Is a urinary tract infection more common in men or women?

Women: Urinary tract infections are more common in women due to women have a shorter urethra than men. It is believed that the shorter urethra more easily allows the bacteria to travel from the opening to the bladder.

More in women: Several reasons: urethra is much closer to the anus, it is shorter in females, and women don't have the prostate secretions which stops the bacteria. Also sex makes the female more prone. However in elderly, roughly same in both because of prostate enlargement and urinary obstruction in male.

Much more in woman: Urinary infections are rare im men until they reach the prostate enlargement age group, usually >>50-years. More cmmon in uncircumcised baby boys < 1-year-of-age than baby girls or circumcised boys. Urinary infections become common in women when they become sexually active, and again around menopause (age 45 -55 years) when they stop procing estrogens.