3 signs you may have a chronic UTI

Have you been told your urine test is “normal” but you still feel like something’s wrong? Let’s talk about 3 signs you may have a chronic UTI, also known as an embedded UTI.

Maybe you’ve been back and forth to the doctor, taken multiple courses of antibiotics, yet the symptoms keep coming back (or never fully go away). This condition is still under-recognised in many countries, and standard urine tests often fail to detect it, which can make the whole experience even more confusing and lonely.

If you take anything away from this post, I want you to know that you CAN trust your symptoms because you know your body the best. Symptoms are messages from your body, asking you to pay attention. 

Chronic vs Recurrent vs Acute UTI: What’s the difference?

• Acute UTI: An infection that comes on suddenly and usually clears with short-term treatment.
• Recurrent UTI: You get repeated UTIs, but feel well in between.
• Chronic UTI: Symptoms never fully go away. You may feel like you have a “low-grade” infection all the time, or experience frequent flare-ups that never really resolve.

Chronic UTI isn’t just “another UTI.” It’s a persistent, often misunderstood condition where bacteria hide inside the bladder lining, making them undetectable in urine and harder to treat with antibiotics.

Read also: This is how a chronic UTI develops (6 stages)

Sign 1 – Persistent symptoms despite negative urine tests

What this looks like:
You experience ongoing burning, urgency, bladder pressure, or pelvic discomfort even though urine cultures come back negative or “clean.”

What it means:
In chronic, embedded UTIs, bacteria can hide in the bladder wall or form biofilms, making them undetectable in standard tests. Dipsticks and urine cultures are designed to detect acute infections. But they aren’t sensitive enough to pick up chronic, embedded bacteria. That’s why so many women are told nothing is wrong, when in fact, their bodies are fighting a hidden infection.

Read also: Why standard urine tests miss up to 90% of chronic infections

Sign 2 – Antibiotics only offer temporary relief, then relapse follows

What this looks like:
Your symptoms ease briefly with antibiotics but return shortly after stopping them, often within days or weeks.

What it means:
This suggests the infection was not fully eradicated because antibiotics only work on actively dividing bacteria (in the urine). So, when they’re hiding in the bladder wall, bacteria are ‘dormant’ and not dividing so it’s difficult to reach them with antibiotics (or immune cells). 

Sign 3 – Constant low-level symptoms between flares

What this looks like:
Even outside of full-blown flare-ups, you may experience subtle but constant symptoms, like pressure, discomfort, fatigue, or mild burning, that never fully go away.

What it means:
Unlike simple recurrent UTIs that have clearer beginnings and endings, chronic embedded UTIs often create a baseline of ongoing inflammation or discomfort. That’s because the bacteria hiding in the bladder lining alert the immune system to the invader, causing an inflammatory reaction (swelling, pain, urgency to pee) in an attempt to clear the bacteria. 

What can you do next?

• Keep a symptom diary to track your patterns and flare-ups.
• Seek out practitioners familiar with chronic UTI or bladder health. To book a session with me or a free discovery call to have a chat first, click here.
• Explore natural and holistic options (like homeopathy, naturopathy, herbal medicine, food as medicine etc.) that support healing beyond antibiotics.
• Most of all, trust yourself: your body is giving you real signals. And remember, you CAN heal. ⭐
• Also, learn to use homeopathic remedies for your UTI symptoms. Download my free guide and figure out what remedy you need!