Women’s Intimate Health by Numbers: New UK Research on UTIs, Thrush & BV
New research highlights the true scale, cost, and impact of UTIs, thrush, and bacterial vaginosis in the UK – and why it's time to start talking about it.
Note: This blog is based on research by Unity Insights in collaboration with B.Y.M.® Technologies for P.Happi, using published studies and NHS data to better understand the landscape of women’s intimate health in the UK. Selected references listed below, for full references, contact hello@p-happi.com.
At P.Happi®, we believe women’s health is not niche. Women’s health data is often outdated or fragmented. That’s why we partnered with Unity Insights, a leading independent research organisation, to better understand the scale and realities of urovaginal health conditions in the UK.
This research brings together existing data and literature to estimate how many women are living with common conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), vaginal thrush (yeast infections), and bacterial vaginosis (BV). It also explores how often these infections come back, who’s most affected, and what the cost of this ongoing cycle really is.
Most importantly, it validates what so many women already know from lived experience: these issues are common, recurrent, and exhausting – and yet the support available is limited, slow, or missing entirely.
Key Findings at a Glance:
- UTIs affect 2 million women aged 18+ in the UK every year – and over 730,000 experience recurrent infections annually.
- Bacterial vaginosis (BV) impacts an estimated 3.4 million women aged 15+, with nearly 1.9 million living with recurrent BV.
- Vaginal thrush affects around 902,000 women aged 15+ annually, with 45,000 facing recurrent thrush.
- These conditions often overlap, are misdiagnosed, or self-treated with over-the-counter remedies. Up to two-thirds of women may misdiagnose thrush.
- Women aged 25 – 40 are most commonly affected by thrush and BV, while UTIs become more frequent after menopause, with 56% of hospital admissions for UTIs involving women over 65.
- Average NHS wait times for gynaecology and urology are over 15 weeks, leaving many women to self-manage ongoing symptoms.
- Women themselves carry a significant cost burden – spending millions per year on prescriptions and over-the-counter treatments.
Why This Research Matters
When women talk about itching, burning, pain, or discharge, they are often dismissed or forced to wait months for answers. Diagnostic tests, such as dipsticks, often fail to provide clear answers – leaving women to fight for support, self-educate, and pay privately for additional tests or help to manage their symptoms on their own. Delays and dismissal can come at a high cost: repeated infections, emotional stress, and financial strain.
Yet despite how common these conditions are, the data around them is often patchy or inconsistent. Because many women self-diagnose and buy products without visiting a doctor, the actual number of cases is likely much higher than reported.
What We Found
1. UTIs: Common, Misunderstood, and Undervalued
UTIs are one of the most common reasons women visit their GP. Up to 50% of women will experience at least one UTI in their lifetime. By age 24, nearly 1 in 3 will have had cystitis – a bladder infection that falls under the broader UTI umbrella.
Due to anatomical differences like a shorter urethra and proximity to the anus, women are more prone to bacteria entering the urinary tract, causing an infection in the urinary system, and disrupting the microbiome balance in the vagina and urethra.
Despite being a leading cause of bacterial bloodstream infections, UTIs remain under-researched and often underestimated. Uncomplicated UTIs alone make up 15% of all community antibiotic prescriptions, yet a significant portion of these may be unnecessary, or wrongly prescribed. Although antibiotics are often the first line of treatment for UTI symptoms, studies indicate that some of these symptoms may stem from non-bacterial causes – highlighting the need for better diagnosis and treatment options that reflect the complexity of women’s experiences.
Antibiotic overuse contributes to antimicrobial resistance and disrupts the gut and vaginal microbiomes, often leading to other infections like thrush or BV and recurring infections.
2. Thrush and BV: Often Confused, Frequently Overlooked
Vaginal thrush (caused primarily by Candida albicans) is highly common, especially among women aged 20 years – 40 years. It is not caused by bacteria, but by fungi, often overgrowing when the microbiome gets disrupted. Around 20% of women of reproductive age may have it at any one time. Symptoms can include itching, thick discharge, and soreness – but self-diagnosis is unreliable and hence exact numbers of sufferers are difficult to find.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV), on the other hand, is not caused by fungi but by an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria, primarily Gardnerella vaginalis. While BV is not officially classified as a sexually transmitted infection (STI), it often develops following sexual activity, and symptoms may fluctuate or worsen around the time of menstruation, disruption of the microbiome and a loss of lactobacilli – the good bacteria that keep vaginal pH in balance. BV often comes with a thin, greyish discharge and noticeable fishy odour. While BV is the most common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge in women of childbearing age, it is also seen in peri- and postmenopausal women.
