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Good for women, but not for men when it comes to bacterial infections?
(I had originally posted this question in the free forum section, but I think it best to get an expert opinion, so I am reposting it here)
It's common knowledge and has been recommended for ages that women urinate immediately after sexual intercourse to help prevent contracting urinary tract infections (UTIs). The idea being to flush whatever bacteria might have wandered around or into the urethra during sex, such as bacteria found around the anus or from your partner, etc...
Now, this is medically sound advice, and doctor's have been advising women to do this, especially those susceptible to UTIs.
But here's what I don't get. When the topic comes up for men to urinate immediately after sex as a way to help prevent STDs caused by bacteria (Gonorrhea/Chlamydia/Syphilis/etc.), this advice is always downplayed as an old wives' tale at best, and usually described as completely worthless.
How can it be that urinating after sex may be beneficial to women to help prevent UTIs, but it's completely useless for men to prevent bacterial STD's? Is the bacteria that causes STDs in men that much different than the bacteria that causes UTIs in women, such that the very same process (urinating after sex) is helpful to women but completely useless for men?
I would appreciate in advance your thoughtful explanation that will help me reconcile this apparent contradiction.
Thanks!
Gary
It's common knowledge and has been recommended for ages that women urinate immediately after sexual intercourse to help prevent contracting urinary tract infections (UTIs). The idea being to flush whatever bacteria might have wandered around or into the urethra during sex, such as bacteria found around the anus or from your partner, etc...
Now, this is medically sound advice, and doctor's have been advising women to do this, especially those susceptible to UTIs.
But here's what I don't get. When the topic comes up for men to urinate immediately after sex as a way to help prevent STDs caused by bacteria (Gonorrhea/Chlamydia/Syphilis/etc.), this advice is always downplayed as an old wives' tale at best, and usually described as completely worthless.
How can it be that urinating after sex may be beneficial to women to help prevent UTIs, but it's completely useless for men to prevent bacterial STD's? Is the bacteria that causes STDs in men that much different than the bacteria that causes UTIs in women, such that the very same process (urinating after sex) is helpful to women but completely useless for men?
I would appreciate in advance your thoughtful explanation that will help me reconcile this apparent contradiction.
Thanks!
Gary
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Everything you say makes sense, except one: personal testimony by affected women with recurrent UTI is a highly unreliable way to judge whether post-coital urinating makes any difference. The reasons are complext, but this is a universal truth in medical research. It's not because affected persons are intentionallt untruthful.
Thank you doctor for your quick reply.
In all my research on this topic (I am not a medical professional, so my research was limited to anecdotal and/or web-based only), I've come across many women who had battled recurrent UTIs. Once they started following the advice of urinating after sex (and this advice can be found in many places, including the University of Maryland Medical Center's website), a surprising number of these women reported success in stopping or greatly reducing rates of infection.
So I found it very curious that when researching any opinions on men urinating after sex as a way to prevent bacterial STD infection, I have yet to find any encouraging advice anywhere near the same level such as exists for women trying to prevent UTIs. In fact, I have yet to find any modern day, established medical authority like the aforementioned UofM Medical Center, that even mentions urinating after sex as a way for men to potentially reduce their bacterial STD risk. One would think that since we're dealing with the same pathway to infection (the urinary tract), and the same method of prevention (urination), that the benefits would be quite similar.
I had theorized that perhaps the bacteria that causes STDs was somehow structured in a fundamentally different way than the bacteria that usually causes non-STD UTIs in women, such as to make urinating after sex in men to be of little benefit. But your explanation of gonorrhea bacteria seems to negate this theory. They both have the ability to adhere immediately to the urinary tract cells.
An interesting topic indeed. I'm surprised that I haven't been able to find any official medical studies that present statistical evidence one way or the other when it comes to this topic as it applies to woman and UTIs, as well as men and bacterial STDs.
As you say though, it can't hurt, but as always, the best way to prevent STDs is through condom use and wise partner selection.
In all my research on this topic (I am not a medical professional, so my research was limited to anecdotal and/or web-based only), I've come across many women who had battled recurrent UTIs. Once they started following the advice of urinating after sex (and this advice can be found in many places, including the University of Maryland Medical Center's website), a surprising number of these women reported success in stopping or greatly reducing rates of infection.
So I found it very curious that when researching any opinions on men urinating after sex as a way to prevent bacterial STD infection, I have yet to find any encouraging advice anywhere near the same level such as exists for women trying to prevent UTIs. In fact, I have yet to find any modern day, established medical authority like the aforementioned UofM Medical Center, that even mentions urinating after sex as a way for men to potentially reduce their bacterial STD risk. One would think that since we're dealing with the same pathway to infection (the urinary tract), and the same method of prevention (urination), that the benefits would be quite similar.
I had theorized that perhaps the bacteria that causes STDs was somehow structured in a fundamentally different way than the bacteria that usually causes non-STD UTIs in women, such as to make urinating after sex in men to be of little benefit. But your explanation of gonorrhea bacteria seems to negate this theory. They both have the ability to adhere immediately to the urinary tract cells.
