Why does it sting when I pee?

IF you’re suddenly noticing it is painful when you go to the loo, it could be for several reasons.

You might feel a burning sensation or it might just be a little bit uncomfortable – here’s everything you need to know about why it might be painful to pee.

1

Most adults pass between 800 to 2,000 millilitres of fluid a day if they have a recommended minimum fluid intake of about 2 litres.

Visiting the toilet between six and eight times in every 24-hour period is standard territory.

Dr Shree Datta, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist atMyHealthcare Clinicin London said that the frequency of passing urine obviously depends on how much you drink.

She explained: “If you are drinking lots of water, and other fluids – particularly caffeinated drinks – it’s not unreasonable to have to empty your bladder every one or two hours.

“I would always advise having a clear white toilet bowl.

“Being able to see the colour of your urine is important as you can assess whether you are drinking too much or too little.

“Your urine should be a light straw colour, rather than completely clear or a dark cloudy apple juice colour. Having a white toilet also helps identify blood in your urine”.

If you’ve assessed your pee and you’re still not sure – here are the main reasons it could be hurting.

UTI

Urinary tract infections can become serious if left unchecked, damaging the kidneys and entering into the bloodstream.

You can treat then with antibiotics, while making sure to up fluid intake.

If it’s especially painful you should take over-the-counter painkillers too.

Dr Datta said: “If you’re prone to urinary tract infections, make sure you go to see your doctor sooner rather than later.

“After excluding infection, another thing to note is that if you find you are peeing all the time, you might need bladder retraining.”

It’s also worth knowing UTIs can be the cause of cystitis, which might be another reason you’re having toilet trouble.

Prostate problems

Earim Chaudry, Medical Director of men’s health platform Manual said that in men difficulty urinating could be a sign of prostate issues.

He said: “Difficulty urinating, or pain when urinating could be a sign of prostate disease or cancer, which shouldn’t be ignored. When the prostate is enlarged, it can press on the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder) which can make it difficult to pass urine.

“Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer for men in the UK, according to the NHS. This type of cancer also develops slowly, which means it can go undetected for many years.

“You might notice an increased need to urinate, straining while you urinate or the feeling as though your bladder isn’t fully emptied. While these symptoms don’t necessarily mean you have prostate cancer, it is important to visit your GP as a precaution.”

Too many products

If you’re sensitive to certain products then this could irritate you skin.

This could be anything from soaps, foams and sponges.

If it hurts to urinate after you have used these products, you are probably sensitive to them.

Dr Sarah Welsh, GP and founder of Hanx said that scented products inside your vagina can disrupt the delicate balance of good and bad bacteria.

She added: “If you use heavily scented bath products, this can affect the balance, leaving you susceptible to infections and irritation.”

Infection or inflammation

Painful urination can have other causes, such as an infection or inflammation in the vagina or in the prostate gland, experts at the American Family Physician say.

“You may feel pain when urine passes over the inflamed tissue. If the urethra is inflamed, you would feel pain as the urine passes through it”, they add.

One many type of infection which causes pain when you urinate is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It’s important that if you think you have an STI that you see a sexual health doctor.

Another main reason is a kidney infection, if you have a kidney infection you will also experience back pain, fever, chills and abdominal pain.

You may also have kidney or bladder stone. These can settle in your kidney or your bladder and make it painful for you to pee as it often irritates the bladder lining.

Vaginal tears

If you’ve not been lubricated enough when having penetrative sex then you might be experiencing a vagina tear.

This could leave you with small internal abrasions which often result in it stinging when you pee.