Tips to Prevent Cystitis Naturally While Trying to Conceive
Understanding the possible causes helps, also the fast natural cure method with specific supplements is just a few paragraphs down, followed by the effective prevention tips. Read on for the Causes, Cure and Prevention of Cystitis.
CAUSES: Why is the Cystitis happening when I’m trying to get pregnant?
⦁ Cystitis can sometimes occur because things can get quite busy “down south” when you’re having intercourse every other day.
⦁ Add in all the poking and prodding that accompanies fertility investigations and treatments and this can be a recipe that may lead to increased incidents of Cystitis.
⦁ The added stress that can accompany fertility problems trying to get pregnant and/or the stress of having IVF can knock on your immune system.
Recurring Cystitis, also known as Urinary Tract Infections UTI while trying to conceive can become a big problem for some women, I see it often enough in my patients. I always give acupuncture to de-stress and I always inform them that:
Taking antibiotics isn’t the only way to get over the distressing painful symptoms of cystitis / bladder infection / urinary tract infection. There are very specific supplements and simple and easy lifestyle changes you can make.
Running a fertility acupuncture clinic means that my patients are actively trying to conceive and they are trying to be as healthy as possible. They do not want to take loads of antibiotics, but they do want to be able to be intimate when they are ovulating or be able to have their IVF cycle. My patients want safe, natural, effective cures. And when it comes to cystitis and UTI’s they want rapid relief from the pain, burning, and cramping feelings caused by these infections. So,
What are effective alternatives to antibiotics for cystitis?
The supplement D-Mannose is one of the best.
What is D-Mannose?
D-Mannose is a naturally occurring carbohydrate. It is found in some plants & fruits, it is not a prescription drug.
What does D-mannose do?
Studies have shown that it prevents bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract and causing infection. Basically the D-Mannose works it’s way through your urinary bladder tract and attaches to bacteria along the way and then you wee it out. D-mannose also helps to nourish your healthy flora because it doesn’t affect the “friendly” bacteria (when you take antibiotics for UTIs, the “good” bacteria are killed along with the “bad”, which is why you can also develop secondary yeast infections & a vicious cycle goes round where you get more UTI’s).
Does Cranberry actually help cystitis?
Yes, D-Mannose is found naturally in cranberries! Cranberry has been a natural treatment for UTIs for generations & is still commonly used to support urinary and urino-genital tract health to prevent kidney and bladder infections. Current research is showing the cranberry extract to be beneficial to supporting urinary tract health. Cranberries also contain essential minerals & vitamins A, B and C, supporting a healthy balance of bacteria. The Vitamin C also makes urine more acidic which inhibits the growth of bacteria.
CURE: The fast quick natural cure for cystitis :
Take a 1500mg maximum daily dosage of D-Mannose to clear the infection:
That’s 500mg taken 3 times a day along with plenty of fluid to flush out the bacteria.
D-Mannose is highly effective at sticking to bacteria in the bladder and urinary tract which the body will then expel with urine. So continually cleansing and targeting the infection problem at source brings our patients rapid relief from the pain, burning, and cramping feelings caused by these infections. I know that you, my readers are sensible so always consult your doctor for medical advice and before taking nutritional supplements. You, my sensible readers, may be too far gone for a quick natural cure and you just may need antibiotics. You can always use the natural method below for prevention going forward.
PREVENTION
Method to prevent cystitis when you’re trying to get pregnant :
- Take a lowered dose of 500mg of D-Mannose daily to stop re-occurance of cystitis.
- Use at home urine test strips for UTI’s to periodically randomly test your urine or test at first signs of cystitis / UTI (these are the same test strips used by your doctor). This is key because UTI’s can start brewing long before you feel any painful symptoms. Nipping it in the bud is crucial, So,
- If urine test strips show signs of a UTI , then up your dose of D-Mannose. UTI’s can start brewing long before you feel any painful symptoms. Nip it in the bud. You can buy UTI urine test strips very cheaply, these urine test strips are specifically for detecting UTI’s. You can get 100 test strips for under a tenner (just do an online search and you’ll find them), so you could really stay on top of things when you are trying to conceive and test every day for 3 months if you like. (Tip from a patient: instead of buying the plastic urine sample cups, just buy cheap plastic cups at the supermarket or run your small yogurt containers through the dishwasher at a very high temperature and use those instead).
- Implement the Lifestyle Cystitis Prevention tips listed below to reduce your chances of cystitis re-occurring.