An interesting topic indeed. I'm surprised that I haven't been able to find any official medical studies that present statistical evidence one way or the other when it comes to this topic as it applies to woman and UTIs, as well as men and bacterial STDs.
As you say though, it can't hurt, but as always, the best way to prevent STDs is through condom use and wise partner selection.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. Interesting questions.
I disagree somewhat with the premise; i.e. I'm not convinced there is any sort of contradiction in advice. My impression -- which could be wrong, I certainly have not thought about it critically -- is that urinating after sex is not all that consistently recommended for women. If anything, it might be more frequently recommended for men. But this is not a dominant or consistent STD prevention message for either sex; I don't think any of our brochures (at my STD clinic or health department), or advice by CDC, even mention it.
To the extent that urinating after sex is recommended for women, the rationale is not STDs but to help prevent non-STD urinary tract infections. UTIs in women can be triggered by sex -- not because they catch the infection from their partners, but because bacteria that women already carry can be massaged into the urethra during sex. (In past decades, the term "honeymoon cystitis" referred to UTI in women who were newly sexually active or started to have sex more frequenty.) Urinating after sex may not prevent such infections anyway. The bacteria that cause UTI do so partly because they have the ability to stick firmly to cells lining the urinary tract, and urinating after sex does not necessarily wash them out. Also, the main site of bacterial STDs in women is the cervix, not the urethra; so there isn't even a theoretical rationale for post-sex urination for STD prevention in women.
In men, it is plausible that urinating could reduce the risk of gonorrhea, chlamydia, or nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), and it is recommended from time to time. I don't know anybody who calls it "completely useless"; it's just something with unknown effectiveness or benefit -- which is why it is often downplayed. And gonorrhea bacteria have the ability to immediately adhere to urinary tract cells -- just as for UTI bacteria -- so urinating might not help at all.
In summary, there is no clear benefit for either men or women to urinate soon after sex. On the other hand, it's easy to do, perhaps quite natural anyway, and obviously not harmful. It's sort of like chicken soup for a cold or flu: "Might help, can't hurt, and tastes good -- so why not?" On that basis, it isn't unreasonable. But for sure this is not something to rely on for prevention of STDs, UTI, or anything else. STD prevention should depend entirely on wise partner selection and consistent condom use for vaginal or anal sex outside mutually monogamous relationships. Don't worry too much about the small stuff like timing of urination. The same pretty much applies to washing with soap and water after sex; no known benefit but it can't hurt and might help.
Thanks for the opportunity to address an interesting topic; I'm going to save this thread in the event of similar questions in the future.
Regards-- HHH, MD
I disagree somewhat with the premise; i.e. I'm not convinced there is any sort of contradiction in advice. My impression -- which could be wrong, I certainly have not thought about it critically -- is that urinating after sex is not all that consistently recommended for women. If anything, it might be more frequently recommended for men. But this is not a dominant or consistent STD prevention message for either sex; I don't think any of our brochures (at my STD clinic or health department), or advice by CDC, even mention it.
To the extent that urinating after sex is recommended for women, the rationale is not STDs but to help prevent non-STD urinary tract infections. UTIs in women can be triggered by sex -- not because they catch the infection from their partners, but because bacteria that women already carry can be massaged into the urethra during sex. (In past decades, the term "honeymoon cystitis" referred to UTI in women who were newly sexually active or started to have sex more frequenty.) Urinating after sex may not prevent such infections anyway. The bacteria that cause UTI do so partly because they have the ability to stick firmly to cells lining the urinary tract, and urinating after sex does not necessarily wash them out. Also, the main site of bacterial STDs in women is the cervix, not the urethra; so there isn't even a theoretical rationale for post-sex urination for STD prevention in women.
In men, it is plausible that urinating could reduce the risk of gonorrhea, chlamydia, or nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), and it is recommended from time to time. I don't know anybody who calls it "completely useless"; it's just something with unknown effectiveness or benefit -- which is why it is often downplayed. And gonorrhea bacteria have the ability to immediately adhere to urinary tract cells -- just as for UTI bacteria -- so urinating might not help at all.
In summary, there is no clear benefit for either men or women to urinate soon after sex. On the other hand, it's easy to do, perhaps quite natural anyway, and obviously not harmful. It's sort of like chicken soup for a cold or flu: "Might help, can't hurt, and tastes good -- so why not?" On that basis, it isn't unreasonable. But for sure this is not something to rely on for prevention of STDs, UTI, or anything else. STD prevention should depend entirely on wise partner selection and consistent condom use for vaginal or anal sex outside mutually monogamous relationships. Don't worry too much about the small stuff like timing of urination. The same pretty much applies to washing with soap and water after sex; no known benefit but it can't hurt and might help.
Thanks for the opportunity to address an interesting topic; I'm going to save this thread in the event of similar questions in the future.
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
