Blood in the urine - women
By Bjarne Lühr Hansen PhD, MD and Philipp Skafte-Holm MD, Mentor Institute
Visible blood in the urine can have several different causes but cystitis is a frequent cause. You should always consult a doctor to rule out inflammation, stone disease and cancer. If you have visible blood in the urine, fever and pain you should contact your doctor immediately.
Visible blood in the urine is not uncommon in women and is mostly due to cystitis. Other causes are inflammation of the urinary tract and stone disease. By inflammation, there will also be frequent and burning urination, and possibly fever. By stone disease there will also be pain in the lower back, abdomen or urethra. It can be difficult to determine whether visible blood comes from the urethra/bladder or from the vagina when urinating. More rare but serious cause’s is cancer in the bladder or kidneys. The risk of cancer is highest among women who only have visible blood in the urine but no pain or urinary problems. In half of the patients you will find no certain explanation for blood in the urine. Some people have red colored urine after eating large amounts of boiled beets.