Uqora Review: is it Effective Against UTIs?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are never a pleasant experience, and shockingly, they’re extremely common.

UTIs occur when bacteria are pushed inside your urethra, causing an infection. The cause is often unknown, but common reasons include diet, hormones, gut imbalance, hygiene, travel, working out, and more.

About 50 to 60 percent of women get them, yet most of the options out there focus on treatment, not prevention.

Enter Uqora, a natural supplements brand that works to prevent UTIs before they begin by focusing on keeping your urinary health intact.

What is Uqora?

Uqora is a natural supplements company that focuses on developing supplements for UTI prevention.

The brand was co-founded by Jenna Ryan and her partner, Spencer Gordon. Gordon has a background in biochemistry, so the two, alongside a team of urologists, began to research natural ways to prevent UTIs.

The company launched in 2017 with Uqora Target, a preventive drink mix that helps flush the urinary tract.

Uqora focuses on UTI prevention rather than treatment, which is helpful, as constant trips to the doctor are often expensive and time consuming. Not to mention, UTIs are painful and can lead to other concerns, like yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis.

The line is accessible to all sexes and is only sold on the company’s e-commerce website. You can purchase products individually, in a bundle, or through a subscription plan.

How does Uqora work?

Uqora products target infections caused by E. coli bacteria — the bacteria responsible for about 80 percent of uncomplicated UTIs.

The main ingredient in Uqora products is D-mannose, a sugar that works by binding with the bacteria that can cause UTIs and helping them get swept out with urine.

If the source of your UTI is caused by bacterial biofilm that are already lodged in the bladder, D-mannose won’t work. It only targets free-floating bacteria.

You can purchase D-mannose supplements from other sources, but Uqora products also contain vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes, and natural diuretics that can help flush everything out quicker.

Who is Uqora good for?

If you’re someone who regularly gets UTIs, it’s important to see a doctor so they can help you figure out the root cause of your infections.

If the source is E. coli, Uqora could be helpful. If it’s not, you may need to try another method, such as focusing on your gut microbiome and vaginal health.

None of Uqora’s products are guaranteed to prevent all UTIs, nor do they target bacterial or hormonal imbalances that can make you prone to UTIs.

The ingredients in Uqora products are generally recognized as safe by the FDA, so they should be safe for most adults. However, it’s best to talk with your doctor before trying any supplement, especially if you take other supplements or medications.

Uqora products

Target

Target is Uqora’s first launch and their most popular product. It’s a powdered drink mix meant to be consumed after having sex, working out, traveling, or anything that may put you at risk of a UTI. Just mix Target into an 8- to 12- ounce glass of water and drink every few days.

The main active ingredient in this powder is D-mannose. Research from 2016 based on 43 women with a UTI found that after taking D-mannose, most of the participants had improved symptoms.

Target also contains vitamin C, which helps support the immune system, and vitamin B6, a natural diuretic that helps increase urinary flow.

Control

While Target flushes the urinary tract when you need support, like after intercourse, Control is designed to keep the urinary tract clear on a daily basis.

Control is a set of vegan capsules that are meant to continually cleanse biofilm and strengthen the bladder wall. Biofilm is a tool bacteria use to protect themselves and stay hidden. Microbial biofilms make it hard to treat UTIs, so Control works to break down existing biofilm and prevent it from recurring.

If you’re unsure what’s causing your UTIs, Control may be a good choice for you, as it “helps keep your bladder clean in the face of hard-to-pinpoint things like stress, hormonal changes, and holding your bladder,” according to the company.

The active ingredients in this product are black pepper powder, D-mannose, green tea extract, vitamin D3, and curcumin, which has been found to help reduce bladder infections in rats. Each bottle comes with a 30-day supply.

Promote

Typically, when you get a UTI, you’re prescribed an antibiotic, as it’s currently the most effective treatment. Unfortunately, antibiotics tend to kill helpful bacteria in the process, which then allows bacteria like E. coli to flourish.

Probiotics allow good bacteria — and sometimes bad bacteria — to return. One such probiotic is Promote, a daily vegan probiotic for vaginal and urinary health. It’s not a digestive probiotic. Rather, it focuses on restoring and maintaining the good bacteria that balance the vaginal microbiome and protect you from future UTIs. You can take it along with your digestive probiotic.

