The urinary tract has an important job to do — it produces, stores and transports urine out of the body. Our urologists treat problems associated with different parts of this pathway, which include the kidneys, ureters, urethra and bladder.
A hollow, muscular organ located in your abdomen, the bladder holds urine until it’s ready to be released. Sometimes symptoms can arise that indicate a problem with the health of your bladder or other parts of your urinary tract.
Those symptoms can include:
- Sudden increase in the need to urinate
- Frequently waking up at night to urinate
- Incontinence (loss of bladder control)
- Pain while urinating
- Difficulty starting the urine stream or fully emptying your bladder
- Blood in the urine
- Urine that is persistently cloudy or strong-smelling
- Persistent pain or pressure in the pelvis or low back
Urinary symptoms can interfere with sleep and make it difficult to go about your daily life. While these problems may become more common with age, they are not an inevitable part of aging and many can be effectively treated.
What we treat
Common urinary problems we treat:
- Urinary incontinence
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Voiding dysfunction
- Bladder cancer or other urologic cancers
- Urethral strictures (narrowing of the urethra)
- Bladder or urinary fistulas (abnormal connections between two organs in the body, often due to injury, infection or inflammation)
Diagnosing and treating urinary concerns
A number of conditions can cause urinary symptoms. Your urologist may use a combination of tests to evaluate your situation, make a diagnosis and monitor your health. Those tests may include imaging procedures such as X-rays, MRI or ultrasounds, as well as blood tests and urinalysis.
Your treatment plan will depend on your particular diagnosis. Treatment for bladder conditions may include medications, surgical procedures, lifestyle changes or other approaches. Your urology care team will work closely with you to recommend treatment options that fit your specific needs and goals.