Painful Urination
Key takeaways
- Painful urination is a feeling of pressure, pain or burning when urinating.
- Painful urination has several potential causes that can vary between males and females, including kidney stones, sexually transmitted diseases, ovarian cysts, urinary tract infections and prostate infections.
- Treatment and symptom management options for painful urination vary, depending on the underlying issue. Some options include antibiotics for infections, surgery for kidney stones and increased fluid intake to manage symptoms.
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Overview
What is painful urination?
Painful urination is when you feel pain, pressure, burning or itching prior to, during or after urination. It occurs in both males and females.
Depending on the cause, additional symptoms may accompany painful urination, including:
- Urinary frequency
- Urinary urgency
- Burning or itching
- Strong odor
- Blood in the urine
Other names for painful urination
Dysuria
Possible Causes
What can cause painful urination?
Some common causes of painful urination include:
Some causes that affect women (people assigned as female at birth)
- Yeast infections
- Menopause
- Vaginitis
- Ovarian cysts
Some causes that affect men (people assigned as male at birth)
- Prostate infection
- Urethritis
- Meatal stenosis
Discuss your symptoms with a health care provider for a proper diagnosis.
Treatment & management
How can painful urination be treated?
Treatments for painful urination depend on the cause. It is important to work with a health care provider to determine the cause of your painful urination so that it can be treated appropriately.
Certain conditions can be treated with over-the-counter pain medicine or anti-fungal medication. Antibiotics may be prescribed for certain infections. Increased fluid intake may also help you manage symptoms of painful urination. Kidney stones that can't pass naturally or other more serious conditions may require surgery.
MinuteClinic offers a variety of services that can help with diagnosis and treatment.
When to seek medical care
Go to the hospital or call 911 if:
- You develop a high fever along with painful urination.
Contact your provider if:
- You notice blood or pus in your urine.
- Your symptoms of painful urination come on suddenly and don't subside.
- Your symptoms of painful urination are accompanied by back or groin pain.
In general, if you are concerned about your painful urination, check in with a health care provider. You can find a variety of services at a MinuteClinic near you.
About our health content
Important! Please read
This material is for reference only and should not be used to determine treatment for specific medical conditions.
Please visit a healthcare provider for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of any symptoms you may be experiencing. If you're experiencing a medical emergency, please dial 911 or visit your local Emergency Department.
References used as sources for this page
- Kidney Stones. Source from Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-stones/symptoms-causes/syc-20355755. Accessed on May 2023.
- Vaginal and Urinary Symptoms of Menopause. Source from JAMA Network. Available at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2614191. Accessed on May 2023.
- Vaginitis and Urethritis. Source from Uro Center of New York. Available at http://www.urocenterofnewyork.com/for-women/urinary-infections-women/vaginitis-and-urethritis/. Accessed on May 2023.
- Prostatitis. Source from Johns Hopkins Medicine. Available at https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/prostatitis. Accessed on May 2023.
- Meatal Stenosis. Source from Cleveland Clinic. Available at https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16295-meatal-stenosis. Accessed on May 2023.
- Hematuria (Blood in Urine). Source from Penn Medicine. Available at https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/hematuria. Accessed on May 2023.