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Urinary tract infection (lower) - women - Management
When should I culture the urine of a woman with suspected cystitis?
- Urine microscopy and culture are not routinely required for women with uncomplicated cystitis.
- Send urine for microscopy and culture if any of the following apply:
- There are risk factors for a complicated urinary tract infection — for example the woman has recently had urological instrumentation, or is immunocompromised, or has been in hospital recently.
- Confirmation of the diagnosis or exclusion of other conditions is required.
- The woman has not responded to antibiotic treatment.
- The woman has recurrent episodes of cystitis and this has not been investigated.
- When underlying causes of recurrent cystitis and other conditions have been excluded, it is not necessary to routinely culture the urine for further episodes.
In depth
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