Overactive Bladder And Blood In Urine

Experience The Blessing Difference: Treating Blood In Urine

When you see Blessings urologist for blood in your urine, know that you are coming to a place with:

• Specialty care: Our urologists have specialized training in the field.

• Complete diagnostic capabilities: We perform a complete workup on every person with blood in their urine. If it is a symptom of a more serious condition, we want to catch it and treat it early. Tests include:

• CT scan, a noninvasive test that produces cross-sectional images of the kidneys, ureters and bladder

• Urine sample, which we study for cancer cells or infection

• Cystoscopy, a procedure that allows us to look inside the urethra and bladder and involves only minimal discomfort

Reasons You May Find Blood In Your Urine

1. Rigorous Exercise

Intense exercise, especially in younger people, has been known to cause blood in urine. Joggers Hematuria is common in runners, and is usually caused by the friction between the walls of the bladder.

To avoid this, some find that its best to run on a somewhat full bladder. You dont want your bladder to be empty, and you dont want it to be too full either. Having fluid in your bladder may help prevent friction, and help you avoid potential blood in your urine.

2. Urinary Tract Infection

A urinary tract infection or UTI is another common cause of blood in urine. A UTI is a genitourinary infection typically experienced in women . One of the most common UTI symptoms is dark-colored urine or urine that appears to have blood in it.

A UTI is an infection, and will need to be treated by a urologist. If you think you have a UTI, dont wait to make an appointment. Also, take a look at some ways to ease the discomfort from a UTI.

3. Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are another culprit known to cause red urine. Not only are kidney stones extremely painful, but a rigid stone rubbing against the walls of your kidney can cause ongoing bleeding.

If you notice blood in your urine, accompanied by severe pain in your kidneys, call your urologist immediately to discuss treatment options.

4. Enlarged Prostate

While blood in urine is alarming, its definitely more cause for concern with older peopleespecially older men battling an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer.

Key Points About Interstitial Cystitis

• Interstitial cystitis is an inflamed or irritated bladder wall.

• The cause of IC is unknown and it does not get better with antibiotics.

• Symptoms of IC include changes in urination such as frequency and urgency pressure, pain, and tenderness around the bladder, pelvis, and the area between the anus and vagina or anus and scrotum and pain during sex.

• There is no best way to diagnose IC. A variety of tests may be needed. Urine tests will be done and imaging tests may be used to look at the different parts of the urinary tract and make sure everything is normal. Tissue samples may be removed from the bladder and examined under a microscope to see if cancer or other abnormal cells are present.

• Treatments are aimed at easing symptoms. A variety of procedures, medicines, and lifestyle changes may be advised.

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Causes Of Excessive Or Frequent Urination

Some of the causes of increased urine volume differ from those of too-frequent urination. However, because many people who produce excessive amounts of urine also need to urinate frequently, these two symptoms are often considered together.

The most common causes of urinary frequency are

and often urine culture Urinalysis and Urine Culture Urinalysis, the testing of urine, may be necessary in the evaluation of kidney and urinary tract disorders and can also help evaluate bodywide disorders such as diabetes or liver problems. A read more on most people. The need for other testing depends on what doctors find during the history and physical examination and 3 quarts of urine a day. Excessive urination can refer read more ). If doctors are not sure whether the person is actually producing more urine than normal, they may collect and measure the amount of urine produced over 24 hours. If people actually have polyuria, doctors measure the blood glucose level. If diabetes mellitus is not the cause of polyuria and no other cause, such as excess intravenous fluids, is clearly responsible, other testing is necessary. The levels of electrolytes and concentration of certain salts are measured in the blood, urine, or both, often after the person is deprived of water for a time and after the person is given antidiuretic hormone.

• Takeaway

What is frequent urination?

The key to treating frequent urination is addressing the underlying cause.

Common risk factors for a UTI include:

What Is Frequent Urination

Frequent urination means that you have to urinate more often than you usually do.1,3 This symptom can result from an overactive bladder or a weak bladder. Frequent urination is a symptom that affects both men and women. When a patient needs to urinate frequently at night, the medical term is nocturia.

On average, a healthy adult generally needs to urinate around 4 to 8 times during a day. Talk with your healthcare provider if you need to urinate more often than that on a daily basis, or if you find yourself needing to urinate more often every day than you usually do.

