When day to day people think about self catheters or urinary catheters, a good portion of us might think only about catheters for men. The truth is, catheters are needed by men and women, and specific catheters for women are designed to be discreet and compact. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released their National Chronic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet for 2010 and claimed that Chronic Kidney Disease, CKD, is more common in women than in men but men with CKD were twice more likely to develop kidney failure.
That figure supports the belief that female catheters and male catheters are now more common than not because of the growing issue around enlarged prostates and kidney disease. Patients confined to a hospital bed that will most likely be hooked up to a urine catheter as well. Another use for catheters for women is during labor. The balloon part of the catheter is used to dilate the cervix prior to the head of the child crowning. Another use for catheters for women is for women who receive a Caesarean section operation.
Catheters for women have risks, much like their male counterparts, that come with everyday use. Blockage or flow stoppage of the urine is a common issue, which will require replacement, but the greatest flaw of catheters for women is the possibility that a urinary tract infection forms as a direct result of the catheter. The risk for infection goes up each day the catheter is in place and being used.