Alarmingly, up to 50% of women with BV have no symptoms at all, which means they may go untreated – or be misdiagnosed with something else.
For a deeper understanding of the differences between thrush and BV, including symptoms, causes, and treatment options, refer to our detailed discussion in the P.Happi blog: Thrush & Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) Uncovered: Dr Phillip Hay's 30 Years of Insight Every Woman Should Know.
3. Recurring Symptoms Are the Norm, Not the Exception
Millions of women live with infections that come back again and again:
- Recurrent UTIs affect 3.0% of women aged 18+, which translates to approximately 731,371 women in the UK. UTIs are not only painful but often lead to antibiotic use, and in complicated cases, even hospitalisation.
- Recurrent BV affects an estimated 7.7% of women aged 15+, or 1.94 million women. Studies show that BV recurrence rates are up to 23% within one month, 43% at three months, and 58% after one year of treatment. These high relapse rates are often due to treatments that do not restore protective lactobacilli, allowing BV-causing bacteria to persist and return. BV-causing bacteria can be difficult to eliminate completely, so treatment often focuses on managing symptoms and reducing recurrence.
- Recurrent vaginal thrush is less common but still significant, affecting around 0.2% of women aged 15+, or 45,105 women annually. Data shows that 10% of women develop recurrent thrush by age 25, rising to 25% by age 50.
Due to widespread self-diagnosis and self-treatment – especially of thrush and BV – available data is likely underreported. This highlights the urgent need for better women's healthcare, as recurring infections can severely impact quality of life, mental health, productivity, and personal healthcare costs.
4. The Burden Grows with Age
While vaginal thrush and BV are more common among younger women, age plays a major role in how and when women are affected – and by what.
Thrush (vaginal yeast infections) is most commonly experienced by women aged 20 to 40, with recurrence rates highest between 25 and 34. Research shows that 10% of women have recurrent thrush by age 25, and this increases to 25% by age 50. While it's less common after menopause, it can still occur, particularly in those using hormone replacement therapy (Candida species, particularly Candida albicans, have been shown to respond to oestrogen, which can enhance their growth and adherence to vaginal epithelial) or recovering from antibiotic treatment.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is also most prevalent among women of reproductive age, particularly between 25 and 34. But it is not limited to this group – BV is increasingly recognised in peri- and postmenopausal women, where a decline in oestrogen and lactobacilli can disrupt the vaginal microbiome. Despite being the leading cause of abnormal discharge in reproductive-age women, up to 50% of BV cases are asymptomatic, meaning it often goes unnoticed, especially in older women.
UTIs, by contrast, become significantly more prevalent and severe with age.
Based on available estimates:
- Around 36% of women affected by UTIs are of reproductive age (15 – 49 years old)
- Between 10% to 14% are menopausal (typically between 45 and 55)
- Ranging from 14% to 22% are post-menopausal (usually aged 55 to 70 – 75)
- About 27% are older women aged 70+
Among the ~147,000 UTI-related hospital admissions in England in 2022/23:
- 56% were among women aged 65+
- The highest number of admissions was in the 80–84 age group, with ~17,000 hospitalisations
So why are older women more affected? Some reasons below…
- Hormonal changes such as a drop in oestrogen after menopause reduce protective lactobacilli in the vagina.
- Ageing connective tissue, urinary incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse increase the likelihood of bacterial entry into the urinary tract.
- Chronic health conditions such as diabetes – more common in older age – also raise the risk of infections.
More persistent bacteria – due to a history of recurrent UTIs and repeated antibiotic use, women in later life stages often have lower immunity and are more prone to persistent, mixed bacterial growth that can be harder to treat. Together, these factors make UTIs in later life more frequent, more complex, and more likely to require hospitalisation.