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Are There Any Other Tests That May Be Recommended

Any one or more of the following may be suggested:

• Urinalysis:Urine is tested for evidence of infection, blood or diabetes

• Bladder Ultrasound:Sound waves are used to check the amount of urine left behind in your bladder after you urinate

• Cystoscopy:A thin tube with a telescope is used to look inside your urethra and bladder for anything that may be irritating your bladder

• Urodynamics:Various techniques are used to measure pressure in the bladder and the flow of urine

Talking With Your Health Care Provider

Questions to Ask the Doctor about OAB

• Are my symptoms from OAB or from something else?
• What tests will I need to find out if I have OAB?
• What could have caused my OAB?
• Can I do anything to prevent OAB symptoms?

Questions to Ask the Doctor about Treatment

• What would happen if I dont treat my OAB?
• What lifestyle changes should I make?
• Are there any exercises I can do to help?
• Do I need to see a physical therapist?
• What treatment could help my OAB?
• How soon after treatment will I feel better?
• What are the good and bad things that I should know about these treatments?
• What problems should I call you about after I start treatment?
• What happens if the first treatment doesnt help?
• Will I need treatment for the rest of my life?
• Can my OAB be managed?
• What are my next steps?

Questions to Ask Yourself about Symptoms

• Do my symptoms make me stop doing the things I enjoy, or prevent me from going to events?
• Am I afraid to be too far from a bathroom?
• Have my symptoms changed my relationships with friends or family?
• Do my symptoms make it hard to get a good nights sleep?

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Can Frequent Urination Be Controlled Or Stopped

Frequent urination can be controlled, and often, stopped over time and with treatment. Your healthcare provider will usually start by determining the cause of your symptom. If the condition can be treated, you should see a decrease in how often you need to urinate. Treatment depends completely on the condition. In cases like a UTI, you may need an antibiotic medication. This may be prescribed by your healthcare provider and you should feel better once you have finished the medication. Other conditions like diabetes or prostate problems will require a trip to see a specialist. The specialist will work with you to manage your symptoms and improve your daily routine. If your healthcare provider has diagnosed you with overactive bladder syndrome, pelvic floor physical therapy may help and there are actually several medications that can be used to calm your bladder. Talk to your healthcare provider about whether or not these might be good options for you.

Read Also: Can You Get A Uti From Holding Your Bladder

Should I Drink Less Water Or Other Fluids If I Have Urinary Incontinence

No. Many people with urinary incontinence think they need to drink less to reduce how much urine leaks out. But you need fluids, especially water, for good health.

Women need 91 ounces of fluids a day from food and drinks.11 Getting enough fluids helps keep your kidneys and bladder healthy, prevents urinary tract infections, and prevents constipation, which may make urinary incontinence worse.

After age 60, people are less likely to get enough water, putting them at risk for dehydration and conditions that make urinary incontinence worse.12

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Definition Of Overactive Bladder

Overactive Bladder causes the involuntary loss of urine due to a sudden urge to go when the bladder cannot properly store urine.

Women are more likely than men to suffer from an Overactive Bladder due to changes in estrogen and weakened pelvic floor muscles after experiencing menopause, pregnancy, and/or menstruation.

Overactive Bladder often goes untreated due to lack of awareness. However, when diagnosed, OAB can be helped quickly, greatly affect quality of life.

If you are unsure whether you should contact a doctor, below are some symptoms to look for in an Overactive Bladder.

Evaluation Of Patients With The Oab Syndrome

There are usually no clinical signs on examination, so a careful history is essential. Table presents the questions a clinician should ask a patient presumed to have OAB. The primary care physician should take a focused history and perform a primary evaluation for urinary tract disorders, such as recurrent urinary tract infections, urinary bladder calculi, and bladder tumors. Such an evaluation is necessary to rule out general conditions and risk factors that cause incontinence such as diabetes mellitus, stroke, lumbar disc disease or spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, pelvic surgery, multiple vaginal deliveries and obstetric history, immobility, dementia, and psychiatric disease.

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Diagnosis Of An Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder can be diagnosed during a physical exam with your doctor. Your physician will take a full medical history, review symptoms and perform either a pelvic exam or a prostate exam depending on your sex.

Other diagnostic tests that your doctor may order include:

• UrinalysisA urinalysis can help diagnose other conditions that need to be treated.
• Post-void residual Measures the amount of urine in the bladder after you urinate.
• Urine flow rate measurementThis data can show how your urine flow rate has changed.
• Bladder pressure testingCystometry measures pressure in the bladder and surrounding area as the bladder fills. This test can determine the cause of the contractions.

What Causes Overactive Bladder

An overactive bladder can be caused by several things, or even a combination of causes. Some possible causes can include:

• Weak pelvic muscles: Pregnancy and childbirth can cause your pelvic muscles to stretch and weaken. This can cause the bladder to sag out of its normal position. All of these factors can cause leakage.
• Nerve damage: Sometimes signals are sent to the brain and bladder to empty at the wrong time. Trauma and diseases can cause this to happen. These can include:
• Pelvic or back surgery.
• Stroke.

