Hematuria: Blood In The Urine
Blood in the urine should never be ignored. This could be the first sign of a serious condition. In order to help your doctor with the correct diagnosis, you may try to provide details such as:
- Was it associated with pain?
- Did you see blood clots?
- What shape did the clots have?
- The color of the blood
- At what time during urination did you see blood in the urine ?
Blood in the urine can present in one of two ways:
- Gross hematuria
- Microscopic hematuria .
Both types can have serious causes.
Holding In Your Urine
Sometimes, you may not be able to make it to the bathroom the second the urge strikes, but regularly holding in your urine can increase your risk of a UTI. You should never hold your urine for too long or rush through urination, said Dr. Ramin.
Also, its important to empty your bladder each time you go, which can increase the chances of expelling UTI-causing germs from your body, thereby further reducing your risk of developing an infection, said Dr. Ramin. The Office on Womens Health has recommended going no longer than three hours between bathroom breaks.
Is The Blood Always Visible
Not everyone diagnosed with bladder cancer has the symptom of blood in the urine that is easily visible, however. Some patients have blood in their urine that is not visible to the eye, because the amount of blood is very small. This symptom is called microscopic hematuria, because the blood is only visible using laboratory tests or a microscope to examine the urine sample. Some patients who are diagnosed with bladder cancer may never notice any symptoms, but their healthcare provider is able to detect the potential presence of blood in their urine during a general check-up, for example. However, this is a less common symptom than visible blood in the urine.
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Can Urinary Tract Infection Cause Bleeding
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What Is The Urinary Tract
The urinary tract is the bodys drainage system for removing wastes and extra fluid. The urinary tract includes
- two kidneys
- the bladder
- the urethra
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. Every day, the kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood to produce about 1 to 2 quarts of urine, composed of wastes and extra fluid. Children produce less urine than adults. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through tubes called ureters. The bladder stores urine until releasing it through urination. When the bladder empties, urine flows out of the body through a tube called the urethra at the bottom of the bladder.
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What Can Actually Delay Your Period
Although urinary tract infections dont affect your period, there are other reasons that you might be experiencing an irregular cycle.
Hormonal changes, medical conditions, and lifestyle factors can all play a part in delaying your periodor keeping it from arriving at all.
- Body weight: If you are overweight or underweight, it can impact how your body produces hormones, making your periods more erratic or unreliable.
- Breastfeeding: When you breastfeed, your body produces prolactin, a hormone that helps you make milk and simultaneously stops you from ovulating or menstruating with regularity.
- Celiac disease: Although researchers are still studying the connection between celiac disease and irregular menstruation, evidence suggests that nearly a quarter of women with gluten intolerances report a history of dysfunctional uterine bleeding.
- Certain medications: Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs can impact cycle regularity. Hormone replacement therapies, hormonal birth control, blood thinners, thyroid medicines, antidepressant medications, and aspirin can affect how regularly you menstruate.
- Diabetes: Research suggests that up to 50% of women with diabetes also struggle with dysfunctional, excessive, and unreliable periods.
- Endometriosis: Women with endometriosis often have long, heavy periods with short intervals between cycles. They can also experience pain and bleeding during ovulation, have pain during bowel movements, and pain during sexual intercourse.
How Do You Get Urinary Tract Infections
The design of the human body makes it so it isnt hard to get a bacterial UTI, because the infection comes from outside, through the urethra. Bacteria in the genital area can enter the urethra and the urinary tract, either because wiping after going to the bathroom, sexual activity, or unsanitary conditions. Once the bacteria have entered the urethra, the body tries fight them off, but sometimes the bacteria multiply and cause an infection.
In the case of a fungal infection, usually the fungus gets to the urinary tract through the blood stream. Those who develop this type of infection are usually ill with a disease that has compromised their immune system, such as AIDS.
In general, women get more UTIs than do men and this increases with age. Statistics show that many women get more than one. Almost 20% of women who have had one UTI will go on to have a second. Of this 20%, 30% of those will have a third, and in turn, 80% of these women will have more.
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When Symptoms Become More Severe
If symptoms gradually worsen, this may be a sign of a kidney infection. Along with the traditional UTI symptoms of frequent and painful urination, these additional symptoms will occur.
- Fever and Chills
- Pain In the Lower Back
- You will experience mild to severe pain on one of both sides of the lower back depending on where the infection has spread.
Blood In Dog Urine: Causes And What To Do
If notice blood in your dogs urine, it can be both alarming and very worrisome for any pet owner. For many dogs, blood in the urine could be caused by a urinary tract infection, or in male dogs, a benign prostate problem.
