People with vaginas have much shorter urethras than people with penises, which means that, once introduced to the urethra, bacteria has a shorter distance to travel to reach the bladder. Their urethras are also closer to their anuses, meaning that bacteria can more easily spread from the anus. These two factors make people with vaginas more at risk for UTIs than people with penises. In fact, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases , research suggests that 40 to 60% of cisgender women will develop a UTI during their life, and one in four of these women will have a repeat infection.