Honeymoon blues for newly-weds

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman="" class="author">Sourav Sanyal</span><br />CHANDIGARH: Honeymoon blues! With more and more couples tying the knot these days, city doctors are having a tough time to attend to the stream of women flooding the clinics complaining of abdominal pains virtually everyday.<br />Strange though it may sound, these newly-married ladies are victims of ‘Honeymoon cystitis’ going by what experts say.<br />A particular type of urinary tract infection, Honeymoon cystitis is commonly seen in newly-wed ladies who have sexual intercourse frequently. Caused by staphylococcus bacteria, the infection is seen in at least five out of ten women examined by the doctors.<br />Speaking to the Times News Network, Prof AS Bawa, head, Department of General Surgery, Government Medical College and Hospital, who performed the rare ‘laparoscopy nephrectomy’(removal of diseased kidney by making a one centimetre hole) surgery on a 45-year-old woman from Kaithal on Friday, said, “Honeymoon cystitis is a very common occurrence in newly weds and those women who are sexually active. It is seen in nearly five out of every ten patients who walk in for a check-up complaining of abdominal pains. This is a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), caused by the staphylococcus bacteria or E. Coli. Sexual intercourse adds to the problem.�<br />Elaborating on UTI, Dr Bawa said it was one of the most common infections reported in women worldwide.<br />“One out of every 10 females will have UTI in their lifetime. UTI is not seen in men unless there is a secondary cause. This is because, the passage from the bladder is much smaller in women (3.5-4 cm) as compared to the one present in men which is about 18 cm. While in men, stones which might form in the kidney are flushed out easily, in women the case is reverse. Hygiene is not good in women which makes passage for bacteria in the urinary tract easy. Honeymoon cystitis is one such UTI which is a big problem especially in young women,� he said.<br />Commenting on the cause of Honeymoon cystitis Dr Bawa said, “Sexual intercourse at frequent intervals leads to the problem. This is because there is a lot of abrasion in the female during sexual act. Often the female organ gets hurt which makes the task easier for bacteria. More so because the urinary tract opening and the opening in the female organ which receives the male organ during intercourse are located side by side. The free passage of mucus and fluids make women more susceptible to the bacterial infection.� </div> </div>