If you experience pain while urinating, you may assume that the cause is a urinary tract infection. It’s a good guess – this medical condition is so common that about 20% of women will experience it during their lifetime. But if you’ve been practicing natural UTI prevention and still experience symptoms, another illness may be the culprit.
UTI
UTIs share symptoms with a number of other conditions, some of which don’t have anything to do with the urinary tract. So how can you determine if your pain is actually caused by a UTI? Your physician can runs tests to detect the presence of E. coli, which is the usual cause UTIs. If the tests come back negative, you likely have something else.
Yeast Infection
Painful urination can be a symptom of a yeast infection, which is actually a condition that affects the vagina. It’s caused by fungi rather than bacteria and can be identified with a simple test.
Interstitial Cystitis
What is interstitial cystitis? It’s often misdiagnosed as a urinary tract infection, but actually has nothing to do with bacteria. Instead, the similar symptoms are caused by a defect in or inflammation of the bladder lining. Your physician may perform a cystoscopy or biopsy to make a diagnosis.
Bacterial Vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis may cause painful urination, but also has the following symptoms:
- Fishy vaginal odor
- Gray, white or green discharge
- Itching
This condition is a vaginal issue caused by the overabundance of “bad” bacteria, which your physician can test for.
STIs
There are several sexually transmitted infections which may cause pain while urinating. You may have an STI if you also experience additional symptoms such as these:
- Fever
- Nausea
- Blisters
Your physician will likely administer tests to determine the specific STI.
If you frequently experience any of these conditions, there are things you can do to reduce their severity or prevent them altogether. In fact, many approaches overlap. For example, natural bacterial vaginosis prevention such as probiotics can help combat both yeast infections and recurring UTIs. By looking after your health now, you can avoid painful medical issues in the future.
