Urinary Tract Infection in Women

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and whether you have had a urinary tract infection before. He or she also will ask you about your sexual history, including any history of sexually transmitted diseases for yourself and your partner, condom use, multiple partners, use of diaphragm and/or spermicides and whether you could be pregnant. Your doctor also will ask if you have any other medical problems, such as diabetes, which can make you more likely to develop infections.

You will be asked to give a urine sample, which will be tested in a laboratory to see if it contains bacteria or other signs of infection. Your urine also may be tested to identify the specific type of bacteria and the specific antibiotics that can be used to eliminate the bacteria. If you have a fever or other symptoms of an upper tract infection, your doctor probably will also draw a sample of your blood and send it to a laboratory to be tested for bacteria. This is called a blood culture.

In people with symptoms of a severe kidney infection or frequent episodes of lower or upper urinary tract infections, additional testing may be needed, such as:

• A computed tomography (CT) scan of your kidneys and urinary system

• An ultrasound exam

• Cystoscopy, an examination in which your doctor checks the inside of your bladder using a thin, hollow telescope-like instrument.

Expected Duration

With proper treatment, most uncomplicated urinary tract infections can be cured in two to three days. It may take several days for the symptoms of a kidney infection to completely go away.