Cups, UTI and Yeast Infection Avoidance

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17 March 2015 @ 05:10 pm

Hi,

I'm a new member here and I'm new to menstrual cups too.
I wondered if anyone would be able to give me some advice.

I recently picked up a UTI and I'm now on my third set of antibiotics to try and make it go away. A side effect of antibiotics can be yeast infection which I don't yet have but I'd really like to avoid.

My period is due next week.

Should I revert back to disposable tampons and pads for this month or would sticking with my cup(s) be a better option since it's less likely to harbour nasty bacteria?

If it makes any difference, I'm using a mooncup for heavy flow days and a meluna shorty for light flow days. I've bought a new meluna classic large to try out this month to see if I can improve time between emptying on my heaviest days since the mooncup fills up to overflowing in two hours or less. Plus I don't like the stem on the mooncup, it's poky.

Any advice gratefully received.

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curlydeva on March 17th, 2015 05:44 pm (UTC)

Hello!
I would increase my probiotics to avoid getting a yeast infection. You can take a probiotic supplement or eat plan ole Greek yogurt. Maybe someone else can chime in about if you can wear your cup while having a UTI. If you don't, I would not suggest using a tampon. Cloth or pads or disposable pads would be a better route than using a tampon. Hope that helps. Feel better soon.

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emmy_mallow on March 17th, 2015 07:15 pm (UTC)

Hi! And thanks! I will give the yoghurt a go and see what probiotic supplements are available here.

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kabili on March 17th, 2015 07:15 pm (UTC)

Yep, probiotics all the way to help prevent yeast infection. I suspect (though I'm not positive) your cup vs disposable products won't make a difference, just be sure to use good hand hygiene, as always. And don't use any cleaning products on your cup that would alter the pH in your vag. But that should always be true, anyways, not just when concerned about infection.

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emmy_mallow on March 17th, 2015 08:00 pm (UTC)

Thanks!

Looks like the antibiotics will kill off the probiotics if I take them at the same time, so that gives me some time to do some research and get some ordered to arrive in the next few days.

I've only used my cups for the one period and I boiled them just before and after my bleeding finished. I didn't bother to clean them with anything other than hot water in between changes because it didn't seem necessary!

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kabili on March 17th, 2015 08:23 pm (UTC)

Yep, I agree about not needing special cleaning products for your cup.

As for the probiotics, I would recommend not waiting. I'm a nurse, and often give probiotics at the same as antibiotics. And my own doctor has suggested started them at the same time when she has put me on an antibiotic before. You should be able to get Florastor or something similar (probably containing saccharomyces) at any drug store or pharmacy section of your grocery store. Lactobacillus is also good (and the same organism that's in yogurt). Remember, you want to prevent an imbalance rather than react to one that's already created.

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emmy_mallow on March 18th, 2015 03:41 pm (UTC)

I took your kind advice and got some probiotics this afternoon. Thanks again!

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kuradi8 on March 17th, 2015 07:28 pm (UTC)

I agree with others to replenish your body's supply of "good" bacteria with probiotics. There are many different types. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotic

As for your UTI, drink a LOT more water and other liquids as part of your treatment. Literally flush it out of your system. Using a cup shouldn't make much difference as long as your hands are clean for insertion and removal, and bumping your urethra isn't too painful. I would think that sitting on a pad would be more irritating since it's more likely to make contact with that than with a cup or tampon that sits inside way above it.

But obviously do what's most comfortable for you and trust your "inner voice" about whether or not you're doing the right thing.

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emmy_mallow on March 17th, 2015 08:09 pm (UTC)

Thanks. It's really great to be able ask these questions :)

I will try the probiotics after I've finished the antibiotics as it seems the antibiotics will just kill off the probiotics if I take them at the same time.

I can't contemplate pads without tampons because my periods are so very heavy for two days of my usual 7 day bleed that I go through the very thickest in a few hours even with a belt and braces approach. And now, having tried the cups for one cycle, I can't face the prospect of going back to tampons either so my gut instinct is telling me to use the cups, unless it becomes too uncomfortable.

Thanks again.

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por_que_no on March 19th, 2015 05:38 pm (UTC)

Best of luck! I've been lucky to avoid UTIs but my mom gets them ALL the time. In her case (as well as mine but manifested differently) it is most likely a chronic imbalance of gut bacteria that's allowing the E. Coli to grow out of control and migrate to places like your bladder. So even after this UTI blows over you might consider some sort of probiotics. Supposedly if you have enough of the good bacteria hanging out in your colon they will crowd out the E. Coli and hopefully there won't be enough left over to migrate to where they're not welcome!

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emmy_mallow on March 19th, 2015 08:08 pm (UTC)

Thank you :)

I went straight out yesterday and bought some probiotic supplements. I realised that I was not taking care of my health very well and that there are a few changes I can make (more water, less caffeine, cranberry extract, probiotics).
Taking probiotics is easy for me to do (and I've bought 100 pills!) so I'll keep taking them even when the infection is gone, as you suggest.

Probiotics is something I would never have even thought about if I hadn't asked here! This is such a lovely community.

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