Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common adult bacterial infection globally, impacting 7 million women each year in the USA alone. One in two females will experience at least one UTI in their lifetime, and a quarter of these go on to suffer from multiple, debilitating episodes. If you or a loved one know what this is like, it’s time to finally take action.
What You Need To Know About UTI
- Every second woman you know has experienced a UTI
- 85% of all UTIs occur in women
- UTI symptoms are frequently dismissed and women are left improperly treated
- UTI in elderly women and men is often misdiagnosed and can lead to death
- The standard UTI test has been proven inaccurate in at least 50% of cases
- Antibiotic resistant UTIs are on the rise
A UTI is not like a common cold. It is excruciating, often terrifying, and can lead to sepsis and death. Despite all this, there is no accurate UTI test, and women everywhere are being incorrectly treated because of it.
How You Can Help
1. Get Active On Social Media
Share this page, or download and use our social media kit: Snippets, facts and images to help spread the word about putting an end to recurrent UTI.
#liveUTIfree
2. Request The Peezy Midstream For Your Next Urine Sample
Clinicians and patients can download the Peezy Midstream discussion guide for more information on sourcing and using the device that significantly increases the accuracy of urine samples.
3. Donate To Advance UTI Education And Research
No woman should be told recurrent UTIs are ‘normal’. Donate to help us push for targeted research, better sexual health education in schools, and accessible, actionable information for recurrent UTI sufferers.
Who We Are
Live UTI Free is a user-centric, patient advocacy organization, founded to provide unbiased, evidence-based information to sufferers of recurrent and chronic UTI. Our mission is to raise awareness and make desperately needed positive change in women’s health. Help us remove the stigma by talking about UTIs.
We have collected over 30,000 patient survey responses, collating the largest existing resource of aggregated online patient insights around recurrent UTI. The thousands of messages we receive each year are answered by volunteers and experts that work with us to help provide a framework to guide sufferers towards resolution. Find your own answers within our site, or help us make change in women’s healthcare. See more below.
In addition to standard UTI tests being up to 50% inaccurate, 20% of urine samples themselves are unreliable. This is because the clean catch urine sample specified in all clinical guidelines relies on the patient to start-stop-start the urine stream. The result is a urine sample contaminated by natural skin bacterial flora and debris being washed into the cup along with the urine. A contaminated sample can lead to misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment, or no treatment at all.
Designed by a doctor, Peezy Midstream improves outcomes for patients with UTI and those attending regular prenatal screening by increasing the accuracy of midstream sample collection. It’s now used by clinicians and patients in the UK and is backed by substantial published evidence that confirms it works in delivering accurate urine specimens, reducing retests and false-positives.
Your Support Means The World To Women Everywhere
 | “I’ve suffered from 24 hour a day bladder symptoms for 2 years. Before that, I was on constant antibiotics for 3 years. It didn’t help. In fact, I ended up with an antibiotic resistant UTI and I’m not sure whether I have any treatment options left. At this point, the road ahead is paved with pain, endless urine samples, depressing test results and treatment guesses. I can’t believe there isn’t a better way forward.” |
Want To Do More?
Get in touch with Live UTI Free to collaborate on or fund further research, to share your own story, or with any questions on recurrent UTI.
For more information on the Peezy Midstream, or media enquiries, get in touch with the Owen Mumford team and they’ll point you in the right direction.
Ask Questions. Tell Stories!
Comments
Hi! I’ve been experiencing persistent UTIs for 7 years now feeling only despair after every doctors visit. I want to pursue a more informed specialist who can help me get to the bottom of this constant pain. I live in Scotland, are there any urologist specialists that could help me? Thank you.
Hey! So pleased to discover this initiative. I have been suffering recurrent UTIs since I am sexually active (it’s been 10 years now!), always linked to my sexual activity. Trying to avoid antibiotics, I stopped going to the doctor to treat them a long time ago and I have been using home treatments (cranberry juice, water) or out of the counter treatments (cystitis relief pills). I recently had a UTI and it’s impacting my sexual life and my relationship with my new partner, plus my work. I am so done with it! UTI analysis came back negative even after further analysis, but I have all the symptoms. I would love to connect with a UTI specialist in London and be UTI free 🙂 thanks in advance for your help! Best, Coline
Hi Coline, I saw you also sent us an email and we’ve replied with more info. I hope it helps! Feel free to send us any questions there. Melissa
Hi Carys, I just sent you an email with more information. Feel free to ask any questions there. Melissa
Hello! Today I realize that after taking a bath, I started feeling UTI symptoms… Didn’t had sex, neither an activity that could let me to this, I am even taking antibiotics at the time for a leg injury (this antibiotic is supposed to have an effect in urinary tract) so I’ve been thinking that maybe is possible that the water in my shower deposit (liters and liters) could be contaminated…. I will try to wash the area with filtered water next time… hope it gives me the answer why my UTIs keep coming back
Hi Adriayala, as I’m sure you know, an antibiotic that is used for UTI isn’t necessarily the right antibiotic for the bacteria that are causing symptoms. So it’s entirely possible to be on a particular antibiotic and still get a UTI. Contaminated water is certainly a possible source. Have you read our information on chronic UTI? If not, that may be helpful too. Melissa