“I went to the toilet and all of a sudden, I felt like somebody had put a fire there… where you pee from. I thought I have eaten something bad from outside. But, it is not going away, for three days now. Could it be a sign of any infections?” asked Neha in our Instagram DMs, after further explaining her symptoms, we have asked her to seek a doctor’s help because they look very similar to a bladder infection.
If, for your own reasons, you are worrying that you may have bladder infection; you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the most common and hard-to-miss signs and symptoms of bladder infection in females.
Bladder infection is the bacterial infection of the urinary bladder. Bladder infection comes under the big banner of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) as UTIs include the bladder, urethra, ureters and kidneys.
Symptoms of Bladder Infection in Females
You will get bladder infection when bacteria get into the urethra (the tubes that carries urine from the bladder and out of the body) and settle in your bladder. Once they have attached themselves to the bladder wall, they will multiply vigorously. This can cause inflammation or cystitis. Normally, your body will flush out the bacteria with the help of urine but it won’t be the case every time.
These bacteria can also move into the kidneys and cause kidney infection.
Bladder infection is much more common among females than among males. According to recent studies, over 50% of women contract bladder infection at least once in their lifetime. This is because, in females, the urethra is short and not very far from the anus. This translates as shorter and easy to travel distance for the bacteria.
Some symptoms of a bladder infection in women are as follows:
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Burning feeling
You go to the bathroom to relieve yourself only to be met with a burning sensation when you urinate. Burning sensation when you pee is the most common symptom of bladder infection, it was the same for Neha.
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Discomfort in the Lower Abdomen
People with bladder infection will experience pressure or cramping in their lower abdomen or under belly. In severe cases, your lower abdomen can bloat accompanied with acute and sharp pain.
The pressure and pain can be mild or moderate and can increase over time if not attended to. This pain usually decreases for a while and returns again when you pee and empty your bladder.
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Feeling tired
Having an infection means bacteria in your immune system. They can suck away your energy which makes feeling drained and tired a common symptom. If you don’t treat bladder infection soon enough, you can also develop headache and nausea.
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Back Pain or Pain in the Side or Groin
Bladder infection can also cause pain in your lower back and in the sides of your stomach. Stretching and exercising can relieve the pain for a while. You can also feel severe pain in your groin, the place where the abdomen joins with both the thighs.
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Fever or chills
A bladder infection does not usually cause a high temperature fever. If you have fever along with lower back pain and pain in the sides, then the infection might have spread to your kidneys.
Conclusion of Symptoms of Bladder Infection in Females
Signs of a bladder infection in women can be a little too obvious, as if they want to be noticed very badly. Treatment for bladder infection will depend on the severity of the symptoms. Your doctor will likely give you antibiotics and you should feel better in a day or two. Drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated, you can use heat pads to ease your belly and abdominal pain.
Leave any queries you have in the comments below. Take care!
