Discovering blood in your urine can be really frightening and need to be investigated by a doctor, but it’s not typically a sign of anything life-threatening.
If you see intense red blood in your urine, or if your urine has reddened or brown since it has blood in it, see your GP.
In some cases, urine may include only a small amount of blood invisible to the naked eye and is only obvious when a urine test is performed for something else. This still needs to be examined by your doctor, as healthy urine should not include any detectable quantities of blood.
The medical name for blood in the urine is haematuria. If blood in the urine is obvious with the naked eye, it is called “macroscopic”, or “visible haematuria”. If the blood can only be identified with lab screening, it is called “tiny”, or “non-visible”.
This page details the most common reasons for blood in the urine but no infection, to give you an idea of what may be triggering the problem. However, this guide should not be used to self-diagnose your condition, and it’s important to see your GP for an appropriate diagnosis.
Is there certainly blood in your urine?
Prior to you keep reading, it’s worth thoughting as whether you have recently consumed beetroot, as this can color the urine pink and cause unnecessary alarm. Some medications, such as the antibiotics nitrofurantoin and rifampicin, can likewise turn your urine red or brown.
Check that the blood is really originating from your urine and not your vagina (if you’re a woman) or back passage.
Common causes of blood in urine without infection
These include:
- kidney stones: which may be pain-free, but can in some cases block among tubes coming from your kidneys and cause severe belly pain
- an enlarged prostate gland: this is a typical condition in older men and nothing to do with prostate cancer; an enlarged prostate gland will continue the bladder and might also cause problems such as difficulty urinating and a frequent need to urinate
- bladder cancer: this typically impacts adults aged over 50 and can likewise cause you to urinate regularly and more urgently, as well as pain when urinating
- kidney cancer: this likewise typically impacts adults aged over 50, and can cause consistent pain listed below your ribs and a swelling in your stomach
- prostate cancer: this is normally only seen in men aged over 50 and normally progresses very slowly; other symptoms can include having to urinate more often and urgently, and trouble clearing your bladder
Seeing your GP
Your GP will ask about your symptoms and perform a physical exam to assist determine the cause of the blood in your urine. For men, this might include a rectal examination and women may have a vaginal examination.
They will also arrange blood/and or urine tests to try to find signs of an infection, according to iytmed.com. If they think that an infection is likely, they might prescribe some antibiotics prior to you get your results and will refer you to an expert if your test results later on show you do not have an infection.
In some cases, your GP may recommend watching on your symptoms to see if they improve on their own gradually.
Referral to a specialist
Your GP ought to refer you urgently to a professional if any of the following use:
- you have visible blood in your urine and no pain, and tests show there is no infection
- you are 50 or over and a urine test gets unexplained non-visible blood in your urine
- you have a lump in your belly (a possible tumor) that was gotten during physical exam by your doctor or during a scan
- non-visible haematuria is picked up during a test, particularly if there is also protein found in the urine
You will be described a healthcare facility urology or nephrology department, or a specialist haematuria clinic, for additional tests to recognize the cause of your symptoms.
These tests might include more blood and urine tests, an ultrasound scan, an X-ray and a cystoscopy. This is a procedure used to examine the within the bladder, using an instrument called a cystoscope.
I had a test done for UTI n it was negative but its the second time they find traces of blood in my urine cus i get UTIs frequently im 53 years old n im peri menopausal but i have frequency urinating n mild pelvic pain but not too bad n always feel bloated can u yell me at least whats going on.
I am having the same problem…I am going in for a cystoscopy June 4th and I’ll get back to you. I’m 69 and have a history of kidney stones and UTI’s. I had one episode of visible blood 2 1/2 months ago…but nothing since then. They noticed small traces of blood in my urine when I went in a few days later. I have a mind to just cancel and let my body heal itself but I figure I’ll go through it, to be on the safe side. I will make sure that they test my urine again before doing the procedure. If no traces of blood are found, I’m outta there!
I am so scared, they found blood in my recent urine test, so made me do a 3 day urine test (cytology) that I have now submitted to my clinic last week. I am driving myself crazy with worry. I am a 54 female, no more period for the past 5 years and otherwise feel just fine. MAke me never want to go to doctors as the worry/wait for results and appts, is awful. 🙁
Been having blood in urine, but no infection. Have history of kidney stones and have small ones in each kidney. Have had on and off ache in left side at waist for quite some time. Have had X-Ray, ultrasound but nothing showed up. Waiting for results from CT scan. Needless to say, I am very scared. I am 74 years old.