Doctors treat female UTIs with wrong antibiotics nearly half the time, study finds - CNN

Women who lived in rural areas were more likely to be told to take that antibiotic for an "inappropriately long duration of therapy than urban patients," the study found, although 76% of all the women in the study were on antibiotics too long.

It's possible, the study said, that rural doctors may not be as aware of current antibiotic treatment guidelines, or perhaps gave their patients more antibiotics because of the distance needed to travel to and from the clinic in case symptoms persisted.

Symptoms and causes

Urinary tract infections can happen to both men and women of any age, but are more common in women and girls, who have shorter urethras that are closer to the rectum, making it easier for bacteria to infect the urinary tract.

Women are more likely to develop a UTI if you engage in sexual activity, especially with a new sexual partner, and forget to urinate after intercourse, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other risk factors include a history of UTIs, menopause, pregnancy, the use of spermicides that might change vaginal bacteria and an enlarged prostate.

Age is a factor as well -- many children get UTIs while potty training because they do not know which direction to wipe -- while the elderly are at high risk because they have more problems emptying their bladder completely as they age.

Symptoms of UTIs include frequent urination that is painful or burns, bloody urine, low stomach cramps and the need to urinate even after having just gone.

A kidney infection is another type of UTI, which can be more serious if not treated.

Symptoms include fever, chills, nausea or vomiting and lower back pain.

Symptoms of a UTI can mimic those of many sexually transmitted diseases, so a urine test may be needed to identify the cause.