What is Burns When I Pee?
Having painful peeing is something people tend to hate because of the discomfort and pain. However, the good thing is that the cause may be easily treated. In both women and men, having a burning sensation when you pee may be a symptom of a urinary tract infection or even a sexually transmitted infection. Burns when I pee may also be referred to as dysuria, which is a condition that causes pain and discomfort during urination. This is condition affects people in all ages, but it is common among sexually active women.
What Causes Burns When I Pee?
When you feel burns when peeing, it may be caused by the following:
Urinary tract infection
UTI may be caused by bacteria called E.coli which enters the urinary tract through the urethra and grow there causing an infection (urethritis). The bacteria can spread to your bladder and cause an infection (cystitis) and when they reach your kidney they can cause a serious kidney infection called pyelonephritis. These bacteria usually live in the colon and the region around the anus. They can enter your urinary tract via sexual intercourse and improper wiping of your anus.
Urethritis
This is a condition that causes irritation and swelling of urethra. Urethra is a tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body. This condition is caused by bacteria and virus infection which attacks your urethra.Urethritis can affect people of all ages. But women are highly likely to be affected than men because they have a small urethra which makes it easy for bacteria to enter. Men with urethritis may experience the following symptoms:
- Burning feeling when urinating
- Blood in the semen and urine
- Itching near the opening of your penis
While women can manifest the following symbols:
- Frequent urine
- Abnormal discharge in the vagina
- Burning in the urethra opening.
Prostate infections
This is a condition where E.coli bacteria enter the prostate gland of men and cause an inflammation and swelling. Small numbers of men especially those aged between 30-50 years are affected by prostate infections while also a few of them suffer from acute and chronic prostate infections. With this condition, you will exhibit the following symptoms:
- Reduced urine
- Pain in the groin
- Pain during ejaculation
Candidiasis or Yeast infections
Yeast infections are caused by bacteria called Candida albicans.A healthy vagina has good and bad bacteria. When there is imbalance in these bacteria population; bad bacteria population is more than good bacteria, they cause soreness or itching in your vagina, pain or burning when you urinate and have sex.You are more likely to experience these symptoms during the week before your menstrual periods.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
They are also known as sexually transmitted diseases or venereal diseases. STIs are passed from a person to another after having sexual contacts. You can get the infection through vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex.
When you have unprotected sex without using a condom you are at high risk of getting STIs. Sexually transmitted diseases can also be passed to uninfected persons through infected blood transfusion, from an infected mother to baby during birth and breastfeeding, and using unsterilized drug needles.
The following are some of the sexually transmitted infections:
1. Genital herpes
These STIs is caused by herpes simples virus (HSV). There are of two types Herpes Type 1 and Herpes Type 2. It is transmitted through vaginal intercourse, oral and anal sex. A significant number of people do not show any symptoms of this condition and hence are unaware of their herpes status. You can experience the following symptoms:
- High body temperature (fever)
- Pain while urinating
- Vaginal discharge
2. Trichomoniasis
It is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a single-celled protozoan parasite; trichomonas vaginalis. This condition affects vagina of women and urethra of men. Women are infected through sex with male and female partners while men are infected when they have sex with only women. Symptoms of trichomoniasis include:
- Vaginal smell
- Vaginal discharge
- Pain when urinating
Urethral stricture
This is a condition that constricts the urethra affecting proper flow of urine in the urethra and mainly occurs in men. It may be caused by straddle injury.
Any injury that affects the region close to your scrotum can make you develop urethral stricture. For example, when you fall from a tree or bicycle, you are more likely to injure the area close the scrotum. Some men have high risks of developing urethral stricture due to the following:
- Had sexually transmitted diseases
- Had urethritis
- Enlarged prostrate
Symptoms of Burns When I Pee
The symptoms depend on the cause of your condition. In most cases, you experience pain when urinating. When you have painful peeing, the symptoms may manifest in the following ways:
- Pain or soreness in the vagina
- An abnormal vaginal discharge
- Pain during sex
- Cloudy urine that is smelly
- A strong urge to urinate
- A burn when you try peeing
- The urge to pee after every few minutes
- Sometimes peeing but nothing comes out
- Blood in the pee, which makes the pee appear pinkish
- A first morning pee that is characterized by a strong odor
- Pain radiating from above the pubic bone.
Diagnosis
The first step is your doctor conducts a physical assessment. The doctor will ask you questions about the symptoms you experience and examine your genitals and look for tenderness over the kidney. In women, the doctor will conduct a pelvic assessment to check the vulva and the reproductive organs.
While in men, the doctor will conduct a digital rectal exam on the prostate gland to determine any growths in the organ. Your doctor will take urine and blood samples and analyze it to determine if you have a sexually transmitted disease.
Treatment
If painful urination is not treated early, you are at risk of developing severe complications such as kidney failure and cancer .Therefore seek medical advice when your symptoms lasts more than two days and you experience smelling urine, pus or blood in urine , pain in the lower and upper back and fever.
Burns when peeing can be treated basing on the cause. The following treatment interventions can be used by your doctor:
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections and they are administered to you orally or through injection. If your cause is vaginitis, urethritis cystitis and pyelonephritis, you will be treated with antibiotics. In the case of an injury, pain medications may be administered.
Prevention
- Practice safe sex by using a condom to protect yourself against sexually transmitted infections.
- Women need to observe the good hygiene by keeping their genital clean and dry.
- Avoid using soaps and substances that cause irritation near your genitals.
- Drink a lot of water to help flush out bacteria in your urinary tract.
- Avoid eating spicy and sugary food; they encourage growth of bacteria that cause infections.
Reference List
- Urethral Stricture. Available at http://www.healthline.com/health/urethral-stricture#Symptoms4
- Urinary Tract Infection. Available at http://www.medicinenet.com/urinary_tract_infection/article.htm
- Prostate Infections. Available at http://www.emedicinehealth.com/prostate_infections/article_em.htm
- Sexually Transmitted Infections. Available at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/246491.php
- Burning When I Pee. Available at http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/burning-when-i-pee
- What is Urinary Tract Infection? Available at http://www.onhealth.com/content/1/urinary_tract_infection_uti