Urine - bloody
Key points
- Blood in your urine can turn toilet water pale pink or bright red.
- In women, blood may appear to be in the urine when it is actually coming from the vagina.
- There are many potential causes of blood in the urine.
- Home Care Treatment for blood in the urine depends on the underlying cause found on evaluation by your doctor.
Alternative names
Hematuria; Blood in the urine
Definition
Blood in your urine can turn toilet water pale pink or bright red. Or, you may just see spots of blood in the water after urinating.
Considerations
In women, blood may appear to be in the urine when it is actually coming from the vagina. In men, what may be mistaken for urinary bleeding is sometimes a bloody ejaculation, usually due to a prostate problem.
Discoloration from certain drugs, beets, or other foods can mimic blood in the urine.
You may not see blood in your urine. In some cases, it is found microscopically when your doctor checks your urine during a routine exam. Your doctor will follow up on this problem to see if it persists and identify the cause.
When blood is visible to the naked eye, prompt and thorough evaluation is always needed. In children, hospitalization is often necessary to complete the work up.
Common Causes
There are many potential causes of blood in the urine. Often, bloody urine is from a problem in your kidneys or other parts of the urinary tract. If your kidneys, urinary tract, prostate, and genitals turn out to be fine, your doctor may check to see if you have a bleeding disorder.
Kidney and urinary tract causes include:
- Kidney or bladder stones
- Infection of the bladder (especially if chronic and recurrent), kidney, or urethra (tube that empties urine from the bladder to the outside)
- Inflammation of the bladder, urethra, or kidney (called glomerulonephritis)
- Cancer of the bladder or kidney
- Trauma to the kidney, fractured pelvis, or recent procedure somewhere in the urinary tract like catheterization, circumcision, surgery, or kidney biopsy.
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Kidney failure (acute or chronic)
- Kidney disease following strep throat, called post-stretococcal glomerulenephritis; this is a classic cause of blood in the urine in children
Causes from blood disorders include:
- Bleeding disorders (such as hemophilia)
- Sickle cell disease
- Blood clot in the kidneys
- Low numbers of platelets
- Medications including blood thinners (like warfarin)
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.