Spotting Symptoms Of A Kidney Infection
A kidney infection is not to be taken lightly, and you should never ignore the symptoms.
Left untreated, this type of infection can cause permanent damage to your kidneys and lead to other severe complications. Understanding the severity of this condition, would you be able to spot the symptoms of a kidney infection?
Im Pregnant How Will A Uti Affect My Baby
If you have a UTI and it isnt treated, it may lead to a kidney infection. Kidney infections may cause early labor. Fortunately, asymptomatic bacteriuria and bladder infections are usually found and treated before the kidneys become infected. If your doctor treats a urinary tract infection early and properly, it wont hurt your baby.
- Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Reviewed on 10/9/2020
Vaginal bleeding or discharge is sometimes associated with symptoms related to the urinary tract. It is possible for conditions to cause symptoms of both vaginal and urinary infections. Vaginal bleeding outside of the menstrual period can be a sign of infection or an ectopic pregnancy. Be sure to seek the advice of your doctor if you are experiencing unusual vaginal bleeding or any concerning symptoms.
While the list below can be considered as a guide to educate yourself about these conditions, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms and signs. Here are a number of those from MedicineNet:
Follow Up With Your Doctor As Directed:
Write down your questions so you remember to ask them during your visits.
The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.
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Urinary Tract Infections In Men
Men can get UTIs, particularly if they have trouble with urine flow. Older men who experience prostatitis are at a higher risk. If the bladder is not emptying properly, the build up ofurine makes it more difficult to cure the infection.
A small number of young men may get a UTI. In males, this is usually the result of a sexually transmitted disease.
Can A Uti Or Kidney Infection Cause Vaginal Bleeding
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Urinary Tract Infection Prevention
You can reduce your risk of developing urinary tract infections with these steps.
- Drink plenty of water
- Urinate when you first get the urge. Holding urine can increases bacteria growth in your bladder.
- Wipe from front to back after a bowel movement to avoid germs from the anus getting into the urethra
- After sex, urinate and drink a glass of water to help flush bacteria that may have been pushed into the urethra during intercourse
- Avoid genital cleansing products such as douches and deodorants. These remove your bodys natural protective secretions and oils
- Take showers instead of baths
- Wear cotton underwear
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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Information About Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs And Cats
What is haematuria?
Haematuria is the medical term used to describe blood in the urine that occurs due to bleeding in the urinary system. When this happens the urine typically looks red and, occasionally, blood clots are seen. Sometimes bleeding can be on a microscopic level and the urine may appear normal. In these cases, blood may only be detected by laboratory analysis.
Are there other clinical signs that can be associated with haematuria?
Other clinical signs that may be present would include straining to urinate and squatting frequently to pass small amounts of urine. Straining to defecate can sometimes occur in male dogs with an enlarged prostate.
What can cause blood in the urine?
This can vary with the location of the bleeding. Typically the causes of urinary tract bleeding are separated into either upper urinary tract or lower urinary tract groups. The upper urinary tract includes the kidneys and ureters . The lower urinary tract includes the bladder, urethra, prostate and vagina .
Causes Lower urinary tract bleeding
In cases where the lower urinary tract is involved other clinical signs typical of cystitis are normally seen.
Bladder inflammation of the bladder wall and subsequent bleeding can occur due to uroliths , polyps , infections and occasionally tumours. In the cat, there is a relatively common form of cystitis that without infection called feline lower urinary tract disease . FLUTD has been linked to stress and anxiety.
Find A Gynecologist Near Me
Urinary tract infections are uncomfortable. However, they may be asymptomatic, and you fail to learn about them until they have caused serious damage. A urinary tract infection could also be an indication of an underlying condition.
If you suspect a urinary tract infection, visit a doctor immediately so that you can begin treatment. All Womens Care dedicates itself to providing quality services to women of all backgrounds.
We care for you to prevent, control, and treat any gynecological problems you care experiencing. Contact us today at for a consultation.
