics
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;
- taking a smear from the urethra;
- general analysis of urine and glass samples;
- general blood analysis;
- sowing a smear to identify pathogenic microorganisms in it and determine their sensitivity to antibiotics;
- PCR study;
- Ultrasound of the pelvic organs;
- urethrography and urethroscopy (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 a woman with inflammation of the urethra, prescribe the necessary drugs and procedures.
Drug treatment
If symptoms of inflammation of the urethra are detected, women can be treated at home. The specialist will prescribe the patient medications of several groups at once.
Treatment of urethral inflammation in women with drugs begins with the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics that can affect most pathogens. Most commonly used:
- Norfloxacin;
- Nolitsin
- "Pefloxacin";
- Amoxiclav;
- "Azithromycin";
- "Doxycycline";
- "Ciprofloxacin."
Most often, only one type of antibiotic is sufficient. Only in rare cases there is a need for a combination of drugs of two or more groups at once (macrolides, cephalosporins, sulfanilamides, 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 medications are used, which will differ depending on the type of pathogenic microorganisms. For example, if the appearance of the pathology was caused by the causative agent of gonorrhea, the patient may be prescribed:
- "Erythromycin";
- Oletetrin;
- "Cefuroxime";
- "Cefacor";
- Spectinomycin;
- "Rifampicin";
- Cefriaxone
Upon infection, Trichomonas used drugs such as:
- suppositories "Iodovidone";
- "Imrazole";
- "Metronidazole";
- Ornidazole
- "Chlorhexidine";
- "Benzidamine."
If the onset of the disease is associated with the propagation of Candida fungus, there is a need to use means to kill it:
- "Nystatin";
- Levorin
- Amfoglucamine;
- "Natamycin";
- "Clotrimazole."
Get rid of the symptoms of viral urethritis help:
- "Acyclovir";
- "Penciclovir";
- "Ganciclovir";
- Ribavirin
- Famciclovir.
Treatment of inflammation of the urethra, which was caused by chlamydia and mycoplasma, is carried out with the help of broad-spectrum antibiotics, which have already been discussed above.
By the way, antibacterial drugs at the beginning of treatment are prescribed to absolutely all patients. This allows you to prevent the development of the disease into a chronic form. Only after receiving the results of the tests, the doctor, if such a need arises, corrects the previously prescribed therapy.
In order to restore normal intestinal microflora and increase the body's resistance to various infections, the patient is prescribed immunostimulants. It can be such means as:
- Timalin;
- Cycloferon;
- Gepon;
- Ribomunil;
- Phlogenzyme.
Vitamins of the PP and B groups as well as various antioxidants are also used as an alternative.
If there are signs of allergy, antihistamines are prescribed (Tavegil, Loratadin, Suprastin).
Local treatment
Treatment for urethral inflammation in women does not end with the use of tablets. It is equally important to conduct local therapy, for example, sedentary baths. To achieve greater effect, various antiseptic agents (potassium permanganate “Chlorhexidine”) or decoctions of medicinal plants (chamomile, calendula, yarrow) are used.
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:
- Follow the rules of intimate hygiene and sexual rest for the entire period of treatment.
- Avoid hypothermia.
- Stick to a special diet. The latter involves minimizing or completely eliminating too fatty, spicy, acidic and salty foods, alcohol from the diet.
- Drink at least 1.5 liters of clean water (per day). This will help to “wash” bacteria from the genitourinary system.
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 symptoms of the disease can become almost invisible or completely disappear. Meanwhile, pathogenic bacteria continue to multiply actively in the body and provoke the development of complications.
The main treatment for chronic inflammation of the urethra in women is carried out as well as during the acute stage of pathology. The difference will only consist in the time spent. Treatment of a chronic form of the disease usually lasts several weeks. In this case, in addition to observing the general treatment regimen, it may be necessary to use additional methods:
- physiotherapy;
- laser therapy;
- magnetotherapy;
- ultrasound;
- electrophoresis.
In this case, it is important to exclude all factors that can reduce immunity, and normalize the mode 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 previously mentioned 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 "will pass by herself", this threatens the development of more serious and dangerous complications, including:
- cystitis;
- vulvovaginitis;
- colpitis;
- adnexitis;
- endometritis;
- pyelonephritis;
- ectopic pregnancy, blockage of the fallopian tubes, infertility, frequent pelvic pain (after chlamydial urethritis).
Prevention
Avoiding the appearance of inflammatory processes in the urethra is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. It is enough just to adhere to simple preventive measures:
- Avoid severe stress and nervous breakdowns.
- Pay due attention to the quality and duration of sleep.
- Avoid hypothermia (dress according to the weather, do not sit in the cold).
- Follow the rules of intimate hygiene.
- Pay special attention to “female” health during the so-called hormonal explosions. The latter are observed during pregnancy, lactation, menstruation, menopause, after abortion or discontinuation of hormonal drugs and so on.
- Review your diet. It should contain as few (and ideally as none at all) products with GMOs or other chemical additives and preservatives. Do not abuse flour, sweet, spicy, sour, salty.
- For sex, it is best to have one regular partner.
- Do not forget about the different 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 the state of your health and not to refuse preventive examinations by a gynecologist twice a year.