Special Needs Travel Health

If you are a woman who suffers from frequent (more than two or three per year) urinary tract infections, here is some advice:

• Ask your family doctor or urologist for an antibiotic prescription before your trip. That way you will have your medication on hand if an infection occurs and thus avoid a trip to a crowded emergency room.



• Consider picking up some "azo-standard" before you leave. This is an over-the-counter medication that will ease the burning symptom (but does not treat the underlying infection).



• If your trip is romantic in nature, realize that greater than 90% of UTI's in women are related to (caused by) sexual intercourse--hence the term "honeymoon cystitis" (cystitis is the medical term for bladder infection).

If you are a man who has had recurrent prostatitis or epididymitis:

• See your doctor and get an antibiotic before your trip.



• These infections in men are not related to intercourse. In fact, some urologists believe that frequent intercourse can decrease the incidence of these types of infections in men--especially prostatitis
.

Remember, always pack your medications in your carry-on luggage.