It is estimated that nearly half of all women will experience urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms in their lifetime, and many will experience them several times.
However, proper diagnosis is important as UTI symptoms can mimic other, often more serious problems.
To determine if you are in fact having urinary tract infection symptoms answer these questions:

• Do you feel pain in your pelvic (women) or rectal (men) area?
• Does your urine appear cloudy?
• Does your urine appear pink or cola colored (a sign of blood)?
• Does your urine have a strong odor?
• Do you feel a strong and persistent need to urinate?
• Are you passing only small amounts of urine when you do go?
• Is there a burning sensation when you urinate?

If you are in fact experiencing any of these urinary tract infection symptoms a visit to your physician is in order.
Fortunately, curing your UTI is a pretty simple and straightforward affair.
Your doctor will take a sample of your urine and a look at the proportion of white to red blood cells.
An elevated white blood cell count will be indicative of an infection; antibiotics will then be prescribed.
As is always the case with antibiotics, it is prudent to run the full course of the prescription rather than stopping treatment if the urinary tract infection symptoms disappear.
Here are some recommendations for avoiding UTI's.

• Good personal hygiene is your first defense against UTI's.
  Wash the skin between the genitals and rectum daily and always wipe from front to back (especially important for women).
  
• Wash before and after sexual intercourse.
  
• Do not "hold your urine" as doing so can, over time, stretch the bladder.
  When this happens the bladder fails to empty; leaving urine in the bladder may increase your risk of a UTI.
  
• Drink plenty of water each day.
  
• Vitamin C and cranberry juice are often said to reduce to frequency of UTI's.
  

Remember that if you experience urinary tract infection symptoms the cause is easy to treat.
Practice good hygiene, use common sense, eat well and your chances of contracting a UTI are greatly diminished.