What
is Urethritis?
Urethritis
occurs when the urethra gets infected and inflamed.
What
is the urethra?
The urethra is a canal that carries urine from the bladder. In men
it is inside of the penis and it also carries semen and sperm out
of the penis. In women the urethra only carries urine from the bladder.
A lot of guys can have urethritis and have no symptoms at all. If
you have any of the symptoms below, you should see a health care
provider immediately as complications can develop if the urethritis
is left untreated. You should discontinue sexual intercourse until
after you get medical treatment. You don't have to see a urologist
if you don't want to, a "health care provider" can also
assess and treat you. Females can also get urethritis, see bladder
infections for more on that topic.
Signs
and Symptoms of Urethritis:
What
Causes Urethritis?
There are many causes
of urethritis. Irritation by substances, such as creams, lotions,
soap and spermicides can cause urethritis. This type of urethritis
can not be spread to anyone else. Sexually transmitted diseases,
like gonorrhea and chlamydia, can also cause urethritis and can
be spread to sexual partners. See
the STD section for more on those two nasty but treatable diseases.
At the health
care provider's office when you have symptoms, or if you chose
to see a physician or urologist, this is what will most likely
take place:
If there are
no secretions that the health care provider can take a sample
of, then the person may insert a swab into the urethra -- about
3 to 4 mm deep. (This is done so a "culture" can be taken to determine
exactly what is causing the infection). The swab can cause some
pain, but it is very important to do this test. You will probably
be given medication for the infection. Sometimes tests are done
2 weeks after treatment to make sure the infection has gone away
completely.
While females
get urethritis too, it seems to be more common in males when it's
not also part of a urinary tract infection. Males have a longer
urinary tract than females do (for obvious reasons) if you think
of the male anatomy.
You might see
one day see a lab technician if they were also doing more tests
on your urine or blood if your urethritis was recurring or your
health care provider was concerned about another condition.
 UTI-Clear for UTI, Bladder Infections, Cystitis and Urethritis - (This
stuff works great, it worked for me. ~ Amy, RN)
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Painful or burning urination
