Urinating frequently

[uhohoreos]

My gf is on her period right now, and she told me that she's been urinating a lot more frequently than normal. We had intercourse while she was on the pill with a backup condom a week ago. She says that she felt pelvic pain when she urinated in the beginning but it's a dull pain now. She says even though she urinates, she still feels like she has to go. She reckons it's UTI. Is it anything I should be worried about?

[Ruth]

If your girlfriend thinks she has a UTI, the recommended first step is to talk to a healthcare provider about it to treat it. UTIs aren't sexually transmitted, though sex can aggravate them, so you don't need to worry about having one yourself unless you are also coincidentally displaying symptoms, in which case, again, that'd be something to discuss with a healthcare provider.

[uhohoreos]

what's a cause of uti?

[uhohoreos]

is there anything sexually related that could invoke frequent urination?

[Heather]

Bacteria getting into the urinary tract, and the body being unable to fight it off, basically. UTIs are very common for people with vulvas, and often especially so when someone is new to being sexually active per activities that involve the vulva.

But they are important to get treated, not just because they can be very painful. They can spread to the kidneys and cause infection there, too. and that can get dangerous.

[Heather]

Missed that other question in there while I was replying.

Like I said with that initial question, yep. Getting a UTI would be the big one, and because of where the urinary opening is on the vulva, it can be exposed to a lot of bacteria with something like intercourse, where there is a ton of direct contact with someone else's genitals and pubic hair, but also a lot of intense rubbing, and that combo, unfortunately, tends to be a perfect storm when it comes to genital tract infections.