Health · Public Health & Disease · 6 hrs ago
MP says menopause-related UTIs left her in severe pain
MP Gardner experienced severe, recurring pain from UTIs and says she struggled to get sensible care.
She was told her symptoms might be anxiety or depression, and one consultant advised her to stop having sex because it could trigger a flare-up.
A GP in Staffordshire linked her symptoms to menopause and prescribed hormone replacement therapy, or HRT.
Gardner says she then had two years without a UTI and felt she had her life back.
Medical experts are developing a definition of chronic UTIs to distinguish them from other conditions and help improve diagnosis and treatment.
The work matters because persistent infections can severely affect people’s quality of life, including their ability to work or care for their children.
MP Gardner says menopause-related urinary tract infections caused severe, burning pain.
She said medics had dismissed her symptoms and that she felt “gaslighted”.
About three years ago, GP Cat Anderson linked Gardner’s symptoms to menopause and prescribed hormone replacement therapy.
Gardner said she then had two years without a urinary tract infection and “just had my life back”.
Anderson is helping develop a medical definition of chronic urinary tract infections to support better diagnosis and treatment.
- Who
- MP Gardner, 60, and GP Cat Anderson.
- What
- Gardner described severe pain from chronic urinary tract infections that she says were related to menopause. Anderson prescribed hormone replacement therapy.
- When
- Gardner discovered Anderson around three years before the article was published on 13 October 2026.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Anderson linked Gardner’s symptoms to menopause. The article says persistent infections can severely affect patients’ quality of life.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Gardner discovered GP Cat Anderson, who linked her symptoms to menopause and prescribed hormone replacement therapy.
Gardner said she had two years without a urinary tract infection.
The BBC published Gardner’s account of her chronic urinary tract infections and severe pain.
- Gardner’s age
- 60
- GP
- Cat Anderson
- Anderson’s location
- Staffordshire
- Time since Gardner found Anderson
- Around three years
- Symptom-free period
- Two years without a UTI
What people are saying
It's a searing pain every time you go to the loo
I had two years free of UTI - I just had my life back
You're stuck with a choice aren't you?
ruin a patient's quality of life
Sources
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