bladder infection?

[squirrel636]

can my girlfriend get a bladder infection after we had unprotected sex while i'm on the pegasys/ ribaviron treament. was curious if that was another reason they wanted us to use condoms and the pill too. wasn't sure if my semen can cause an infection or not, this is twice it has happend since i started treament a month and a half ago.

[Wassup]

Hello, I just had to tell you how much I enjoy your posts. Very informative and well presented. Atta boy, alagirl  ;)

[jmjm530]

Not at all. The real  issue is why did you have unprotected sex with your girlfriend when told to use two forms of birth control. Birth control pills are not 100% effective.

[alagirl]

to reiterate what Trish said, just because the medication didn't cause her uti, its imperative to use birth control due to the impact the meds could have if there was a pregnancy.  

lol so I take it you've been following those condom and birth control pill instructions to the t since you've already had two uti's that you're worried might have been casued by medicine in your semen?

here's the info I found online on ribavirin and sex.  err... pregnancy.  and semen.  and whatnot, along with a link to the source:

http://www.plusve.org/data/usercontentroot/magazine/2001/issue%2015/hep%20upsize/Hep%20Feature%203.asp

PREGNANCY AND MEN
Studies also showed changes in the sperm of animals taking ribavirin. Scientists do not know if the harmful effects to the child - seen in pregnant female animals - could also occur if a man taking ribavirin has sex with a woman who then becomes pregnant. Because of this lack of clarity, doctors will tell you to use a condom if you have sex with a woman.

If your regular female partner is not pregnant but is of childbearing age, your doctor will want her to have a pregnancy test every month while you are taking ribavirin and for seven months after you stop treatment. Your doctor may suggest you both use an effective contraceptive while you are taking ribavirin and for seven months after you stop.

Even if your partner is already pregnant, you should still use a condom because it is not yet known if the ribavirin in your semen could have an adverse effect on the unborn child or the mother.

If you have any concerns about this issue, please discuss it with either your doctor or a pharmacist.

[Trish77]

They want you to use condoms and the pill so that you don't get her pregnant.  The ribavirin you're taking can be absorbed by her body during sex and could impact the baby.  

Maybe it caused her bladder infection...maybe not.  Use both anyway.  Hard to say what impact the ribavirin can have overall...so why take the chance.  Perhaps someone can weigh in with more precise information on riba absorption via sexual intercourse.

[alagirl]

women can get UTI's from ANY sexual intercourse.

Some women, particularly if they are prone to UTI's, are vulnerable to bladder infections from intercourse due to the action of intercourse rubbing against the urethra.  It has nothing to do with either condoms or pegasys.

Drinking cranberry juice on a regular basis is a very good prophylactic (prevenative) measure, and I'm going to give you two other great prevenative measures that only a very good urologist will tell you.

1) If your girfriend is prone to UTI's, she can put a glob of neosporin at the entrance of the urethra and it will help to prevent bacteria from entering the urethra during sex (it helps to double as a lubricant during intercourse so you get a 2 for 1 - not a bad deal)

2) her doctor can prescribe an antibiotic that she can take right after intercourse (just one pill, he'll giver her a bottle but she'll just take one, its very low dose, and this will help as well)
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Before all of this though, if she has a current urinary tract infection, she'll need to do a full dose of antibiotics to clean everything out so that she can "start over" in essence with a clean slate.  Also, for issues affecting the bladder, go to a urologist instead of a gynecologist.  Good luck.