Can toilet seats give you a UTI? Here’s what a doctor has to say

Many women worry about contracting urinary tract infections or UTI from toilet seats, especially if they are using a public toilet. While it is true that women, more than men, are at a greater risk of suffering from UTI, there is little truth to the fact that they can get it from merely sitting on a toilet seat.

Dr Tanaya, who goes the name of ‘Dr Cuterus’ on Instagram, shared in a post that while many companies sell toilet seat sanitising products — which can be used if you want to keep the seat germ-free — it does not serve the purpose of protecting you from UTI.
“When you sit on the toilet seat, the pee hole does not actually come in contact with it,” the doctor demonstrated in a video. She added that bacteria will not magically fly from the seat and into your urethra.

The one way that you can get a UTI infection, she continued in the video, is wiping yourself the wrong way after peeing. The doctor explained that some people wipe from the back to the front, bringing the bacteria from the butthole all the way to the pee hole.

The correct way to wipe after peeing is from the front to the back, she concluded.
In the comments, the doctor further explained that “drinking enough water and not holding your pee” can help people who are susceptible to UTI. “Dehydration and holding pee are bigger causes of UTI than anything else,” she wrote.
Did you know about this?
📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!