Often, there may be no specific explanation for why this is occurring.

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Too Much Alcohol Or Caffeine

They act as a diuretic and flush more water out of you. They also curb your body’s production of vasopressin, a hormone that normally tells your kidneys to release more water to your body instead of sending it straight to your bladder. Its a good idea to sip water along with your cocktail, beer, or wine.

How Can Nerve Stimulation Help Overactive Bladder

There are several treatments that involve stimulating your nerves to help improve overactive bladder. Your nerves help communicate the message that your bladder needs to be emptied to your brain. By treating the nerves, your healthcare provider can improve your bladder control. Nerve stimulation is a reversible treatment that is considered when conservative treatments have not worked or have not been tolerated. Conservative treatments include behavioral therapies and medications.

There are several types of nerve stimulation treatments. These can include:

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How Is Overactive Bladder Treated

Behavior Modification

You can make changes to improve your urinary frequency, urgency, and possible leakage. By reducing your fluid intake, you will make less urine and thus not void as often nor leak as much. Limiting caffeine can reduce irritation of your bladder and doing timed voiding where you void by the clock rather than when you get the urge can reduce your chances of leaking. Bladder training can help the bladder store more urine and reduce the frequency of voiding providing you do not have urge urinary incontinence.

Physical Therapy

Electrical stimulation or biofeedback will allow you to strengthen your muscles and gain control over your bladder muscles and sphincter. This can be done with electrodes placed in your vagina or rectum to stimulate nearby muscles allowing the bladder to relax and the urethra to contract.

Medications

Medications are the mainstay of treatment in a class of drugs called anticholinergic medications. They block nerve receptors on the bladder to make it relax and hold more urine and to cut down on urgency, but the same nerve receptors are on the colon, salivary glands, and eyes.

Some patients experience side effects including constipation, dry mouth and blurred vision. Your doctor will work with you to see which medications are the best for you. Vaginal estrogens are believed to cause muscles involved in urination to work more normally but may be contraindicated in some patients with a history of breast and uterine cancer.

Botox

When Should I Reach Out To My Doctor About Frequent Urination

Because the conditions behind frequent urination can range wildly from casual to severe, you should speak to your doctor about anything outside of your typical urination patterns. In some cases, frequent urination may be just an annoying symptom that will end when you cut back on the caffeineor have the baby. However, if you are unsure why youre urinating so frequently, it is best to set up an appointment and talk about it. This is a symptom that can often be treated and isnt something that you need to just deal with.

There are a few signs to keep an eye out for and call your doctor immediately if you have them with frequent urination. These include:

• If you have a fever.
• If you are vomiting.
• If you have back pain .
• If you see blood in your urine.
• If you have a discharge coming out of your vagina or penis.

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Blood That You Cant See

Sometimes there is blood in your urine that you cant see. This is called microscopic hematuria because it is only visible under a microscope. Guidelines state that any more than three red blood cells in a urine sample under microscope should prompt a referral to a urologist, Dr. Bakare says. Routine urine tests can be part of annual wellness exams.

Oh My Aching Bladder: Is It A Uti Or Ic

OH MY ACHING BLADDER: IS IT A UTI OR IC?

One in five women will have at least one urinary tract infection in her lifetime, according to the National Kidney Foundation. And, if youve ever had a urinary tract infection, you are all too familiar with the burning urination and constant feeling of needing to go to the bathroom. But, did you know that some of the symptoms of a UTI are similar or the same as symptoms women experience when they have interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome? How is a woman to know if its a UTI or painful bladder syndrome?

What is a Urinary Tract Infection ?

A UTI is an infection of the urinary tract, most commonly affecting the bladder and the urethra . When bacteria gets into the urethra and travels to the bladder, a UTI is often the result. With a UTI, the bladder lining also becomes red, swollen and inflamed.

Common symptoms of a UTI include:

• Urinary urgency or the feeling that you need to urinate often. You may have to run to the bathroom several times per hour only to find you urinate only a few drops.
• A burning sensation when urinating.
• Abdominal pain, pelvic pressure and/or lower back pain. You may experience lower abdominal discomfort, bloating and/or feel pressure in the lower pelvic area, especially when urinating.
• Blood in the urine. Urine can appear to have a reddish or dark orange tiny, which signifies blood in the urine from the infection.
• Cloudy urine that has an odor
• Fever and/or chills

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