What causes a urinary tract infection?

Urinary tract infections are a common ailment that affect women more often than men. Learn how to prevent them as Dr. Oz discusses the bladder and tips to ward off infections in this video.

When bacteria or other microorganisms find their way into any part of the urinary tract and begin multiplying, a urinary tract infection has developed. Most urinary tract infections are bacterial in nature. Bacteria usually get into the urinary tract from the outside environment by travelling up the tube that empties the bladder of urine, the urethra. Because of differences in genital anatomy, this tube is much shorter in women than in men. As a result, bacteria are able to colonize the female urinary tract much more easily than the male urinary tract and, consequently, urinary tract infections are much more common in women than in men.