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Painful urination: causes and treatment

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Any pain or burning sensation when urinating is such an uncomfortable symptom that it affects our quality of life, causes discomfort that, at times, can be constant, and makes any visit to the bathroom a harrowing experience. The truth is that pain when urinating is one of the most common symptoms experienced by men and women. In most cases, it is due to a urinary infection, which can improve after a few days with the intake of antibiotics.

The urethra and the tip of the penis are constantly exposed to bacteria and microorganisms that can lodge in the urinary tract and cause discomfort, burning, pain, and even infectious cystitis. Depending on gender, the causes and treatment of painful urination may be different; for this reason, in this FastlyHealarticle, we address the main reasons why urination can be painful in men and women.

Pain when urinating

Pain or any discomfort when urinating is known by the term dysuria and is related to the existence of a urinary infection. Although urinary tract infections are more common in women, men are not exempt from suffering them since the tip of the penis is also exposed to bacteria and microorganisms that can penetrate the tract, lodge in the bladder, and cause a painful infection.

In the case of women, urinary infections are more common because the urethra through which the urine is expelled is more exposed to the outside, and there is a greater probability of being in contact with any bacteria that, upon entering the bladder, produce an infection whose primary symptom is usually pain when urinating. However, having discomfort or burning when urinating can be related to other conditions, which can vary according to gender.

Causes of painful urination in men

Cystitis

Cystitis is inflammation in the bladder, which may or may not be infectious. When bacteria cause cystitis, it causes painful urination, the need to urinate right after going to the bathroom, and the expulsion of small amounts of urine. A poorly treated cystitis can get worse and turn into interstitial cystitis, which is the irritation of the bladder that causes a person to be constantly with cystitis without showing improvement.

Prostate gland problems

Pain when urinating in men can also be related to enlarged prostate; this condition is accompanied by involuntary urine leaks, difficulty in finishing urination after releasing the urine stream, and interruption of sleep due to the urge to go to the bathroom. As infection in the prostate and prostate cancer can present similar symptoms, it is recommended that if the pain when urinating is accompanied by some of the symptoms mentioned, visit the urologist immediately to check the status and function of the prostate gland.

Prostatitis bacteriana

When pain when urinating is accompanied by discomfort or pain in the scrotum, the cause of these symptoms may be prostatitis. This disease occurs when a bacterium lodges in the prostate, causing infection. Usually, the leading causes of prostatitis are urinary and sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. When the prostate condition is acute, fever, chills, blood in the urine, difficulty starting to urinate, foul-smelling urine, and abdominal pain, among others, may appear.

Kidney stones

Stones are a kind of solid mass that appears in the kidneys or ureter (the tube through which urine travels to the bladder) and is made of crystals. When the stones block the flow of urine, the pain when urinating is very acute and presents with very painful stitches in the lower back or groin, known as renal colic, whose pain is compared to the despair Of childbirth. In these cases, you need to go to the emergency room immediately.

Urethritis

The urethra of the penis can harbor bacteria inside it and present an infection characterized by painful urination and by the discharge of a kind of discharge from the tip of the penis. This condition needs to be treated immediately to prevent the infection from spreading throughout the urinary tract. Another pathology that causes pain when urinating is the narrow urethra, which can occur due to a scar, injury, or inflammation and prevents the correct passage of urine to the outside.

Pyelonephritis

It is a urinary infection lodged in a kidney and causes painful urination, fever, abdominal pain, pain in the lower back, and chills. Pyelonephritis usually occurs when a bladder infection has been poorly treated and bacteria spread to one of the kidneys; it is a rather delicate condition that must be treated in an emergency and requires intravenous treatment and hospitalization.

Treatment of pain when urinating in men

In general, the pain treatment when urinating in men will consist of discovering the cause causing this discomfort to treat it and thus eradicate the symptom. When it comes to a urinary infection, treatment consists of taking medications to eliminate the bacteria causing it and thus improve discomfort when urinating. The consumption of drugs is usually carried out for seven days, but if the infection is chronic, it may be necessary to take antibiotics for up to two weeks.

When the cause of urine pain is a complication in the prostate, the man should go to a urologist for a more in-depth check of the prostate gland to determine what is causing the discomfort. In the case of inflammation and infection of the prostate, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics may be prescribed.

Likewise, kidney stones are a complicated condition that may suggest a surgical intervention to remove them or a specific treatment to help expel them. Cystitis can be treated with special anti-inflammatories for the bladder that allows the symptom to spread in a few hours. In any of the causes of pain when urinating, the person must consume citrus fruits to maintain the acidity of the urine and ingest a lot of liquid to purify it and stimulate correct kidney function.

