Dr Melanie: Blood in your wee? What to do

If you notice blood in your wee, even if

it’s ‘just the once’, tell your doctor

Seeing blood when you pass urine is quite common, but alarming. Many of us get occasional or recurrent blood in our urine which can't be seen with the naked eye, but is only detectable with a

urinary dipstick, and is often a surprise discovery made during tests for other conditions.

Either way, any sign of blood in the urine needs checking out, as there are lots of causes, some of which are serious and need urgent tests (see tips). Make a doctor’s appointment, and take a urine sample with you in a clean container.

Other symptoms

Also make an appointment if you have any of the following, with or without visible blood in your urine: dysuria (pain, burning or discomfort during or after peeing), needing to pee frequently or urgently, an unpleasant smell, leaking urine or pain in your tummy or kidney areas (under your ribs, each side at the back).

Also report any vaginal dryness or discharge, feeling easily full on eating, or more general symptoms, such as weight loss, sweats or extreme tiredness.

Could it be cancer?

Around 8,000 people in England a year die from bladder or kidney cancer but, if diagnosed at the earliest stage (stage 1) more than four-fifths of those with kidney cancer, and over three-quarters of those with bladder cancer will live at least another five years. These figures fall to one in 10 when diagnosed at a late stage (stage 4), so if your GP thinks cancer could be a possibility, she’ll refer you for tests within two weeks.

Both cancers commonly develop from middle-age onwards. There are more than 10,000 new UK cases of bladder cancer each year, and over 12,000 new cases of kidney cancer. You may notice blood in your urine, a urinary tract infection that won’t go away or other symptoms (see above).

Treatment depends on whether the cancer has

spread, and may include destroying cancer cells (either by freezing, laser or radiofrequency treatment), surgery, radiotherapy and/ or chemotherapy.

Other causes

You may have blood in your urine if you have a urinary infection, a catheter, bladder or kidney stones (which may have no other symptoms or cause excruciating colicky pain), or have suffered trauma. It can also develop in many kidney diseases, including cysts and immune- system disorders, some blood diseases, congenital abnormalities or if you take certain medicines, such as blood-thinning anticoagulants. In men, it can also be caused by an enlarged, inflamed or cancerous prostate.

Urine can also turn red/ brown in jaundice, after extreme exercise (muscle breakdown products) or after eating beetroot!

Vaginal or rectal bleeding, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or external soreness or scratching can also result in bloodied urine. If you’re not sure, use loo paper to check whether it could be coming from your front or back passage, and report this to your doctor, too.