Promote consists of three strains of good bacteria to maintain a healthy vagina: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus reuteri.

Each bottle comes with a 30-day supply, and you’re instructed to take 1 capsule with water daily.

Bundles

Uqora offers up to 20 percent off when you purchase more than one product within the same order. By bundling all three products together, you can save about 32 percent of the cost of purchasing all three items separately.

If you decide that you want all three of Uqora’s products, it may make the most financial sense to purchase the Complete System, which contains Target, Control, and Promote for $80.

You can take all three of these products in the same day for maximum urinary support: Target flushes the urinary tract, Control cleanses biofilm from the urinary tract and cleanses the bladder wall, and Promote balances the vaginal microbiome.

The only con with the bundles is that if you successfully prevent future UTIs, it’s nearly impossible to isolate which product made the biggest impact.

Subscription

By choosing to go with a subscription plan, you can save up to 35 percent. After taking the quiz on the website to figure out your needs, you can then decide what products you want to bundle and how much you need. Target allows you to choose among 10, 20, or 30 packets, and you can change this amount at any time.

If you choose the Complete System subscription, you’ll get a 1-month supply of Control, a 1-month supply of Promote, and your selected choice of Target packets.

Your subscription renews every 4 weeks, and you have the flexibility to manage your shipment dates, renewal frequency, and products. Uqora sends you renewal notification emails a few days before your order renews. There are no penalties for canceling.

Uqora pricing and insurance

Target retails at $30 for 10 packets, $55 for 20 packets, and $75 for 30 packets.

A month’s supply of Control or Promote comes out to $30.

Signing up for a subscription plan allows you to save 15 percent individually, and 35 percent if you bundle all three items together.

Uqora offers a student discount program. Reach out to their support team at support@uqora.com using your school email address.

The brand doesn’t currently offer any free trials, but all of their products have a no-questions-asked free-return policy.

Uqora’s products are health savings account (HSA) and flexible savings account (FSA) approved, which means that you can use your HSA or FSA card at checkout.

To use your HSA dollars on the supplements, you’ll need your doctor to fill out this one-page form, which validates that they consider Uqora’s products to be medically necessary for your health.

Company reputation

Uqora currently doesn’t have any pending lawsuits.

Uqora has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, though it only has one customer review. The reviewer complains that they had a hard time canceling their subscription.

All the ingredients in Uqora products are generally recognized as safe by the FDA, but the products aren’t approved by the FDA to treat or prevent any disease.

Customer reviews

There are currently more than 13,000 reviews on the Uqora website, with more than 11,000 5-star reviews. There are only a few negative reviews on the site. The consensus is that Uqora products, mainly Target, work effectively to help prevent UTIs.

Reviewers range from 21 to 80 years old, so the products appear to be used by most age groups. A lot of testimonials claim that Target changed their life and that they’d recommend it to others.

A common complaint is that the product is overpriced, considering you can purchase D-mannose and multivitamins separately for cheaper.

Frequently asked questions about Uqora

Does Uqora have any side effects?

Uqora’s ingredients are generally recognized as safe by the FDA with minimum side effects.

D-mannose, an active ingredient, can cause some gastrointestinal issues like bloating or loose stools. If you have diabetes, talk with your doctor before taking D-mannose, as it is a form of sugar.

Uqora also doesn’t specify which D-mannose they use. Since most D-mannose on the market is made from corn, it’s a possible allergen for many people.

Uqora recommends checking in with your doctor before trying their products.

Does Uqora work for men?

Yes. Target and Control can be used by anyone. Promote, a vaginal probiotic, can be used by anyone with a vagina.

How often can you consume Uqora?

The brand recommends taking no more than 8,000 milligrams (mg) of D-mannose in a day.

There are 600 mg in 2 capsules of Control and 2,000 mg in a packet of Target, so you’ll be well under that number even if you’re taking both capsules and a packet of Target each day.

The company recommends taking Target at least every 3 days, but says you can take it up to 4 times per day.

Takeaway

While there’s not a ton of research on the effects of D-mannose when taken by people who have UTIs, preliminary research and thousands of positive reviews on Uqora’s website show it might be worth trying if you experience recurrent UTIs.

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