Typically when there is blood in your dogs urine, this is due to inflammation or infection in the urinary tract which could include the upper or lower urinary tract. However, its important to contact a veterinarian or emergency vet as soon as possible to rule out any serious medical issues.
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Kidney And Bladder Stones
If the blood contains too little liquid and too much waste, the waste products can bind with chemicals in the urine, forming hard stones in the kidneys or bladder.
Often, the stones are small enough to pass through urination. Larger stones may remain in the kidney or bladder or get stuck elsewhere in the urinary tract.
Larger stones generally cause more noticeable symptoms, such as:
- blood in the urine
- cloudy or strong-smelling urine
What Are The Complications Associated With Hematuria
Some of the causes of blood in the urine are serious, so you should contact your healthcare provider if you notice this symptom.
If the symptom is due to cancer, ignoring it can lead to an advancement of the tumors to the point that treatment is difficult. Untreated infections can ultimately lead to kidney failure.
Treatment can help reduce symptoms if the cause of hematuria is an enlarged prostate. Ignoring it may lead to discomfort from needing to urinate frequently, severe pain, and even cancer.
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Symptoms Of Hemorrhagic Cystitis
The primary sign of HC is blood in your urine. In stage I of HC, the bleeding is microscopic, so you wont see it. In later stages, you may see blood-tinged urine, bloody urine, or blood clots. In stage IV, blood clots may fill your bladder and stop urine flow.
Symptoms of HC are similar to those of a urinary tract infection , but they may be more severe and long-lasting. They include:
- losing bladder control
Speak to your doctor if you experience any HC symptoms. UTIs rarely cause bloody urine.
You should contact your doctor right away if you have blood or clots in your urine. Seek emergency medical care if youre unable to pass urine.
Your doctor may suspect HC from your signs and symptoms and if you have a history of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. To diagnose HC and rule out other causes, such as a bladder tumor or bladder stones, your doctor may:
- order blood tests to check for infection, anemia, or a bleeding disorder
- order urine tests to check for microscopic blood, cancer cells, or infection
- do imaging studies of your bladder using CT, MRI, or ultrasound imaging
- look into your bladder through a thin telescope
Treatment of HC depends on the cause and the grade. There are many treatment options, and some are still experimental.
Antibiotic, antifungal, or antiviral medications may be used to treat HC caused by an infection.
Treatment options for chemotherapy or radiation therapy-related HC include the following:
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How Do Health Care Professionals Diagnose A Bladder Infection
A urinalysis is the initial evaluation for a bladder infection. In most cases, health care professionals use a voided urine specimen, however, there is a risk of contamination by skin bacteria. A clean-catch voided urine specimen involves voiding and collecting a urine sample mid-stream as opposed to at the very start or end of voiding. A catheterized urine sample is more accurate but has the risk of introducing bacteria into the bladder and may be uncomfortable in children. In infants, medical professionals can perform a suprapubic aspiration.
The definitive test to determine if there is a bladder infection is the urine culture. The urine culture identifies the number and type of bacteria in the urine as well as determines the sensitivity of the bacteria to several different antibiotics. The usual cutoff for a urinary tract infection is the presence of greater than 100,000 bacteria, however, in the presence of symptoms, a positive leukocyte esterase or > 10 white blood cells on urinalysis, even fewer bacteria in the urine is supportive of a urinary tract infection.
Physicians sometimes recommend prophylactic antibiotics for individuals who develop frequent symptomatic UTIs. Similarly, women who develop UTIs related to sexual activity may take a single dose of antibiotic around the time of intercourse.
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Utis And Menstrual Bleeding: Can A Urinary Tract Infection Delay Or Affect Your Period
While science now shows that men have a hormonal cycle of sorts, much as women do, they dont menstruate meaning that most women between puberty and menopause deal with monthly bleeding that men do not.
As if that isnt enough of an issue for women, with cramps in their uterus and ovaries that can range from annoying to debilitating, women are also more prone to urinary tract infections, or UTIs, with about 50 percent of women experiencing at least one UTI in their lifetime. Of course, a UTI can have complications that eventually affect more than just the urinary tract.
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Women Who Have A Long History Of Recurrent Utis Can Be Offered Prophylaxis: In This Case Antibiotics Are Used To Prevent Utis Rather Than Waiting For Them To Occur
Urinary hygiene advice is customarily offered to women who suffer from UTIs. Women are advised to wipe from front to back to urinate after intercourse to drink plenty of fluids and to make sure they void when they feel the urge. In truth, there is very little scientific evidence to suggest that these measures are effective, but these recommendations are still recommended as healthy low-risk practices.
