CUTI Podcast Exposes HealthCare's Dirty Secret about Chronic Urinary Tract Infections

 March 8th is International Women's Day

Women have gotten the short end of the proverbial stick in health care for centuries. Is it getting better? Yes, but slowly and with resistance from those manly men who feel society doesn't give them enough respect anymore.

Consider some examples. For decades, the dosage of over-the-counter and prescription drugs was calculated based on only on male physiology. When crash dummies were first developed for auto safety tests, male crash dummies were exclusively used. Heart attacks among women were under diagnosed for decades and still are ignored because the symptoms for women are different.

According to a 2022 NPR report, one study shows that middle-aged women with chest pain were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than their male counterparts. Another study found that women and people of color who visited emergency rooms with chest pain waited longer to be seen by a doctor.

How about urinary tract infections (UTIs)?  Women get UTIs up to 30 times more often than men do. Also, as many as 4 in 10 women who get a UTI will get at least one more within six months. Women get UTIs more often because a woman's urethra (the tube from the bladder to where the urine comes out of the body) is shorter than a man's.

Does that data mean that UTIs are a "female problem?" No, it's a health care diagnosis and treatment problem.

According to podcast producer Verity De Cala for Roadhouse Transmissions, "Chronic UTIs (CUTI)  are one of the most neglected health issues facing women today."

 In a three-part documentary podcast series beginning March 8, CUTI will be available for listening. Told through the eyes of the patients, expert researchers and doctors in the field, it's a story that highlights the worst effects of the gender health gap and interrogates how we view women in pain.

Why produce such a podcast?

Verity explains: "The Roundhouse is a hub of inspiration where artists and emerging talent create extraordinary work and where young people can grow ​creatively as individuals. We believe in the power of creativity to change lives. By giving young people the chance to engage with the arts ​through our music, media and performance projects, we inspire them to reach further, dream bigger, and achieve more."

Beginning March 8th, ​producer and host Verity de Cala will guide you through this three-part narrative series with every episode carefully soundscaped to capture the complicated world of living with CUTI, the science, and culture that surrounds the illness.

Guests include experts in the field: Dr Cat Anderson, Dr Raj Khasriya, Professor Jennifer Rhon, campaign group CUTIC, and stories from women living with CUTI.

Here's how the episodes will be released and the specific topic of each episode:

E1 released 03/08/2023 CUTI - Tests, Misogyny and Misconceptions - If something doesn't have a name, can it exist? We look at how misconceptions, misogyny and a lack of research, have not only shaped science, but also the patients experiences...

E2 released 03/15/2023 CUTI - Treatment, Antibiotics and Changing Attitudes - Why is it so hard to find the right treatment for CUTI? We look at how CUTI patients find treatment, what it's costing them, the
pressures on doctors prescribing antibiotics, and ask - are there any better alternatives... ?

E3 released 03/22/2023 CUTI - Coping, Community and UTIs in children - How does living with a UTI affect your daily life? We explore the importance of supportive communities, the work of activists, and investigate the growing problem of UTls in children.

Verity details the issues surrounding CUTI. "Imagine battling an illness that doctors tell many women doesn't exist."

Verity notes that half of all women will suffer with a UTI at some point in their lives, and luckily for most, it goes away. But for a growing number of women, that simply isn't the case. For these women the symptoms can persist for months, which turns into years, and it becomes a chronic UTI.

For example, research from Penn Medicine concludes that the cranberry juice cure is one of the most commonly believed myths about treating UTIs.

According to Penn, "Don’t for a minute think that a bottle of cranberry juice can replace a visit to your doctor or proper medication. It turns out cranberry juice isn’t nearly as effective as many people think."

In these three podcast episodes, you will hear the personal stories of women suffering from CUTI. These women have dealt with outdated testing, extended waits for a diagnosis, and then being told, "your pain isn't real. It's all in your head."

Remember when doctors claimed fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were identified initially as "all in your head" conditions? Both conditions affected women at a higher rate than men. Not anymore. With more research came awareness that both conditions resulted from a constellation of factors, and treatment protocols have been developed.

CUTI reflects the very worst of how health care professionals around the world continue to view women's pain in society.

Verity De Cala puts that statement into perspective. "With over 1.7 million women thought to be suffering in the UK, what is it like to fight a CUTI? After all, it's an illness that doctors don't understand, or even worse, don't believe women have."

Although the narrative is based in the U.K., CUTI is a pressing health issue for women in the U.S. and around the world.

Women have filled the knowledge void left by doctors and health care organizations about chronic UTIs with online forums, charities and support groups.

Check out this three-part documentary podcast CUTI to understand how women are suffering for years from a condition that health care professionals didn't fully understand, misdiagnosed, and then provided ineffective treatment options, if they offered any at all other than drinking cranberry juice.