Patients who have had two urinary tract infections in the past six months or three in the past year have recurrent urinary tract infections. Patients who have recurrent urinary tract infections are often referred to a urogynecologist or a urologist for further evaluation, and may require treatment to prevent infections.
Risk factors for recurrent urinary tract infections can be divided into two categories: behavioral and genetic. Behavioral risk factors include sexual activity, a new sexual partner and the use of spermicides. Genetic and health-state risk factors include having a mother with a history of UTIs, having UTIs as a child, diabetes, fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence and being post-menopausal.