In the next year alone, 26 million women will contract a UTI, resulting in burning pain and other debilitating symptoms. And according to the recent URISTAT Female Misery Index, these symptoms make women miserable. In fact, 60 percent of the UTI sufferers surveyed identified UTI symptoms as a cause of misery more frequently than the usual suspects: pre-menstrual syndrome (52 percent) and menstrual cramps (54 percent).

"It's unbelievable -- you feel like you have to go to the bathroom all the time, but you can't. My worst urinary tract infection hit me while I was on vacation. I was thousands of miles away from my doctor and knew it would be days before I felt relief. The pain made me so miserable that I couldn't enjoy my trip," said Mary T. of Minneapolis, a UTI sufferer.

Whether on vacation or at home, research shows that as many as 80 percent of UTI sufferers will wait up to three days to contact their physicians. However, it is possible to relieve the pain and discomfort of a UTI at the first sign of symptoms.

For millions of UTI sufferers, relief is now available at local supermarkets and retail pharmacies. URISTAT Tablets, available over the counter from Advanced Care Products, a Johnson & Johnson company, provide temporary relief from the painful burning symptoms of UTIs until you see your doctor. The active ingredient in URISTAT, phenazopyridine hydrochloride, is the same one doctors have been prescribing to soothe urinary pain for more than 60 years.

"URISTAT is a great way to get temporary pain relief while you're waiting to see your doctor or for antibiotics to work, but the only proven method of curing a bladder infection, or UTI, is to see a doctor for antibiotic treatment," said Suzanne Frye, M.D., clinical instructor in Urology, New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center, New York.

A doctor must prescribe antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria that cause UTIs. URISTAT may be taken with the antibiotic to relieve any lingering pain. However, if left untreated by an antibiotic, the infection can spread into the kidneys, resulting in a more serious medical condition. Symptoms of a UTI include: pain or burning while urinating, dull abdomen pain, urgent or frequent need to urinate and non-productive urination.(NAPSI)