Causes of painful urination in women

Cystitis or urine infection

As in men, this is one of the leading causes of pain when urinating in women; it is even more common in females than in males. As the urethra of women is much more exposed to the outside than that of men, it is easier for it to come into contact with bacteria or microorganisms that can generate a urine infection. Likewise, the rubbing of the fingers or the penis against the urethra during sexual intercourse is one of the leading causes of cystitis, as they make the urethra swell and cause a constant urge to urinate.

There is a type of cystitis known as honeymoon, which occurs when a woman has gone a long time without having sex and begins to be sexually active. Rubbing and rough penetration can generate this condition. Cystitis in women can also be infectious when bacteria from the urethra lodge in the bladder, a condition that, if left untreated, can lead to interstitial cystitis, which is irritation of the bladder. Cystitis can also be a consequence of having undergone radiation treatment.

The most common urinary infection in women is caused by the Escherichia coli bacteria, which lives in the intestines and can be transferred to the urethra due to inadequate hygiene, due to improper cleaning after bowel movements (the correct thing to do is to clean from the front to back), by having episodes of diarrhea or by anal and then vaginal stimulation during sexual intercourse. This type of bacteria must be eradicated effectively, as it has the property of creating colonies in the bladder. It is tough to control the infection and squid pain when urinating when this occurs.

Vaginal infections

Many vaginal infections cause pain, burning, or pressure when urinating. Some of them are Gardnerella and candidiasis, which can be transmitted by sexual intercourse or by a drastic change in the bacterial flora of the vagina. Changes in the pH of the vagina can occur due to prolonged intake of antibiotics or the use of douching, which allows all bacteria, including healthy ones, to be eliminated and unhealthy bacteria to proliferate.

Genital herpes infection

It is an STD caused by the genital herpes virus, this condition has no cure, and the objective is to reduce symptoms such as pain when urinating so that the person has a better quality of life.

Use of scented products

Using lubricants, deodorants, creams, and condoms with perfumes or flavors can irritate the vagina, inflames the urethra and causes discomfort when urinating, and even cause infections of the urine or vaginal tract. Ideally, do not use any product in this area with scents to avoid these conditions.

Pregnancy and urinary incontinence

During pregnancy, due to the pressure exerted by the uterus on the bladder, it is common to experience urine leakage after urination, which can trigger a urine infection due to excess moisture in underwear. Pantyliners are essential to guarantee hygiene during this possible temporary urinary incontinence. Likewise, incontinence due to aging or pelvic floor weakness can also cause the same scenario.

Vulvovaginitis

Lack of hygiene, the use of products with perfumes or scents, unprotected sex, excess moisture, menopause, bubble baths, contraceptives, and bathing in swimming pools can facilitate the proliferation of a vaginal fungus that is inflamed, irritating, or infect the vagina, causing painful urination, itching, foul odor, and discharge.

Kidney stones and pyelonephritis

As in men, these two conditions can cause painful urination in women. As we explained previously, kidney stones are masses composed of tiny crystals that appear in the kidneys and can interrupt the proper flow of urine, a condition that causes a lot of abdominal pain, pain in the lower back, and fever. It must be treated as an emergency because, in some cases, surgery is required.

Pyelonephritis is a poorly treated urinary infection lodged in a kidney and seriously compromises kidney health and function. Like kidney stones, pyelonephritis must be treated urgently to avoid significant complications such as organ loss.

Treatment of pain when urinating in women

As in men, the treatment of this symptom will depend on its cause. Every time pain occurs when urinating, it is essential to visit the doctor to examine us and determine the origin of the discomfort. In general, urinary infections are treated with antibiotics, and the time it takes to take the medications is usually no less than seven days. When the disease is chronic, care and the intake of remedies can take two weeks.

Vaginal infections are treated depending on the fungus that causes them. In most cases, the treatment will consist of applying vaginal ovules in the vaginal tract to eradicate the bacillus effectively. Depending on how advanced the infection is, antibiotics can sometimes be prescribed to fight it more effectively.

Pyelonephritis is treated with intravenous antibiotics and, in most cases, suggests that the person remain hospitalized to monitor kidney inflammation and kidney function closely. In the case of kidney stones, there may be the possibility of surgical intervention, depending on the severity of the condition and the size of the rocks, since sometimes the stone is so small that there are no symptoms of any kind, and the body eliminates it. By itself.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Painful urination: causes and treatment , we recommend that you enter our Kidneys and urinary system category .

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