I was 16 when I had my first UTI and it didn’t stop there.
What should have been a simple infection turned into a 10-year cycle of pain, antibiotics, and dismissal. UTIs became a recurring part of my life, dictating everything from holidays to intimacy to how I felt in my own skin.
Like so many women, I was caught in a pattern: infection, antibiotics, temporary relief, then back to square one. No one explained why it kept happening. No one looked deeper. I was told to drink more water, pee after sex, and accept that I was “just prone to them.”
What I didn’t realise then – but now know – is that this revolving door of prescriptions was doing more harm than good. Repeated antibiotic use was stripping away my body’s natural defences, damaging the gut, vaginal, and urinary microbiomes, and making me even more vulnerable.
And yet, no one talked about that part.
The hidden cost of “Here’s some antibiotics”
Looking back, I’m shocked by how casually antibiotics were handed out for my UTIs without any real conversation about what they were doing to my body.
Over time, they stopped working. I needed stronger prescriptions, longer courses, and the infections still returned. My gut was a mess, I had constant thrush and BV, and my body felt depleted. At one point, I was told to take low-dose antibiotics every day as a “preventative.” It didn’t feel like care, it felt like surrender.
Antibiotic resistance isn’t theoretical. It’s real, especially for women like me stuck in the UTI loop. And while antibiotics have their place, no one warned me that relying on them could make things worse in the long run.
There had to be another way. So I started looking for it.
The ingredient that changed everything: D-Mannose
Out of desperation, I took matters into my own hands. I became my own case study: reading research papers, trying supplements, changing my diet, working with nutritionists and functional medicine practitioners. That’s when I discovered D-Mannose.
If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. It’s a naturally occurring sugar found in fruits like cranberries and apples and it changed everything for me. Rather than killing bacteria, it prevents the most common UTI-causing bacteria (E.coli) from sticking to the bladder wall, so they can be flushed out naturally.
I started taking it proactively, especially after sex or travel. And for the first time in years, I didn’t relapse. It wasn’t a miracle cure but it was my turning point.
Rebuilding from the inside out
D-Mannose was my first real breakthrough but it wasn’t the whole answer. To stay UTI-free, I had to rethink my health as a whole.
I began treating my body as a system, not a set of disconnected symptoms. I cleaned up my diet by cutting back on sugar and alcohol, both of which triggered flare-ups. I focused on anti-inflammatory, whole foods and introduced high-quality probiotics to rebuild my gut and vaginal microbiomes.
That’s when I first heard the term urinary microbiome, something not a single doctor had mentioned in over a decade. It turns out, maintaining a balance of good bacteria in the bladder and vaginal canal is one of the most powerful ways to prevent infection.
I started taking vaginal-specific strains like Lactobacillus reuteri, and gradually, the pattern broke. No more recurring UTIs. No more antibiotics.
It took time, and a lot of trial and error. But what finally worked wasn’t a single magic fix, it was understanding my body, supporting it daily, and refusing to settle for being dismissed.
Why aren’t we talking about this more?
Chronic UTIs are often brushed off as a nuisance, something women are just expected to live with. We’re handed antibiotics, given generic advice, and sent on our way. There’s little talk of prevention, long-term care, or the emotional toll these infections take.
But it’s not just about bladder pain. It’s about cancelled plans, fear around intimacy, lost confidence, and the anxiety of not trusting your own body.
When I started sharing my experience publicly, the response was overwhelming. So many women messaged me: “Me too.” Most had never heard of D-Mannose. Few had been told about the urinary microbiome. Almost all felt dismissed.
That’s why I started Onoma Health, to create what I couldn’t find: real, proactive solutions backed by science and lived experience. Our first product, Tract Tonic, blends ingredients like D-Mannose, Cranberry, Fennel Seed and Vitamin C to support urinary health daily, not just when things go wrong.
Struggling? You’re not alone.
If you’re living in fear of the next infection, constantly adjusting your life around your bladder, you’re not the only one. And more importantly, you’re not stuck.
Start by tuning into your body. Track your symptoms. Notice your triggers. Look beyond the prescriptions and ask different questions. Tools like D-Mannose, gut and vaginal probiotics, and anti-inflammatory support can make a real difference, especially if E. coli is at the root of your infections.
But this is about more than just symptom relief. It’s about building knowledge, reclaiming agency, and finding the right practitioner who can support you, not dismiss you, as you search for long-term freedom from chronic UTIs.
Healing often begins when we stop outsourcing all the answers and start getting curious about what our own body is telling us. My journey pushed me to become the advocate I needed. It taught me this simple truth:
Understanding your body is the most powerful tool you have.
And with the right support, you can take back control.
Author Bio:
Olivia Wallis is the founder of Onoma Health and creator of Tract Tonic, a science-backed supplement supporting urinary health. After suffering for over a decade with chronic UTIs, she now helps other women find lasting solutions to recurrent infections. Connect with her on Instagram @onomahealth or visit www.onoma.health.
