Warning signs of urinary tract infection as woman, 20, spent years in pain and 'no answers'

A woman has spoken of the pain she experienced while suffering from a common illness that took years to diagnose. Bianca Padurariu, 20, says she “lost all hope” after claiming a doctor told her to search for answers on Google.

The nanny from south-east London would be left in pain when going to the toilet or being intimate with her partner. Her symptoms first began in September 2021 and she visited her GP several times.

She would be prescribed antibiotics, which didn't work. She also claims she was told "nothing is wrong" after a urine test came back negative.

In September 2023, she decided to go private and pay for a consultation with a gynaecologist, which cost £700. She was then told she was suffering from a recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI).

“Every time I drank a sip of water, five minutes later I needed the toilet,” she said. “I was probably going to the toilet like 10 or 15 times a day. When I was peeing, it was burning a bit. It also affected my sex life, because I could not have a normal sexual relationship without it hurting.” You can read Bianca's full story here.

A spokesperson for the hospital said: "Our staff strive to give expert and compassionate care at all times and we are truly sorry that Ms Padurariu is unhappy with her experience. We take all concerns very seriously and have discussed Ms Padurariu’s experience with her and invited her to make a follow-up appointment."

What is a UTI?

According to the NHS, UTIs affect your urinary tract, including your bladder (cystitis), urethra (urethritis) or kidneys (kidney infection). UTIs may be treated with antibiotics, but they're not always needed.

UTIs are very common and symptoms typically last less than a week. According to Kidney Research UK, about half of all women in the UK suffer from a UTI at least once during their lifetime.

Warning signs of a UTI:

Symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) may include:

• pain or a burning sensation when peeing (dysuria)

• needing to pee more often than usual

• needing to pee more often than usual during the night (nocturia)

• needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual

• pee that looks cloudy

• blood in your pee

• lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs

• a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery

• a very low temperature below 36C

Your pee may also be dark or smell. If this is your only symptom, it might be because you've not been drinking enough water.

Treatment for recurrent UTIs:

If your UTI comes back after treatment, or you have two UTIs in six months, a GP may:

• prescribe a different antibiotic or prescribe a low-dose antibiotic to take for up to 6 months

• prescribe a vaginal cream containing oestrogen, if you have gone through the menopause

• refer you to a specialist for further tests and treatments

In some people UTI symptoms do not go away. Short-term antibiotics do not work and urine tests do not show an infection. This might mean you have a chronic (long-term) UTI. This can be caused by bacteria entering the lining of the bladder.

Because urine tests do not always pick up the infection and the symptoms can be similar to other conditions, chronic UTIs can be hard to diagnose. Chronic UTIs might be treated with antibiotics that you take for a long time.

Chronic UTIs can have a big impact on your quality of life. If you have been treated for a UTI but you still have symptoms, speak to your GP about chronic UTIs and ask to be referred to a specialist.

How to prevent UTIs:

There are some things you can try to help prevent a urinary tract infection from happening or prevent it returning.

• wipe from front to back when you go to the toilet

• keep the genital area clean and dry

• drink plenty of fluids, particularly water – so that you regularly pee during the day and do not feel thirsty

• wash the skin around the vagina with water before and after sex

• pee as soon as possible after sex

• promptly change nappies or incontinence pads if they're soiled

What can cause a UTI?

UTIs are usually caused by bacteria from poo entering the urinary tract. The bacteria enter through the tube that carries pee out of the body. Women have a shorter urethra than men. This means bacteria are more likely to reach the bladder or kidneys and cause an infection.

Things that increase the risk of bacteria getting into the bladder include:

• having sex

• pregnancy

• conditions that block the urinary tract – such as kidney stones

• conditions that make it difficult to fully empty the bladder – such as an enlarged prostate in men and constipation in children

• urinary catheters (a tube in your bladder used to drain urine)

• having a weakened immune system – for example, people with diabetes or people having chemotherapy

• not drinking enough fluids

• not keeping the genital area clean and dry