5. The Cost of Care is Falling on Women Themselves
The cost of urovaginal health conditions doesn’t just fall on the NHS – it falls heavily on individual women, many of whom are navigating these conditions alone.
Patients in the UK, themselves, spent an estimated:
- £2.3 million on UTI prescriptions
- £560,000 on thrush prescriptions
- £28,000 on BV prescriptions
These figures do not include the large amount of over-the-counter products, additional tests, urgent care visits etc, which many women turn to in lieu of or while waiting for professional care.
While this financial burden on individuals is significant, NHS costs (here for England only) are also steep: hospital admissions for UTIs alone cost the NHS over £450 million in 2019. Primary care treatment (mainly GP-led) for UTIs adds another £123–129 million annually. Prescription costs include £9.2 million for first-line treatments for thrush and £386,400 for BV (2023 data). These figures highlight not just the cost, but the scale of an issue that is often sidelined.
6. Long Wait Times Leave Women Unsupported
As of September 2024, the NHS waiting list included over 750,000 women for gynaecology and 356,000 for urology services. The median wait times were:
- 15.9 weeks for gynaecology
- 15.1 weeks for urology
During this wait, women are often left to self-manage, which can lead to mistreatment, overuse of antibiotics, or worsening symptoms. Moreover, bladder and vaginal symptoms can often overlap, and referral to a single pathway may miss underlying links. Multidisciplinary care, including urogynaecology and pelvic floor support, can offer more comprehensive treatment but is difficult to access.
Why P.Happi® Are Sharing These Insights
We are here to bring innovation, and research into the women’s health space and break down barriers to care. For too long, women’s health has been under-researched and under-funded. Our founder’s personal struggle with recurrent UTIs inspired the creation of the company and led to the development of our first commercial product, P.Happi®.
P.Happi® is rooted in microbiome science. We believe in supporting your body’s natural defences, instead of repeatedly treating symptoms. That’s why we’re sharing this research: to inform, empower, and open up conversations.
We want every woman who reads this to know:
✓ You’re not alone.
✓ Your symptoms are valid.
✓ There’s no one-size-fits-all in women’s health. Everybody is different – being proactive and finding what works for you is key.
Find out more about P.Happi®
P.Happi® is a non-antibiotic serum created by B.Y.M.® Technologies that uses a natural beneficial bacterium called Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus to protect and help re-establish a healthy balanced woman’s microbiome. This bacterium targets harmful Gram-negative bacteria, such as E. coli, breaking them down and reducing the overall bacterial burden. Once cleared, beneficial lactobacilli bacteria can thrive again, helping to restore the body’s natural defences. Importantly, P.Happi® does not harm gram-positive lactobacilli, which are essential for a healthy vaginal microbiome.
This science-driven approach supports the body’s natural defences instead of relying on antibiotics – which often cause further disruption. While many products focus solely on the bladder or vagina, P.Happi® provides holistic, proactive external protection to support overall intimate health.
Learn More, Share More
This blog post brings together the latest data on vaginal and bladder health in the UK. If you found these insights helpful, please share this post with others who might benefit from it. Because better knowledge leads to better care. And better care starts with data, evidence, being seen, heard, and supported.
For more in-depth information on related topics, explore our other blog posts:
- Thrush & Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) Uncovered - An expert breakdown of the differences between thrush and BV, including symptoms, causes, and treatment options. Read the article
- How Do I Know If I Have a UTI? - A practical guide to recognising UTI symptoms and understanding when to seek treatment. Read the article
- How Your Microbiota Affects Vaginal and Urinary Tract Health - Learn how the balance of bacteria in your body influences your intimate health. Read the article
Sources: All data from the 2024 UK Market Research into Women’s Intimate Health Conditions, conducted by Unity Insights on behalf of B.Y.M.® Technologies in collaboration with P.Happi. Referenced studies include Temkin et al. (2022), NHS (2022), Hillier et al. (2021), Ferris et al. (2002), Denning et al. (2018), Sherrard et al. (2018), Abou Chacra et al. (2022), European Association of Urology, Fu et al. (2017), Foxman (2003), Finucane (2016), Mazzulli (2002), NICE (2023a), Medina & Castillo-Pino (2019), and the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (2024).
