Is Peeing After Sex Necessary To Prevent UTI’s?

You can’t remember where you heard it first but ever since you did, you make sure to pee after EVERY TIME you’ve had sex, it’s just the rules, right? The majority of people have had some sort of UTI (urinary tract infection) in their lifetime, it’s pretty common but more so in women, as we have more going on down there.

Penetrative sex, tampons, and periods, in general, are some reasons why bacteria can get all up inside and give us that horrible, uncomfortable sensation and we start downing pints of cranberry juice for relief (someone told us that one too).

So let’s discuss peeing after sex, how much do we want to leap up and go to the bathroom after? Not much at all, but if we don't we can risk an infection that flat out NO ONE has the energy for, it’s time for some expert advice.

According to the pros, peeing after sex may help your chances of avoiding a UTI, “Urinating immediately after sex is beneficial since the urine stream mechanically flushes bacteria away from the urethra,” says gynecologist Alyssa Dweck.

During sex, thrusting, or manual stimulation, bacteria that usually hang out near the anal and vaginal openings can make a move towards the urethra and contaminate your bladder.  It’s no fun having to worry about the E.Coli living down there, but it is handy to know that the body is capable of flushing it out to avoid the dreaded UTI.

So, let’s say you took the risk and didn’t go and pee after sex, you’re starting to experience the dreaded symptoms - it’s time to make sure that it’s a UTI and not a yeast infection. Both are equally not an ideal scenario, Dr. Dweck says it’s important to know the difference between the two, “...a UTI typically involves urgency, frequency, pain with urination, and is treated with an oral antibiotic, whereas a vaginal yeast infection usually involves a thick white vaginal discharge with intense itching and is treated with an anti-fungal, such as over-the-counter Monistat.”

So not peeing after sex doesn’t mean that you will catch a UTI but it’s still the best choice to avoid having one, we can all agree that running to the bathroom after a sweaty session to avoid the risk is the way to go.

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