Keep your urinary tract healthy

Your urinary tract is made up of kidneys, a bladder, and tubes leading to and from these organs. Urinary tract health refers to how well the system works at removing waste and making urine, along with problems that might occur within the tract.

As people get older, the bladder changes. The elastic bladder tissue may toughen and become less stretchy. A less flexible bladder cannot hold as much urine as before and might make you go to the bathroom more often.

By practicing some simple urinary tract good health habits, you may be able to reduce the risk of developing urinary tract infections or kidney stones.

Remember to always:

• Drink enough fluids, especially water.
• Watch what you eat.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine.
• Use the bathroom often and when needed.

Please notify your doctor as soon as possible if you have experienced any of the following symptoms. The greater your openness about the symptoms you are experiencing, the better.

• Leaking urine or inability to hold urine.
• Needing to urinate more frequently or urgently.
• Pain when urinating.
• Blood in the urine or cloudy urine.
• Trouble starting to urinate and having a weak stream.
• Urinary issues disrupting sleep patterns.
• Noticeable change in color, smell, appearance, or volume of urine.
• Trouble emptying your bladder.

Source

National Institute of Health and Human Services