The 3 best supplement brands of D-Mannose that our patients get results from are:
- Precision ( D-Mannose 500mg Capsules ). Precision D-Mannose is made in the UK. This is great if you just want D-Mannose.
- Calm Waters (D-Mannose 500mg & Cranberry Extract combination). Calm waters is made in the UK and our patients love it because it also has the natural cranberry extract in it.
- Mightidophilus 12, D-Mannose Cranactin (combination of D-Mannose, cranberry extract and 12 strains of probiotics including acidophilus).This combination is great if you have had antibiotics recently because the antibiotic not only kills the “bad” offending bacteria that causes the painful burning problems, it also kills the “good” bacteria that maintains the balance and helps prevent “bad” infections. So adding in a friendly flora probiotic supplement can help stop the vicious circle of recurring infections (including yeast).
By using D-Mannose and cranberry extract you can target the infection problems at source and the frequent use of antibiotics with their side-effects can be mostly avoided.
List of Lifestyle prevention tips for cystitis below.
Our patients often ask us “is there anything I can do in addition to the supplements and acupuncture to help prevent another occurrence of cystitis?”
If you suffer regularly from Cystitis and you’d like some things you can do on your own to help prevent it from happening, then read on for a list of preventative measures you can take:
Lifestyle Actions you can take to help prevent Cystitis when trying to conceive:
- Drink plenty of water every day: this helps to dilute your urine and helps to regularly flush your system. Make sure your fluid intake is the proper amount for you: Your urine should be clear, have a yellow hue, but not dark yellow; nor should it be cloudy and murky. It should not have a strong smell either. Visit here for an infographic showing healthy and unhealthy urine colours.
- Drink barley water regularly: This can be considered part of the daily fluid intake mentioned above. Barley water has long been used as a remedy for cystitis and it’s quick and simple to make yourself. Just boil one litre of water with one handful of pearl barley. Let it gently simmer and reduce down to about half the liquid. Strain and then drink the liquid. You can drink it warm or when it has cooled down, it’s your preference. It’s pretty bland tasting, but you can also add a squeeze of lemon juice or sweeten it with a little touch honey of you like.
- Urinate when you feel the need. Don’t hold on until you feel like you could burst.
- Be very diligent about wiping back to front.
- Make sure both you and your man’s hands, body parts, etc. are clean before being intimate.
- Take showers instead of baths.
- Add Blueberries to your diet: Blueberries have a similar action to that of cranberries. Eat them fresh with some plain natural yoghurt or put some blueberries in your cereal or even in your salad.
- Avoid coffee: Avoid both decaffeinated and with caffeine. Coffee is a bladder irritant.
- Avoid sugar: Sugar lowers the immune response and you are trying to combat bacteria which is why we recommend unsweetened cranberry juice. Sugar also feeds bacteria which can lead to more overgrowth of bacteria.
- Eat garlic and onions: They are both naturally antibiotic.
- Drink a juice combination: of cranberry, pineapple and apple as recommended by Jason Vale, popularly known as the juice master. Or drink a green juice daily consisting of celery, parsley, spinach and green apple. This will help reduce acidity and inflammation to calm an irritated bladder.
- Drink unsweetened cranberry juice: This is the most commonly known natural cure for Cystitis / Urinary Tract Infections. Studies have shown that cranberry juice inhibits the ability of bacteria to adhere to the lining of the bladder. Two glasses of unsweetened cranberry juice a day is the recommended dose. If the unsweetened juice is not palatable try the supplement Troo Healthcare Cranberry Extract 5000mg tablets.
- Use the UTI urine test strips at home regularly to stay on top of any urine changes so that you can stay one step ahead and nip things in the bud by taking a dose of D-Mannose or upping your maintenance dosage of D-Mannose before a UTI gets to a point where you feel symptoms. UTI’s can start brewing long before you feel any painful symptoms. Nip it in the bud.
For a great book about Cystitis cures and prevention, check out “The Interstitial Cystitis Solution: A Holistic Plan for Healing Painful Symptoms, Resolving Bladder and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, and Taking Back Your Life”. I really like the taking back your life part! The book contains up to date scientific reviews and evaluations of potential treatments, along with a helpful treatment plan that you can tailor to your specific symptoms and lifestyle.
By making a few of the above mentioned lifestyle, hygiene and supplement changes you can sort out your painful situation and concentrate on making babies
*Always consult your doctor for medical problems and before taking nutritional supplements, herbs or vitamins because a UTI can turn into a kidney infection, which if left untreated can be very serious, so please see your doctor, you can always use the natural supplements as a prevention, it may just be that your infection is just too far gone and you need antibiotics.