UTIs from Sex

Have you ever heard of anyone having UTI symptoms after sex? This has happened with my husband, plus the last 2 guys I dated. I've been to doctors, and they can't think of any reason this would be happening, especially since we seem to be doing everything right (pee before and after, wipe front to back, plenty of lube, etc.). Pretty much any time I have sex now I know that I'm going to have to take Azo or Uristat immediately after.

My husband was thinking it might be the lube-- I'm uber sensitive to like, everything. When we used to use condoms, I'd get really irritated, and even at work I have to use Nitrile gloves. So, we don't use them, obviously. A few years ago, I used to use Wet Original, before they took out the nonoxynol-9, and that was like, the best shit ever. Now I feel like I can't use it, and I feel like everything else makes it burn (though I haven't tried everything else). What's out there for uber-sensitive skin? Please don't tell me I can't have sex anymore.

The only thing my ob/gyne told me was that she didn't see anything there, and that if I'd be willing to give it a shot, she could prescribe a numbing gel for me. Apparently some people use it during sex, but why the hell would I want to do that? At least just right after. It becomes painful pretty much immediately after I orgasm, but not during sex. Ugh.. any thoughts? Should I give the numbing gel a shot? It just sounds so un-sexy, but I also hate feeling like this.

I want to preface this with the fact that I am not a doctor or trained in the medical field at all. So really all I can do is offer you some options to try to see if they help, but I can't really suggest anything medically. You've definitely done the right thing by going to doctors and have hopefully gotten a second opinion on this matter as well.

I have definitely heard of women getting UTIs from vaginal intercourse. A very good friend of mine had a lot of problems with it. She fixed her issue by doing a lot of the things you're doing now like peeing right before and after sex. She also takes cranberry supplement pills every day. Another thing I would suggest is to try different positions. If your husband's penis curves then try to get into positions where the curve won't be directed towards the front of your body. So for example, if his penis curves upwards try doggy style instead of missionary position.

It seems odd that you have hyper sensitive skin and yet you don't have a problem with nonoxynol-9. That stuff can wreak havoc if you're sensitive. But since you say you're sensitive I would suggest lubes which don't have a lot of ingredients in them. You will not be able to find these kinds of lube at your local Walgreens so you'll probably have to order them online unless you live near a high quality sex toy shop. I would suggest Sliquid H2O or Astroglide that is paraben and glycerine free. And if you haven't tried silicone-based lubes you should as they are hypo-allergenic. They can't be used with silicone sex toys, but they can be great for intercourse. There are a lot of different types out there, but I'd recommend any of the Pjur silicone lubes which come in both liquid and gel.

You could also try using polyurethane condoms to see if those help at all. There are two brands on the market currently: Trojan Supras and Durex Avanti.

I don't really like the idea of you having to use a numbing gel if you don't have to. Especially since it's not going to keep you from getting UTIs. If none of the things I suggested above help I'd think about seeing a urologist. They may know something that your doctor doesn't.