Painful Urination
Also called dysuria, painful urination is defined as pain, discomfort, or burning sensations while urinating. If you develop a sudden, regular urge to urinate, accompanied by discomfort or pressure on the bladder, painful urination or cloudy urine, you may have a urinary tract infection (UTI).
This condition, also called cystitis, is typically caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract and setting up shop in the bladder. While the body has immune response systems in place to prevent these infections and inhibit bacterial growth, certain factors, like sexual intercourse or improper wiping in the bathroom can increase a woman’s chances of developing a UTI.
In men, UTIs are typically caused by intercourse, or can be caused by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like herpes and chlamydia, according to UrologyClinics.com. Other causes of dysuria include:
● Infections of the kidneys, bladder, or ureters - the tubes that transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder
● Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which include genital herpes, chlamydia, and gonorrhea
● Urinary tract stones
● Changes related to menopause
● Irritation because of use of scented soaps or products like feminine douches.
Frequent Urination
If you suddenly develop a painful, persistent urge to urinate frequently, it may be a classic symptom of a urinary tract infection. In these cases, urination is almost always uncomfortable or painful, and because of the irritation in the bladder, there is some level of abdominal discomfort.
Frequent urination is also common in pregnancy, especially as a pregnancy progresses into later stages and a fetus presses on the bladder, and is common in diabetics, as well. This is also common in patients who are undergoing radiation therapy and people who take diuretics and other medications that list this as a side effect. However, if you have a frequent urge to urinate and you don’t have the above-mentioned symptoms and/or diagnoses, you may have:
● Interstitial cystitis, or an irritation of the bladder, which is more commonly found in women than men
● Bladder dysfunction
● Bladder cancer
Urgent Urination
Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now? Urination urgency can occur for a number of reasons. Many mothers will jokingly confide in one another that they have a mental map of public restrooms along their daily routes. People who have had a long night out at a local pub can tell tales of woe waiting in restroom lines, and people who are heavy coffee drinkers are well aware of the need to find a restroom after their third or fourth cup of joe. However, according to HealthLine, if these factors don’t apply to you, you may be at risk for:
● Urinary tract infections or bladder infections
● Benign Prostate Enlargement
● Kidney or bladder stones
● Menopause
● Overactive bladder (OAB), a chronic medical condition that causes sudden, unanticipated urges to urinate, regardless of how much or how little urine is in the bladder
● Pyelonephritis, or an inflammation of the kidneys and upper urinary tract.
● Bladder or ovarian cancer
Retention
Can’t go? The source of this problem, called urinary retention, can be determined largely by whether the symptoms come on quickly and unexpectedly, called acute urinary retention, or if they come on gradually, called chronic urinary retention.
This can be the simple result of taking medications, such as antihistamines. If you find that you’re having a hard time passing urine, you should talk to your doctor about the possibility that you may have:
● Urinary tract stones, which cause the urethra to become blocked
● Benign prostatic hyperplasia - a condition where the prostate is enlarged but not cancerous, can pinch and cause the bladder wall to thicken, which makes it difficult to completely empty the bladder
● Stricture, or the narrowing or closing of the urethra, can be caused by surgical scarring, disease, recurring UTIs, or trauma
● Rectocele, or a rectum that bulges into the vagina, can make it difficult to empty the bladder
● Constipation, when a person has three or fewer bowel movements weekly, can cause pressure on the bladder and urethra, preventing the bladder from emptying completely.
Bloody Urine (Hematuria)
Bloody urine can have a wide range of causes, from the benign to the serious. If you have a viral infection, for example, or if you’re taking blood thinning medications, you may develop hematuria. There are some serious causes, though. So if you develop this condition, you will want to call your doctor to rule out causes for this condition that, according to Mayo Clinic, include:
● Cancer
● Kidney infections, called pyelonephritis, caused by bacteria entering the kidneys from the bloodstream
● Bladder or kidney stones
● Kidney disease, such as glomerulonephritis, which may be caused by diabetes, viral or strep infections, blood vessel diseases, or immune problems
● Trauma to the bladder or urinary tract
● Serious infections of the urinary tract
● Urinary tract obstruction
● Medications, such as the cancer drug Cytoxan and/or penicillin. Aspirin, Heparin, and other blood thinners may also cause bloody urine.
Incontinence
Incontinence, or a lack of control over the bladder, can be either temporary or permanent, depending on the cause. According to Mayo Clinic, foods, drinks, and medications, like alcohol, caffeinated drinks, carbonated drinks, and drinks and foods that contain artificial sweeteners or corn syrup, are diuretics - that is, they stimulate the bladder and increase urine volume. Temporary incontinence can also be caused by conditions such as:
● Urinary tract infections: which can cause incontinence along with a strong, persistent urge to urinate, even when you’ve recently emptied your bladder
● Constipation: Because your rectum shares many of the same nerves as the bladder, compacted stool can cause these nerves to be overstimulated and increase the frequency with which you have to urinate, which may lead to incontinence.
● Pregnancy: Changes in a woman’s hormones during pregnancy, along with the weight of the uterus pushing on the bladder can cause a condition called stress incontinence.
Long-term incontinence, called persistent urinary incontinence, also has a number of causes that can range in terms of severity, including:
● Childbirth: A vaginal childbirth can weaken the muscles that control the bladder, as well as damaging the nerves and supportive tissue that control the organ, which can lead to a prolapsed pelvic floor, a condition that causes the bladder, uterus, and other organs to be pushed downward from their usual position and protrude into the vagina, which can lead to incontinence.
● Age: As we age, the aging and weakening of the bladder muscle can decrease its ability to store urine. In women, menopause causes a drop in the hormone estrogen, which helps maintain the lining of the bladder and urethra, which can cause or exacerbate incontinence. In older men, prostate enlargement can also cause incontinence.
● Cancer: Certain cancers, primarily prostate cancers, can cause stress incontinence. Treatments for prostate cancer can also be a cause of incontinence