At the Womans Health Pavilion, we offer urgent appointments to women with acute symptomsincluding UTI symptoms. If you currently think you have a UTI, you should call today for an appointment.
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Causes For Peeing Blood Clots Or Having Red
On average, there are about one million red blood cells present in the urine of a healthy person every 24 hours. The presence of an excessive amount of RBCs in urine may occur due to a wide variety of pathological conditions of the urinary tract.
Blood clots in urine may originate in any place in the urinary system the urethra, bladder, or kidneys. The color of your urine may become cola-colored, red, or tea-colored.
What Is The Treatment For A Bladder Infection During Pregnancy
In pregnant women, bladder infection can be complicated. Sometimes the presence of bacteria without obvious signs of infection in pregnant patients could be harmful and may lead to severe infections that compromise the pregnancy. As previously stated, the presence of asymptomatic bacteria in a pregnant woman warrants treatment. The choice of antibiotics during pregnancy may be different for bladder infection during pregnancy due to potential harm to the fetus and thus, careful evaluation by a physician is very important to start the correct therapy promptly.
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Is Blood In Urine Coming From Someplace Else
The blood could also be coming from someplace other than your urinary tract, she says. For women, when you see red in urine, it could also be from your period or a part of your reproductive system, Dr. Bakare explains.
How can you tell? Check to see if you are spotting at other times, she says. If you are, this may be why you see red in your urine. Get checked out by a gynecologist, says Dr. Bakare.
When Is Bleeding Not Normal
If the bleeding you are experiencing during a yeast infection is heavy or doesnt go away after you have gone through treatment, it could be a sign that the cause of the bleeding is not the yeast infection. If that is the case, contact your healthcare provider and they can help you find out why youre bleeding.
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How To Treat A Urinary Tract Bleed:
- If the blood appears after you have been hit, call your doctor. Your doctor will check to see if you have an injury inside your body. You may need an x-ray to be sure that your kidneys are not damaged.
- If the bleeding starts for no known reason, drink more water to flush out your kidneys and bladder. This helps prevent clots which could damage your kidneys or ureters . To flush your system, drink an eight ounce glass of water each hour during the day and one glass every couple of hours at night.
- If you still have symptoms after drinking the water or you think you may need to take factor, call your doctor.
- Rest flat on your back for 24 hours or as your doctor tells you. Get up only to go to the bathroom.
- Dont lift, pull, or push anything heavy for one to two weeks.
Can A Uti Or Kidney Infection Cause Vaginal Bleeding
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How Is Blood In My Dogs Urine Treated
Treatment depends on the specific cause of the blood, and your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics if the issue is a UTI, but in cases where there are other issues, such as bladder cancer or bladder stones, surgery may be recommended.
Hematuria may be caused by a metabolic condition, such as excessive production of steroids by the adrenal glands, or by diabetes. Intact dogs who have a history of hematuria may have an enlarged prostate, in which case the veterinarian may recommend neuter.
Most veterinarians prescribe anti-inflammatory or pain medicine to ease your dogs discomfort, and may also recommend a change in diet if your dog has urine crystals or bladder stones. Nutrition is a very important approach to managing urinary tract issues in dogs, and certain prescription foods can reduce the stone formation and optimize urine pH.
Can Bladder Infections Cause Bleeding
Ask U.S. doctors your own question and get educational, text answers â it’s anonymous and free!
Ask U.S. doctors your own question and get educational, text answers â it’s anonymous and free!
HealthTap doctors are based in the U.S., board certified, and available by text or video.
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Bacterial And Yeast Infections
Bacterial and yeast infections are among the most common and best-known problems capable of causing painful intercourse. These infections include bacterial vaginosis, candidiasis, and cervicitis, which is an infected and inflamed cervix. Of these, a yeast infection is most likely to cause painful sex.
As you can see, there are many possible reasons for painful intercourse before menopause. The good news is that we can help treat all of them: Call Fred A. Williams, MD, or book an appointment online.
Your Favorite Gym Pants Are Suddenly Very Uncomfortable In The Crotch Region
Sitting around in damp, sweaty yoga pants or workout undies long after your workout creates a breeding ground for bacteria, Ross says. In the early stages, this may simply feel like irritation in your lady bits leggings or underwear that are normally comfy now suddenly drive you nuts.
Launder your gym clothes after every workout , Ross advises. Bonus: This also helps prevent other infections, like yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis.
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