Honeymoon Cystitis- Don’t let that infection ruin bliss
Jan 24, 2010
DECEMBER and January is the peak of weddings as couples end and start the year in style. A honeymoon, the traditional holiday taken by newly-weds to celebrate their marriage in intimacy and seclusion, comes in handy to help the couple relax, unwind and forge ahead.
By Irene Nabusoba
DECEMBER and January is the peak of weddings as couples end and start the year in style. A honeymoon, the traditional holiday taken by newly-weds to celebrate their marriage in intimacy and seclusion, comes in handy to help the couple relax, unwind and forge ahead.
In fact, honeymoons, going by the Western culture, should be celebrated somewhere exotic, special and romantic, with lots of sex.
However, while the honeymoon is supposed to be pure pleasure, it can turn out otherwise when the bride starts feeling sick and sex becomes a dreadful act courtesy of a condition termed honeymoon cystitis.
Dr. Dan Kaye, an obstetrician/gynaecologist lecturing at Makerere University’s school of health sciences, says honeymoon cystitis is a colloquial term for a urinary tract infection (UTI).
“Cystitis is the inflammation of the bladder but this condition is colloquially referred to as honeymoon cystitis, honeymoonitis, honeymoon disease, honeymoon bladder, honeymooner’s cystitis or honeymoon syndrome.
The inflammation often occurs as a result of frequent or prolonged sexual activity, as would typically be expected in the honeymoon period of a marriage,†Kaye explains.
“The majority of sufferers are female and it is common for a woman to develop cystitis on her honeymoon. It can be a source of unhappiness when it clouds the much-anticipated honeymoon. If left untreated, it can lead to a bladder and kidney infection,†he argues.
Kaye says symptoms of honeymoon cystitis include a burning or painful sensation during urination, the urge to urinate frequently, cloudy urine, blood-tinged urine and/or pain above the pubic bone — any of which will put a damper on the honeymoon.
“They are the usual symptoms of UTIs and generally emerge within a day or two after bacteria are introduced into the urethra. A physician can confirm the diagnosis of infection through a simple urine test,†he says.
Causes
An internet site on women’s health, honeymoons.about.com, reveals that the common cause of honeymoon cystitis is the introduction of bacteria, such as E. coli (which normally lives in the bowel) into the urethra.
“This bacterium begins to replicate, which leads to infection,†the site adds.
“In addition to the possibility of it occurring after intercourse, honeymoon cystitis can also start when an unclean finger, penis, or foreign object is inserted from the anus into the vagina.
Women who wipe from back to front, rather than from vagina to anus, are, especially at higher risk of getting the infection,†it notes.
Another internet health site substantiates that more than 85% of cases of cystitis are caused by Escherichia coli, a bacterium found in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
“Sexual intercourse may increase the risk of cystitis because bacteria can be introduced into the bladder through the urethra during sexual activity.
“Once bacteria enter the bladder, they normally are removed through urination. When bacteria multiply faster than they are removed by urination, infection results,†the site reveals.
Kaye says females are more prone to the development of cystitis because of their relatively shorter urethra.
“Bacteria do not have to travel as far to enter the bladder because of the relatively short distance between the opening of the urethra and the anus,†he says.
But besides the honeymooners, Kaye says the elderly are at increased risk for developing cystitis due to incomplete emptying of the bladder associated with such conditions as benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis and urethral strictures.
“Other risks for cystitis include obstruction of the bladder or urethra with resultant stagnation of urine, insertion of instruments into the urinary tract (such as catheterisation or cystoscopy), pregnancy, diabetes, HIV and a history of analgesic nephropathy or reflux nephropathy,†he says.
“Also, lack of adequate fluids, bowel incontinence, immobility or decreased mobility all put people at increased risk for cystitis,†he adds.
DECEMBER and January is the peak of weddings as couples end and start the year in style. A honeymoon, the traditional holiday taken by newly-weds to celebrate their marriage in intimacy and seclusion, comes in handy to help the couple relax, unwind and forge ahead.
In fact, honeymoons, going by the Western culture, should be celebrated somewhere exotic, special and romantic, with lots of sex.
However, while the honeymoon is supposed to be pure pleasure, it can turn out otherwise when the bride starts feeling sick and sex becomes a dreadful act courtesy of a condition termed honeymoon cystitis.
Dr. Dan Kaye, an obstetrician/gynaecologist lecturing at Makerere University’s school of health sciences, says honeymoon cystitis is a colloquial term for a urinary tract infection (UTI).
“Cystitis is the inflammation of the bladder but this condition is colloquially referred to as honeymoon cystitis, honeymoonitis, honeymoon disease, honeymoon bladder, honeymooner’s cystitis or honeymoon syndrome.
The inflammation often occurs as a result of frequent or prolonged sexual activity, as would typically be expected in the honeymoon period of a marriage,†Kaye explains.
“The majority of sufferers are female and it is common for a woman to develop cystitis on her honeymoon. It can be a source of unhappiness when it clouds the much-anticipated honeymoon. If left untreated, it can lead to a bladder and kidney infection,†he argues.
Kaye says symptoms of honeymoon cystitis include a burning or painful sensation during urination, the urge to urinate frequently, cloudy urine, blood-tinged urine and/or pain above the pubic bone — any of which will put a damper on the honeymoon.
“They are the usual symptoms of UTIs and generally emerge within a day or two after bacteria are introduced into the urethra. A physician can confirm the diagnosis of infection through a simple urine test,†he says.
Causes
An internet site on women’s health, honeymoons.about.com, reveals that the common cause of honeymoon cystitis is the introduction of bacteria, such as E. coli (which normally lives in the bowel) into the urethra.
“This bacterium begins to replicate, which leads to infection,†the site adds.
“In addition to the possibility of it occurring after intercourse, honeymoon cystitis can also start when an unclean finger, penis, or foreign object is inserted from the anus into the vagina.
Women who wipe from back to front, rather than from vagina to anus, are, especially at higher risk of getting the infection,†it notes.
Another internet health site substantiates that more than 85% of cases of cystitis are caused by Escherichia coli, a bacterium found in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
“Sexual intercourse may increase the risk of cystitis because bacteria can be introduced into the bladder through the urethra during sexual activity.
“Once bacteria enter the bladder, they normally are removed through urination. When bacteria multiply faster than they are removed by urination, infection results,†the site reveals.
Kaye says females are more prone to the development of cystitis because of their relatively shorter urethra.
“Bacteria do not have to travel as far to enter the bladder because of the relatively short distance between the opening of the urethra and the anus,†he says.
But besides the honeymooners, Kaye says the elderly are at increased risk for developing cystitis due to incomplete emptying of the bladder associated with such conditions as benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis and urethral strictures.
“Other risks for cystitis include obstruction of the bladder or urethra with resultant stagnation of urine, insertion of instruments into the urinary tract (such as catheterisation or cystoscopy), pregnancy, diabetes, HIV and a history of analgesic nephropathy or reflux nephropathy,†he says.
“Also, lack of adequate fluids, bowel incontinence, immobility or decreased mobility all put people at increased risk for cystitis,†he adds.