Lindsey Burnett, MD, PhD, recipient of a 2026 CAIRIBU Collaboration Award and member of the CAIRIBU Urobiome Research Interest Group, was recently quoted in NPR’s Living Better special series. The article, titled “Why too many women are prescribed antibiotics for UTIs they don’t have,” addresses why some women may experience recurrent lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) even in the absence of a urinary tract infection (UTI).

The NPR article draws from a research article authored by Dr. Burnett and published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine titled The association between hormonally mediated vestibulodynia and persistent urogenital symptoms: a retrospective chart review. This study addressed women with recurrent UTI diagnoses who experienced continued LUTS after antibiotic completion. Within the study cohort, there was a high co-prevelance of disrupted hormonal homeostasis and pelvic floor hypertonia, suggesting a pathophysiological link.

As highlighted in the NPR article, a potential problem with treating UTI-like symptoms with antibiotics before confirming an infection is present is that urinary symptoms can have non-bacterial causes. These factors, says Dr. Burnett, include hormone disruptions and pelvic floor dysfunction. Recognizing these possible underlying causes may help clinicians distinguish between an actual infection and symptoms that mimic a UTI, potentially reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.

• Read the full NPR article
• Read the full research article