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Urinary Tract Infection Treatment
Usually doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat UTIs. Once you start taking medication, your symptoms should go away in a few days, but this doesnt mean you can stop taking the medicine. While you are on the mediation, drink plenty of water to help flush the bacteria out of your system.
To help ease the pain of a UTI, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever and try putting a heating pad on your lower abdomen.
If you have recurrent UTIs , your doctor may recommend additional treatments.
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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Hpv And Cervical Cancer
Intermenstrual bleeding can be a sign of more serious problems, such as cervical or endometrial cancer, and for this reason I would advise that if you are having intermenstrual bleeding, or any other new or worrying symptoms, see your doctor even if its only for a bit of reassurance.
Cervical cancer is very often caused by the human papilloma virus infection, which is a sexually transmitted virus.6 There are around 100 different types of the virus, some of which can cause genital warts, some of which can cause cervical cancer, and some of which dont do much at all.
Lots of people of all genders have HPV at some point in their life and often the body gets rid of the virus, just like it fights off the common cold.
Having a high-risk strain of HPV for a period of time can increase the risk of the cells in the cervix becoming cancerous. The virus itself cant be treated, but its effects can genital warts can be treated in a number of ways, and pre-cancerous changes in the cervix can be picked up by a smear test and treated before they become cancer.
Like all tests, its not fool-proof, and intermenstrual bleeding should still prompt a visit to the doctor, even if you have had regular, normal smear tests.
Urinary Tract Infections In Babies And Young Children
Babies and children are at risk of UTIs. These infections always need to be investigated as they may indicate a serious underlying condition, such as urinary reflux. Reflux is caused by a bladder valve problem allowing urine to flow back into the kidneys from the bladder. Reflux can cause the urine to stay inside the body increasing the risk of infection. It may lead to kidney scarring, which in turn leads to high blood pressure and sometimes kidney problems.
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Spotting And Preventing Uti Complications
Spotting is a term thats often used to describe vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods. If you have spotting, you might notice a small amount of bright red blood in your underwear or when you use the bathroom.
Spotting is common among women between the ages of 15 and 45. But if you dont have a menstrual cycle, or you notice other symptoms along with spotting, it could be a sign of a urinary tract infection .
UTIs affect women and men of all ages, and theyre one of the most common types of infection. Although UTIs usually arent a sign of something more serious, they can cause complications like kidney infection or chronic bladder pain. Trust our team at Advanced Urology for expert diagnosis and treatment to prevent UTI complications at our offices in Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, Culver City, and San Pedro, California.
Treatment Options For Uti
UTIs dont go away on their own. In fact, they may get worse, and the infection could spread elsewhere in your body without proper care. Seeking prompt medical care is the best way to stop the infection and prevent UTI complications like kidney infection.
If you notice signs of a UTI, our Advanced Urology team is equipped to diagnose and treat it so you start feeling better. Most acute UTIs resolve with a course of prescription antibiotic medication.
If youre dealing with chronic UTIs or ongoing bladder pain, you may benefit from a longer course of low-dose antibiotics. Our team may recommend at-home urine tests throughout treatment or prescribe medication to take when you have sexual intercourse to help prevent recurrent UTIs.
Be sure to take all of your medication, even if your UTI symptoms disappear during the course of treatment. Finishing your antibiotic is the only way to ensure the infection is gone and avoid UTI complications.
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When Does Vaginal Bleeding Need Further Investigation
Vaginal bleeding which happens more than once or twice outside your period or that makes you feel unwell should always be investigated.
Your doctor may ask you about your general health and the nature of your periods. They may also ask whether you could be pregnant. In some cases, a very early miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy can cause vaginal bleeding without you ever knowing that you were pregnant.
Your doctor might feel your tummy, do an internal examination to check your vagina and look at your cervix using a medical device called a speculum. They may also swab your vagina to test for infections and take a cervical screening test to see if there are any changes in your cervix. You doctor may also ask you to do a pregnancy test or go for an ultrasound so that they can better understand the health of your cervix and uterus.
