Problems with Urination

Painful Urination

The medical term for painful urination is dysuria and the most common causes are easily treatable. They include irritated areas that the urine passes over, vaginal infection, STDs, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and changes in vaginal tissue due to menopause. About 20 percent of women will have a urinary tract infection at some point in their lives. The chances of having a UTI increases with age; this risk is still greater if you are sexually active. Infections are also a common problem in pregnancy.

People with pain during urination may also need to urinate more often or may release more or less urine than usual.

Possible causes of urinary tract pain and accompanying symptoms:

• Vaginal infection—vaginal discharge, burning, itching; pain feels like it is on the outside of the body as urine passes over irritated areas
• STDs—herpes, genital warts; pain feels like it is on the outside of the body as urine passes over irritated areas
• Urinary tract infections—may cause blood in the urine; pain feels like it is inside rather than on the outside of the body

If you also have fever, back pain, and an upset stomach, you may have a serious kidney infection and should see a doctor at once.

Less common causes of painful urination include bladder tumors or spasms, kidney stones, and scarring or narrowing of the urethra (the tube through which urine leaves the body).

A lab test of the urine can detect a urinary infection; and your doctor may do a pelvic exam as well. Treatment for an infection usually includes antibiotics or anti-infective drugs and advice to drink a lot of water.

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Blood In The Urine

Even a small amount of blood in the urine can be a sign of a serious condition. Therefore, it should never be ignored. The most common explanation for this problem, called hematuria, is a urinary

BAD SIGN: BLOOD IN THE URINE

Bleeding can start anywhere in the urinary tract; but no matter the source, it's a cause for concern. Fortunately, the most common cause, an infection, is easily remedied. Among the other possible causes: kidney stones caught in the kidney itself, the bladder, or the ureter leading to the bladder; blood clots or tumors in the kidney; or a hematoma (a pool of blood collecting around a broken vessel). Whatever the cause, this is one condition that definitely needs a doctor's attention.

Several problems in the kidneys can also cause hematuria. Possible conditions and other associated symptoms are:

• Kidney stone (symptoms: sudden pain in side and groin)
• Blood clots in the kidney
• Infection (symptoms: fever, back pain, nausea, painful stomach or abdomen, and painful urination)
• Tumor (symptoms: abdominal pain, fever, weight loss, and high blood pressure)
• Toxic medications or poisons (symptoms: drugs or chemicals processed out of the body through the kidneys can damage the tissue if taken in dangerously high amounts; symptoms of overdose will vary)

Problems elsewhere in the body that can cause blood in the urine include internal bleeding, hemophilia, leukemia, and other blood disorders. In about 5 percent of patients, no explanation is found

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Frequent Urination

The need to urinate more often than usual may or may not be accompanied by an increase in the amount released. Common causes of frequent urination without an increase in the amount include urinary tract infection; STDs such as herpes, chlamydia, and gonorrhea; pregnancy; changes in the vagina due to menopause; and in women who've had more than one pregnancy, inability to completely empty the bladder and poor bladder support.

Stress can also make one feel the need to urinate more often, as can drinking beverages containing caffeine. Some people simply have small bladders that fill up more quickly.

Strokes or problems with the nerves that control the urinary system can affect the need to urinate. In adolescents, frequent urination can be a first sign of an overactive thyroid gland.

If the need for frequent urination is accompanied by an increase in the amount, possible causes include drinking more water than usual, diabetes, alcohol, diuretics (“water pills”) for high blood pressure and other heart conditions, kidney disease, and high levels of calcium in the blood.

As you can see, frequent urination is not necessarily a cause for alarm, but if you see no simple explanation for it, a medical check-up may be in order. No matter how harmless a symptom may turn out to be, you can't be certain of your health without a visit to the doctor. If you suspect you have any of the conditions mentioned here, you'll find more information in the chapters that follow. Since no amount of knowledge can replace the certainty and relief that comes with a definite diagnosis, if you feel the slightest cause for concern, do call your doctor.

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