There are a lot of different things that can cause cystitis.

It happens when bacteria gets into your urinary tract or urethra and makes its way into your bladder, causing infection.

Some of the main things that can increase your chances of getting cystitis include:

• Having sex
• Wiping your bottom from back to front
• Having a urinary catheter
• Pregnancy
• Diabetes
• A weakened immune system
• Being younger than 1 or older than 75

You can get cystitis after having sex, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get cystitis every time you have sex or that there aren’t any other causes.

Women often get cystitis after having sex because it can make it easier for bacteria to get into your urethra and move up to your bladder from there, causing a UTI.

If you use a diaphragm as your method of contraception this can also increase your chances of getting cystitis after sex.

Interstitial cystitis is a type of urinary tract infection that causes pelvic pain and trouble peeing, it’s also called painful bladder syndrome.

It’s different from regular cystitis as it doesn’t seem to be caused by an infection in your bladder and antibiotics typically don’t work as a treatment.

The causes of interstitial cystitis are currently unknown, although people think it may be caused by damage to your bladder lining or problems with your pelvic floor muscles.

Interstitial cystitis usually begins to affect you when you’re in your 30s or 40s and, like regular cystitis, is much more common in women than men.

If you think you may have interstitial cystitis you should speak to your doctor as soon as possible.

Men can get cystitis, although it’s rarer in men than it is in women.

This is simply because a man’s urethra is further away from their anus than a woman’s, making it harder to transfer bacteria when using the toilet.

The causes and treatments for cystitis are the same in both men and women.

Yes, children can get cystitis.

If your child gets cystitis you may also notice the following symptoms as well as the urgent need to pee and stomach pain that’s present in adults:

• A fever of 38 degrees C or more
• Weakness
• Feeling irritable or grumpy
• Reduced appetite
• Being sick

If you have a mild case of cystitis then there are a few things you can do at home to ease your symptoms until the infection has passed.

For starters, holding a hot water bottle over your stomach or between your legs can help to ease your abdominal pain.

Make sure to drink plenty of water and go to the toilet regularly, you may want to avoid it when you’re dealing with stinging when you pee but hydration is important!

When you do go to the toilet, make sure to wipe from front to back to help prevent more bacteria from entering your urinary tract, it’s a good idea to avoid having sex for the same reason.

You may also want to try cleaning around your genitals with a skin-sensitive soap.

Antibiotics aren’t available over the counter so if you think you need some for your UTI you’ll have to ask your doctor.

However, it’s important to note that mild cases of UTIs will usually clear up by themselves within a few days, so make sure to take the time to consider whether your infection is severe enough to need a doctor’s visit.

Although cystitis and thrush can affect a very similar area they’re actually very different.

Thrush is a fungal infection, whereas cystitis is a urinary tract infection caused by bacteria.

The easiest way to tell the two apart is by looking at their symptoms.

If you have thrush, you’ll usually notice a white, cottage cheese-like discharge and an itching sensation, but cystitis causes stinging when you pee and abdominal pain.