The ultrasound can be done through your tummy wall or from inside your vagina. Although this sounds uncomfortable, most women prefer vaginal ultrasounds to an ultrasound through the tummy wall which requires a full bladder. You doctor may also refer you to a gynaecologist, who is a medical doctor who specialises in womens health.
How Is Uti Treated
For UTI treatment, your doctor will typically do a urine culture, to determine the type of infection. If the infection is caused by bacteria, the doctor may recommend antibioticsoral antibiotics for lower tract infection, and intravenous antibiotics for upper tract infection. If the infection is caused by a virus, then the doctor will recommend antiviral medication.
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Recurrent Vaginal Yeast Infection
If you have symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection and have been diagnosed and treated by your doctor for this in the past, you may want to try treating it at home. You can use an over-the-counter medicine to treat your symptoms. Examples of medicines are tioconazole , clotrimazole , and miconazole .
If your symptoms don’t improve with home treatment, contact your doctor. Vaginal symptoms that may be related to another type of vaginal infection or a cervical infection need to be checked.
If you are pregnant or if you take the blood-thinning medicine warfarin, talk to your doctor before using an over-the-counter medicine for a yeast infection. If you take warfarin and use an over-the-counter medicine, you may have increased bruising and abnormal bleeding.
What Are The Symptoms Of Hematuria
People with gross hematuria have urine that is pink, red, or brown. Even a small amount of blood in the urine can cause urine to change color. In most cases, people with gross hematuria do not have other signs and symptoms. People with gross hematuria that includes blood clots in the urine may have bladder pain or pain in the back.
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Is It Possible To Prevent Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections With A Vaccine
Currently, there are no commercially available vaccines for UTIs, either recurrent or first-time infections. One of the problems in developing a vaccine is that so many different organisms can cause infection a single vaccine would be difficult to synthesize to cover them all. Even with E. coli causing about most infections, the subtle changes in antigenic structures that vary from strain to strain further complicate vaccine development even for E. coli. Researchers are still investigating ways to overcome the problems in UTI vaccine development.
What Is Blood In Urine
Blood in your urine can look red, pink or brown. Sometimes, you may not know you have blood in your urine until you have a urine test. A urine test may also find white blood cells, which can be a sign of an infection in your kidneys or another part of your urinary tract.Be sure to tell your doctor if you have blood in your urine so they can decide what to do next.If you notice a lot of blood, or any blood clots in your urine, contact your doctor right away.
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Treating A Yeast Infection
Yeast infections are treated using antifungal medications. These are available in many forms, such as clotrimazole and miconazole, which are available over the counter. There is also an oral medication, fluconazole , available as a prescription if you prefer a pill to a vaginal cream or suppository.
What Is The Prognosis For A Urinary Tract Infection
A good prognosis is usual for spontaneously resolved and quickly treated UTIs. Even patients that have rapidly developed symptoms and early pyelonephritis can have a good prognosis if quickly and adequately treated. The prognosis begins to decline if the UTI is not quickly recognized or treated.
Elderly and immunosuppressed patients may not have the UTI recognized early their prognosis may range from fair to poor, depending on how much damage is done to the urinary tract or if complications like sepsis occur.
Like adults, most adequately treated children will have a good prognosis. Children and adults with recurrent UTIs may develop complications and a worse prognosis recurrent UTIs may be a symptom of an underlying problem with the urinary tract structure. These patients should be referred to a specialist for further evaluation.
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Did You Know A Healthy Vagina Could Prevent Uti
Research shows that vaginal health plays a key role in UTIs in women. We now know that the vagina can be a source of the bacteria that cause UTIs and can also be a target for preventing UTIs. This is because the vagina contains naturally occurring bacteria, or normal flora that prevent UTIs and keep the vagina healthy.
Several other factors that increase a womans risk for poor vaginal health include:
- Low vaginal estrogen after menopause
- Antibiotics
- Some types of contraceptives.